Beagles For Dummies Book

Introduction     1
About This Book     1
Conventions Used in This Book     2
What You're Not to Read     3
Foolish Assumptions     3
How This Book Is Organized     4
Getting to Know Beagles     4
Starting Life with Your Beagle     4
Caring for Your Beagle     5
Training Your Beagle     5
The Part of Tens     5
Icons Used in This Book     6
Where to Go from Here     6
Getting to Know Beagles     7
Beagles and You: Made for Each Other?     9
Ain't Nothin' but a Hound Dog     9
The Beagle's Bill of Rights     11
Lots of love     11
Safe shelter     11
Food, glorious food     11
Room to run (preferably with you)     12
A touch of class(es)     12
Great health care     13
Good grooming     13
Why Beagles Are Wonderful     14
Buyer's Remorse: Why a Beagle May Not Be Your Dream Dog     14
What to Ask Yourself     15
Why do I want a Beagle?     15
Do I have commitment issues?     17
Is my home goodfor a Beagle?     18
Can I afford a Beagle?     19
A Final Thought     20
The Incredible, Lovable Beagle     21
Mommy, Where Do Beagles Come From?     21
The Official Beagle Blueprint     24
General appearance     25
Specific parts     25
Why the World Loves Beagles...But     28
Nobody's Perfect     30
Gonna Find Me a Beagle     33
Good Places to Look     33
A matter of breeding     33
Gimme shelter     38
Rescue me!     40
Just Say No: Poor Places to Look     44
Classified newspaper ads     44
Backyard breeders     45
Pet stores     45
Proceed with Caution: Adopting from the Internet     46
Choosing Your Beagle Soul Mate     47
Narrowing Your Choices     47
Male or female?     47
Field dog, show dog, or pet?     49
Puppy or adult?     49
Double your pleasure, double your fun? Maybe not     50
Selecting a Puppy     51
Selecting an Adult Beagle     53
Pushing Papers     55
Buyer or adoption contract     55
AKC papers     56
Health clearances     57
Care instructions     58
Homeward Bound? Maybe Not     58
Starting Life with Your Beagle     59
Preparing for Your Beagle's Arrival     61
Choosing a Veterinarian     61
Shopping for Beagle Basics     63
Repeat after me: Crates aren't cruel, crates aren't cruel     63
Borrowing from baby: Gates and pens     65
Picking out dishes     67
Chowtime!     67
This Beagle's made for walkin': Collars and leashes     68
Grooming gear     69
Clean-up equipment     69
Extra comforts of home     70
Designating Beagle Spaces in Your Home     71
The Beagle boudoir     71
The doggy dining area     72
The Beagle bathroom     72
The Beagle hangout zone     73
No-Beagles zones     73
Beagle-Proofing Your Home and Yard     73
Securing the perimeter     74
Conducting a sweep     75
Planning Mayhem Management     76
Welcoming Your Beagle Home     79
Picking Up Your Beagle      79
What (and whom) to bring     79
Receiving the necessary papers     81
From there to here: The trip home     82
We're Here! Arriving Home     82
First things first: A potty break     83
Checking out the new digs     83
Meeting the rest of the pack     84
Introducing (or re-introducing) the crate     86
Surviving the First Night     88
Keep your Beagle with you     89
...But keep your bed to yourself     89
Play some (not so) funky music     89
Use your hands     89
Have your shoes ready     90
Be patient     90
Beginning a Beautiful Friendship     91
Bonding with Your Beagle     91
Jump-starting the bonding process     92
Getting a new leash (and collar) on life     93
Visiting the Vet: The First Exam     94
Starting Daily Routines     95
Divining a dining schedule     95
Pacing potty breaks     96
Playing around     96
Setting snoozing cycles     97
Glamming it up     97
Socializing Your Beagle     97
Exploring the home front and beyond     97
Easing a fearful adult dog into the big, bad world     98
Fighting the Fear Factor     99
Taming the monsters: Vacuum cleaners and blow-dryers     99
Learning to love car rides     100
Dealing with stairways and doorways     101
Carina for Your Beagle     105
Feeding Your Beagle     107
What a Dog Wants...What a Dog Needs     107
Choosing Your Beagle's Chow     108
Store-bought and savory     109
Homemade and delicious     110
To Barf or not to Barf? Feeding a raw food diet     111
But is your chow of choice good for her?     112
Making the switch     114
Getting the Skinny about Your Hound's Pounds     114
Slimming the portly pooch     114
Picky, picky, picky     115
Attending to Ambience     116
Treating Your Beagle Right     118
Selecting scrumptious snacks     118
Keeping calories under control     119
Avoiding Dangerous Dining     119
Your Beagle's Drinking Habits     120
Getting Physical: Exercising Your Beagle     121
Keep Him Moving, Keep Yourself Happy      122
Trying Everyday Exercises     122
Walk on the wild side     123
Jog your memory (or at least your feet)     123
Get in the swim     124
Great Sports for You and Your Beagle     124
Goin' to the show     125
Stay the (agility) course     125
Fetch that flyball     126
Opt for obedience     126
Rally-ho!     127
Dance with me: Canine freestyle     128
Join the hunt: Field trials     128
Get on the right track     129
Adjusting for Age     130
Sprucing Up Your Beagle     131
Giving Her the Brush-off     131
Establishing a No-Critter Zone     133
Fighting those fleas     133
Banishing those ticks     134
Lather Up! Bathing Your Beagle     135
From dirty dog to washed dog     136
Defusing the Beagle stink bomb     137
Tending to Eyes and Ears     138
Cleaning the windows to the soul     138
Wiping out the ears     138
Brushing Those Pearlies     140
Trimming the Tootsies     142
Addressing Your Beagle's Bottom Line      144
Winterizing Your Beagle     146
Managing Your Beagle's Day-to-Day Health     147
Working with Your Vet     147
The wellness exam     148
To immunize or not to immunize?     148
Should your Beagle have babies?     151
Can I See Your ID?     153
Playing tag(s)     154
Tattoo you     155
A chip in the old (or not-so-old) Beagle     156
Maintaining Good Health at Home     156
Knowing what's normal     157
Checking vital signs     157
Stocking a first-aid kit     160
Giving meds     161
Dealing with Health Issues     163
Treating Puppy Problems     163
Cherry eye     163
Chondrodysplasia     164
Puppy pyoderma     164
Handling Adult Health Challenges     164
Allergies     164
Dental problems     165
Hypothyroidism     165
Idiopathic epilepsy     166
Intervertebral disc disease     166
Easing Your Beagle's Golden Years     167
Arthritis     168
Cancer     169
Cognitive dysfunction syndrome      170
Diabetes     170
My Beagle Is Sick! What Should I Do?     171
Call the doggy ambulance     171
Give your vet a heads-up     174
Not to worry...     176
Saying Goodbye to Your Beagle     177
Traveling (or Not) with Your Beagle     179
Taking Your Beagle with You     179
Riding in cars (and trucks) with Beagles     180
Leavin' on a jet plane     182
Picking pet-friendly lodging     184
Packing your Beagle's suitcase     185
Leaving Your Beagle Home     186
The friend option     186
Picking a pet sitter     186
What your pet sitter needs to know     187
Boarding Your Beagle     187
A little help from a friend     188
Finding a boarding kennel     188
Training Your Beagle     191
Housetraining Your Beagle     193
Going Indoors or Out?     194
Indoor potty pro's and con's     194
Outdoor potty pluses and minuses     195
You gotta choose     195
Getting in Gear     196
Don't hate the crate     196
Keeping things clean      197
Other helpful items     198
What you absolutely don't need     198
Following Five Steps     198
Create the den     199
Pick a potty place     199
Be vigilant     199
Follow a schedule     200
Be patient     202
Addressing Accidents     203
Catch her in the act     203
Clean up without comment     203
Troubleshoot the accident     203
Declaring Victory     204
Addressing Bathroom Issues     205
She pees on her back     205
He christens everything     206
She strains to pee     206
She pees all the time     206
Schooling Your Beagle     207
Decoding Your Beagle's SOP     208
He lives by his nose     208
He never feels guilty     209
He loves you, but...     209
He needs consistency     209
He wants to learn     210
Gearing Up for Training     210
Accentuating the positive with the right reward     210
Collar quandaries     212
Leash options     213
Teaching the Basics Yourself      214
His name     214
Sit     215
Down     216
Stay     217
Recall     218
Off     218
Walking on leash     219
Go to your place     219
Enrolling Your Beagle in Obedience Class     220
Rehabbing the Delinquent Beagle     223
Solving Common Snoopy-dog Problems     223
Huh? You talkin' to me?     223
Putting the (play) bite on you     224
Knocking that chip off her shoulder     225
Taming the bouncy Beagle     227
Loving you waaaay too much     227
Helping the bashful Beagle     229
Shushing the barking Beagle     230
Keeping the wanderer home     230
Teaching treat-taking manners     231
Picking Experts' Brains     232
Getting private lessons     232
Trying day training     232
Finding a Beagle shrink     233
Reading your Beagle's mind     234
The Part of Tens     235
Ten Ways to Keep Your Beagle Healthy and Happy     237
Find a Great Vet     237
Give Her the Skinny      238
Keep Her Moving     238
Do Fence Her In     239
Take Her to School     239
Keep Her Pretty     240
Be Proactive     240
Trust Your Instincts     241
Have a Sense of Humor     242
Love, Love, Love     242
Ten Mistakes You Don't Need to Make with Your Beagle     243
Not Doing Your Homework     243
Choosing Too Quickly     244
Bypassing the Crate     244
Expecting Housetraining to Be Easy     245
Failing to Be Vigilant     245
Thinking That Your Beagle Is a Person     246
Doing Things on the Cheap     246
Thinking That Your Beagle Can Train Himself     247
Playing Doctor     247
Thinking That You Are More Important Than Bunnies     248
Ten Unique Beagle Occupations and Activities     249
Keeping Out Forbidden Fruit (and Other Stuff)     249
Shaming a President     250
Inspiring Children     250
Nailing the Red Baron     251
Flying in (Way) Outer Space     251
Comforting Other Dog Owners     251
Knowing When to Mold 'Em     252
Turning Out Termites      252
Befriending the Famous     252
Taking Us to Our Pasts     252
Wanna Know More?
Additional Resources     253
Turn the Pages     253
Divine DVDs     254
Peruse These Periodicals     255
Virtually Unparalleled     256
Index     257
Introduction: The Perfect Little Black Dress     10
Happy Skinny     15
Eat What You Want     24
Eat When You're Hungry     34
Eat Like a Food Writer     45
It's All About Portions     56
Zen and the Art of the Meal     65
What Every Skinny Girl Needs     79
Ladies Who Lunch The Skinny Way     95
Let's Do Dinner     107
The Skinny on Drinks     120
The Balance Beam     129
Emergency! The Two-Week LBD Plan     138
The Skinny Recipes     141
The Skinny 2-Week Meal Plan     227
Glossary     242
Index     248