Something I have ALWAYS spent a lot of time on is observing my Beagles. How did they behave in various situations—and if a “problem” arose, what was the best way for me to help that specific Beagle?
Nova has been with us for 3 weeks now—which, of course, isn’t a long time—BUT I am already starting to get a clear picture of her.
To me, Nova seems sensitive. She doesn’t handle commotion very well. She is particularly sensitive when she is outdoors. A sudden loud noise from somewhere immediately makes her alert.
This morning, I took her out myself. She walked along our private road just fine, but as we reached the corner, she became alert. There is more traffic there—people passing by with children or dogs.
I decided—just as I did with my previous Beagles—to pick her up so she could sit in my arms and watch.
I carried her for most of the way—around the “block”—and once we were back outside our own property, I set her down; she already knew she was almost home. “Unfortunately,” a woman with a dog appeared—though she did cross to the opposite sidewalk. But as she passed us (Nova was sitting nicely, just watching), she decided to come over to let her dog greet Nova. I picked Nova up; she immediately began to feel uneasy, though she remained calm. The other dog jumped up toward me—wanting to see Nova—but I refused to lower her into the dog’s line of sight. The woman moved on. Then, another woman passed by with a smaller dog—someone I already know, as she has often greeted the Beagles in the past. She kept her dog at a distance and said hello to Nova. Nova was still in my arms. Then she moved on, and we continued onto our own property.
I have therefore decided that Nova isn’t ready for the big wide world just yet. We’ll try to find some quiet spots where she can sniff around a bit on a long leash. But there won’t be any “walks” outside our gate until she’s passed the 16-week mark—and is hopefully a bit more stable.
Once again, this serves as a reminder that I did the right thing with Oscar and Darwin; they were also 16 weeks old or older before they started going for walks in the neighborhood. Sometimes, so-called experts go way too far with their advice—insisting that puppies *must* be socialized by a certain age. I’m choosing to trust my gut—it never steers me wrong.
