What's the big deal???

[didee]

I think Miss Squirrel Freak has some beagle in her, too. I hate the screaming over the squirrels (maybe I will have that giant oak tree taken down so we have fewer acorns), but I love her "AR-RROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by TheBeagleLady

Too cute!

Do they see basset in him, too? Those legs scream basset to me! Of course, he could very easily be a little of both, and one of the very best mixes in the world is, in fact, the Bagel.

Nobody's ever said Bassett, but he definitely has Corgi going on. His tail is a Corgi tail and he herds his people like crazy. So I'm thinking that he gets his short legs from his Corgi genes.

Most people initially think that he's a Lab PUPPY -- they say that his face is Lab but he's low to the ground so they think he's a baby. But my baby is turning 9 at the end of the month.

He's *probably* Beagle/Corgi/Lab but only his REAL parents know for sure, I guess.

Originally Posted by didee

Ha! Well, I'm with akck, Dawn. You talk a good line, but you wouldn't part with Artie for all the tea in China. That dog is loved! (And I certainly don't need another hound dog!)

Dammit! I mean, damn right! You're right -- I talk the talk, but I don't walk the walk. The boy is stuck with me. And, yeah, I love him like crazy. (And like the crazy pupper he is.)

[kiacook]

In all seriousness, one of the things I learned since becoming a first time dog owner, which I did not know before, is that you can't train temperament. You can't make a calm dog energetic, you can't make an energetic dog calm. Their vibe is their vibe. You can train certain behaviors - sit, stay, down, etc - but you can't change a dog's wiring. It's been really interesting to try to figure out what my dog likes to do and then channel that into positive activities. She likes sniffing - A LOT - and gets very distracted when she's off leash in a new area by all the new smells and doesn't pay any attention to me. So we're taking a field work class that will help her focus on me when she's off leash and also use her sniffing as a structured activity and a job she's doing for me.

Maybe a trainer could suggest a way that you can satisfy your dog's need to chase off the squirrels in a way that is a job she's doing for you, and more quietly.

[LuvABull.Denver]

Prey drive is instinct and that can't be trained out.

Diesel believes all squirrels are deadly to dogs and humans alike and should be killed by him, his paws and jaws! Actually all vermin but squirrels specifically! (Ha!)