Dogs are often known to be courageous and intelligent to deal with a lot of scary situations. However, have you ever thought that your dog might be afraid of something too?
If you are a Beagle owner, there are a few things that your dog could be afraid of. Beagles are usually scared of loud noises or being left alone. Their friendly and happy nature does not allow them to be comfortable if they are left alone.
Other than that, some scary or disturbing experiences may also cause fear in your Beagle’s mind. We have researched a lot of everyday things that scare away Beagles. Read ahead to find out about ten such fears your Beagle might be facing.
10 Things Beagles are Scared of and How to Deal with Them
1. Loud noise of thunder
This fear of thunder is not only limited to Beagles. Other dogs also tend to get scared of thunder noises.
During thunderstorms, try to notice your dog’s behavior. Some dogs try to hide away when they get scared of the noise, while others bark back at it. Some Beagles can get extremely scared of thunder noises, and this can cause anxiety in them.
Extreme fear can also become a cause for your dog to lose its bladder control. In other words, your Beagle may pee when it hears the rumbling of thunder.
2. Fireworks
Fireworks are similar to thunder for Beagles. The loud noise of fireworks can prove to be scary for your fur buddy. The unusual light generated by fireworks can also scare some Beagles off.
Again, the loud noise can cause destructive behavior in your Beagle. It can get aggressive and start barking at the fireworks or try to hide away due to fear.
3. Separation anxiety
As we mentioned before, Beagles are scared of being left alone. Their friendly and social nature demands them to be surrounded by people. Thus, if they are left alone,
Beagles develop separation anxiety. You may notice that when you leave your Beagle alone in a room, it starts barking. This is out of fear and anxiety. Your dog is afraid of staying alone.
This separation anxiety can also result in developing destructive behavior in your Beagle. It can start breaking stuff around in your house or peeing/pooping inside the house.
4. Cars
Some Beagles do not like traveling in cars. This is because they tend to get motion sick. Motion sickness in vehicles is common for a lot of dogs.
When your dog gets sick in the car, it starts getting afraid of it since it knows that it will get sick once it goes inside.
To get your dog used to cars, try to associate things he loves with the vehicle. Take him to parks or other places he loves by vehicle and bring along his favorite toys.
5. Vacuum Cleaner
Big cleaning machines that make a lot of noise are something your dog will not like to be around at all. Obviously, Beagles, like other dogs would like to maintain their distance from vacuum cleaners.
To get this fear out, try to make your dog comfortable around the vacuum cleaner and desensitize. Let it inspect the machine by itself and then slowly switch on the cleaner at a slower speed.
6. Vet
Just like you and I do not like visiting our doctors, our fur buddies, too, do not prefer the company of their doctors!
You must have noticed that, commonly, dogs do not like visiting their vets at all. This behavior is completely understandable as they do not like being inspected by some unknown person.
Dogs show reluctance in visiting their vets because they are not comfortable in the clinics. The right way to not let this fear develop is to find the kind of vet who cares about the dogs as much as a human doctor cares about human health.
7. Umbrellas
Umbrellas open up all of a sudden, which may be the cause of startling your Beagle. The working of umbrellas is something your Beagle may get afraid of if not shown in a non-scary way.
Always try to open up your umbrella quickly and softly not to startle your Beagle. This umbrella issue is prevalent all around the world. Try to associate treats whenever you open up your umbrella. This way, a good memory will be associated in your dog’s mind when it sees the object in question.
8. Hairdryers
Once again, the loud noise of a hairdryer can prove to be scary to your Beagle. Try not to show your dog a hairdryer out of the blue. That too when it’s turned on.
You can try introducing a hairdryer slowly to your Beagle. Just the way you presented the vacuum cleaner and its noise, be patient and let your dog get accustomed to such new items so that it does not get startled.
9. Strangers
Beagles are social dogs, and they love the company around them. However, some Beagles may get afraid of people they are not familiar with.
Yes, Beagles are extra friendly and social. However, they require training and grooming to keep up this behavior. If you keep your dog alone and poorly socialized, it might develop anxiety issues. These issues may cause them to bark unnecessarily.
Thus, to avoid any such issue, make sure that your Beagle gets a fair amount of outside time.
10. Unknown objects
Unfamiliar and new objects can confuse or scare your Beagle. Your dog may start to chew that object and try to figure out its purpose. Unknown things also end up scaring some of the dogs, and they start barking over such objects.
How to manage separation anxiety in Beagles
Separation anxiety is caused in Beagles when they are left alone and are not socialized properly. Poor social skills can cause destructive behavior in Beagles. This behavior includes excessive barking, breaking stuff, chewing stuff, or peeing around the house.
To deal with separation anxiety, try adopting a strict and regular routine. Once your Beagle is used to your timings and routine, it will know that you are not leaving it alone.
Another way to deal with separation anxiety is crate training. Crate training is essential for your dog, so you make it comfortable for your dog to live in its own presence. Once your Beagle gets used to a crate, it becomes confident in its own space, and thus, it gets relieved in staying alone.
Takeaway
Dogs are afraid of a lot of things around them. Talking about Beagles, a lot of them are scared of things making loud noises. Be it a hairdryer or a thunderstorm, your Beagle is bound to get afraid of such loud noises.
To let your fur buddy get used to loud noises like these, try to condition them with treats when introducing them to hair dryers or vacuum cleaners.
Other factors are also responsible for creating fear in your Beagle’s mind. They may also be health-related. Thus, you need to be vigilant around your Beagle. Make sure it does not end up being afraid of almost everything around in the environment.
We hope this article helped you understand the variety of fears a Beagle can go through.
Dr. Aram Baker has been with Santa Clarita Animal Hospital since 1995 and his special interests include behaviour medicine and dermatology. He graduated from the Cleveland Humanities Magnet Program in Reseda, CA and attended California State University at Northridge where he received a Bachelor’s degree in biology. He went on to pursue his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at the University of California at Davis. He also spent time in the zoological medicine department at U.C. Davis during his Junior and Senior years. He is dedicated to caring for all pets big or small, young or old with compassion, patience, kindness, and love.