It's Halloween night. Ghosts and goblins are out to haunt the town. Demons and devils prowl the streets. But our scaredy dog, Baxter, is terrified of a simple, plastic water bottle.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Baxter Sleeping Pt. 2
Baxter is still very young, and he gets tired fairly easily. A few nights ago, he crawled into Trista's lap to snuggle and fall asleep. Little did we know he'd end up relaxing like this...
He's definitely getting comfortable in his new home.
He's definitely getting comfortable in his new home.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Why the Name Baxter?
Trista and I both love the adorable little gentleman who eats an entire wheel of cheese, speaks Spanish, travels the world, and looks like a miniature Buddha covered in hair from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
. We thought it was best to pay homage to our favorite pooch by naming our first dog Baxter as well.Even though our Beaglier bears no resemblance to the on-screen Border Terrier, nearly everyone we introduce him to understands the origins of his name.
Friday, October 24, 2008
What is a Beaglier?
A Beaglier, classified as a hybrid breed of dog, is a mix of a beagle and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKC). The mix is recognized by the American Canine Hybrid Club.
Beagliers may not always be a 50-50 mix between the two breeds, and we believe Baxter shows a few more traits of the beagle than of the CKC. He simply looks more like a beagle, and his personality (so far) more resembles that of a beagle pup.
Temperament:
When considering hybrid breeds, it’s important to learn about behavioral traits for all breeds in the mix. In our Beaglier, we’ve noticed a very strong sense of smell, taken from the beagle side. Baxter loves to sniff, and he’s constantly finding new things he probably shouldn’t. He’s also a horrible guard dog. Whenever someone comes to the door, or even when we come home from work, he simply sits and stares at the door. Often his nose can be seen sniffing the air for a familiar scent. He also seems to be very smart, which can sometimes be a nuisance. If he wants something, and he’s very determined to get it, he’ll find a way.
Baxter does have his fair share of CKC traits as well. Although Baxter is still a young puppy, it appears as though he may be smaller than a pure bred beagle. He is extremely social, and he whimpers almost as soon as someone leaves the room. While walking through the house or through the park, Baxter is always at our ankles, ready to be rubbed or scratched or picked up. CKCs also often show traits similar to cats, which we’ve seen in Baxter. He loves to pounce on his unsuspecting toys, and he’s always in search of a higher place to sit; usually on the couch.
Health:
Both the beagle and the CKC have relatively large, floppy ears. Beagliers are no different. At only 8 weeks old, Baxter was diagnosed with a yeast infection in his ears. Our vet says this is not uncommon. According to Wikipedia, Beagliers may suffer from a list of ailments handed down from both breeds, including epilepsy, hip dysplasia, and a range of eye conditions.
For more information about Beagliers, visit the following links.
http://beaglier.org/
http://www.nextdaypets.com/directory/breeds/1100334/
For more information about beagles or CKCs, visit these links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beagle
http://www.akc.org/breeds/beagle/index.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalier_King_Charles_Spaniel
http://www.akc.org/breeds/cavalier_king_charles_spaniel/
Beagliers may not always be a 50-50 mix between the two breeds, and we believe Baxter shows a few more traits of the beagle than of the CKC. He simply looks more like a beagle, and his personality (so far) more resembles that of a beagle pup.
Temperament:
When considering hybrid breeds, it’s important to learn about behavioral traits for all breeds in the mix. In our Beaglier, we’ve noticed a very strong sense of smell, taken from the beagle side. Baxter loves to sniff, and he’s constantly finding new things he probably shouldn’t. He’s also a horrible guard dog. Whenever someone comes to the door, or even when we come home from work, he simply sits and stares at the door. Often his nose can be seen sniffing the air for a familiar scent. He also seems to be very smart, which can sometimes be a nuisance. If he wants something, and he’s very determined to get it, he’ll find a way.
Baxter does have his fair share of CKC traits as well. Although Baxter is still a young puppy, it appears as though he may be smaller than a pure bred beagle. He is extremely social, and he whimpers almost as soon as someone leaves the room. While walking through the house or through the park, Baxter is always at our ankles, ready to be rubbed or scratched or picked up. CKCs also often show traits similar to cats, which we’ve seen in Baxter. He loves to pounce on his unsuspecting toys, and he’s always in search of a higher place to sit; usually on the couch.
Health:
Both the beagle and the CKC have relatively large, floppy ears. Beagliers are no different. At only 8 weeks old, Baxter was diagnosed with a yeast infection in his ears. Our vet says this is not uncommon. According to Wikipedia, Beagliers may suffer from a list of ailments handed down from both breeds, including epilepsy, hip dysplasia, and a range of eye conditions.
For more information about Beagliers, visit the following links.
http://beaglier.org/
http://www.nextdaypets.com/directory/breeds/1100334/
For more information about beagles or CKCs, visit these links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beagle
http://www.akc.org/breeds/beagle/index.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalier_King_Charles_Spaniel
http://www.akc.org/breeds/cavalier_king_charles_spaniel/
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Baxter Sleeping
Baxter has been especially rambunctious the past couple of days. I believe he's finding his niche in the house and testing his limits (and maybe testing his dominance). He has taken to biting just about everything in sight, including hands and feet. Sometimes, this isn't the greatest experience, and we're doing our best to teach him this is bad. We'll see how our efforts pay off.
The upside of this terrible habit is that he gets tired very quickly, which presents many opportunities to take pictures. Here are just a few from the past two days.
The upside of this terrible habit is that he gets tired very quickly, which presents many opportunities to take pictures. Here are just a few from the past two days.
Baxter Visits the Vet
On Monday, October 20, Baxter made his first trek to the vet. He got to socialize with a couple of other dogs. One of his encounters was with a beagle named Copper. Imagine that!
The vet alerted us to a yeast infection in Baxter's ears. He's on a 10 day medicine, which he doesn't really like. Of course, I doubt any puppy would like ear drops, especially in big floppy ears like Baxter's.
Baxter weighed in at 6.1 pounds, and he also received his scheduled vaccinations and deworming. Overall, he did really well. He showed no real signs of anxiety, and he was eager to explore the waiting area and the other animals.
The vet alerted us to a yeast infection in Baxter's ears. He's on a 10 day medicine, which he doesn't really like. Of course, I doubt any puppy would like ear drops, especially in big floppy ears like Baxter's.
Baxter weighed in at 6.1 pounds, and he also received his scheduled vaccinations and deworming. Overall, he did really well. He showed no real signs of anxiety, and he was eager to explore the waiting area and the other animals.
Introducing Baxter the Beaglier
As our one year anniversary gift to each other, Trista and I picked up our new best friend, Baxter. Baxter is a tricolor Beaglier, which is a mix of Beagle and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He was born on August 14, 2008 and was introduced to us at eight weeks old.
When we first brought him home, Baxter showed a keen curiosity of his new home and began showing his beagle traits immediately. He sniffed everywhere! Of course, he was always sure to have someone near him at all times. During his first day home, Baxter was quite clingy, and he would whine if he was too far from his new owners.
We're using the cage training technique with Baxter, which has proven very effective. Baxter immediately fell in love with his makeshift towel bed and his new toys, and has since taken ownership of his cage. Any toys he plays with eventually get stored in the corners of the cage where we're not supposed to find them.
Being so young and curious, and also taking so much time and energy to whine, Baxter quickly wore himself out. He was found several times passed out during his first evening home.
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