Is there such a thing as 'too old to train' ?

[hippiechick]

Some of you may know I recently adopted Ray, a male Beagle who was abandoned in a dump.

I've been trying to figure him out by watching his behavior and what I know is:

He's between 6 and 7 years old;
* crate trained
* housebroken
* afraid to be outside in the dark
* afraid of water (streams, puddles, rain falling on him)
* he would LOVE to be a lapdog but I don't sit still very often
* he was either spoiled or was a puppy mill stud because he's not very muscular & has trouble with stairs sometimes, and the HS had to pull 10 of his teeth which were rotted - most likely from eating soft food.
* he is aggressive toward other dogs/not well socialized - pulls at his leash, howls, mohawk goes up when we cross paths with other dogs
* he was intact when the Humane Society got him - they did the neutering.

It's not like he wants to fight, but he's very suspcious and ... I don't know if territorial is the right word ... trying to show he's an Alpha, maybe. He's not like that at home with HippieDog Hank, though - they've adjusted perfectly to each other.

My question is: how can I - indeed, CAN I at all - break him of the aggression ? Is it a 'personal characteristic' or is it breeding ? Walking the 2 of them together has gone fairly smoothly, but him freaking out every time we see another dog is hard on my nerves and my wrists/arms.

Thoughts or direction anyone ?

Thanks !!! :hi:

[demnan]

1. I'm having a similar problem with my Siamese

When I walk Pad Thai he is getting very used to the fact that he has to walk in areas I can walk too (not going in the woods, wrapping around trees (most of the time)). But when he sees a human he becomes afraid. He pulls on his leash and starts heading for home. The little fella was closed up in an apartment for most of his life and has been pretty sheltered around a small number of loving people.

Also when he sees another (male) cat he becomes aggressive, he wants to yowl and fight. Of course he's been neutered for years. He's also seven years old.

On the bright side though, I didn't leash train him till he was about six, so "an old cat can learn new tricks". The personality stuff, though, is harder to fix.

[ernstbass]

2. I have a beagle mix

who I adopted as a puppy. He gets along well with my 3 others and with my new foster dog but he is obnoxious when I walk him in public - displaying all of the behaviors you describe. I nipped the pulling at the leash with a "Sporn" harness (great item) but he still barks and raises his hackles.(It's very embarrassing) I'm involved in hound rescue and most of the hounds I've had do NOT like water - the beagle mix is the exception, however.

[IndyOp]

3. The most common suggestion for dogs that become

aggressive during walks that I have heard:

When you see another dog(s) coming toward you, pull your dog over, have him sit, and give him a treat after the other dog passes. The goal is to get your dog to automatically turn toward you and sit for food whenever he sees another dog coming. In this way, other dogs become a signal that something good that is about to happen instead of a threat. This treat regimen has worked wonders for my chocolate lab.

Another thought: I know a lot of Beagles who have back problems and if a dog isn't feeling well they are more likely to be defensive when encountering other dogs. You might try taking him to a chiropracter for an adjustment - my chiropracter also adjusts my dogs ;-)

:kick: