Thanks for the great tips, everyone. Mazer, thats something I hadn't thought about, giving her a tiring walk before guests come over. Usually its the opposite because I figure with lots of people she'll get quite a bit of exersize since she befriends anything that walks through the door. However, even all bundled up in booties and a sweater, she HATES being outside in the snow/rain. She looks up at me and whines, and sometimes refuses to budge. She hates to be wet, She even loathes being bathed too. So should I just force her to go?? Or should I maybe just try to really exersize her hard in the house on those days?? (I have a fairly large house) and on nice days, she does run and run and run out in our yard with our other dog. I also have quite a large yard. And on weekends we take her for some pretty long walks and runs in the river when its nice. I tried treats on walks ONCE when she was young. That just resulted in her jumping up on me for the rest of the walk hoping to find another cookie somewhere. She very good at not having to pee on everything, but if she gets on a scent, shes done for sure. I always sit her at the door before we go out, but never once we're out the door, thats a good idea. I got very lucky with her barking, and food obsession. Both things I know are difficult things for beagles to master. She learned very quickly that she is not to eat anything unless it is given to her. Save for when she finds our boxers food bowl. If it has food in it, it takes a quick reminder that she wasn't given. And she'll nose around for food, if she knows some was just there, but she'll never get on the table to get it. And she only barks if someone is in the yard. Not when they come to the door, are inside, or are on the street. Only in our yard. Which I like. And SG, I'll have to try the reverse direction trick too! Maybe not the treats, since she'll get too excited over the idea of more treats, but I'll definately try reversing. She DOES calm down after she's been walking for about 2+ hours. But thats rediculous, she should walk good from start to finish, not only when she's so tired she can barely stay awake. Not to mention our old guy cant handle walks that long anymore, and I hate to leave him behind. I've been told by some that shes extremely well behaved for a beagle. Especially now, for the longest time after my boyfriend got his job, she ran around like a wild child when she was with me. I couldnt control her, she only listened to dad. But after being with me all day every day, she listens to me very well now. But I know she can be a lot better. I definately wouldnt be dissapointed if she doesnt get a whole lot better, she IS fairly good, she doesnt chew, except when she's had a lot of time to herself, which is OUR fault. She doesnt bite, bark, dig, shes been house trained since she was very young. And she does listen the majority of the time, and almost ALL the time when shes alone with us. But after seeing all the hunting dogs and stuff, and seeing how smart she is when she's got something going on in her little head, I know she could become more than just a good dog, shes got great potential. She just has a really hard head, and a big time mind of her own. Thanks again guys!! I might try the new walking techniques tomorrow, if she'll brave the weather for me. Also, is it okay to practice walking in the house, or just the yard?? Or do we need to leave her normal surroundings for it to stick well?

I have three mutt females, big (about 50 lbs., 11 years), bigger (my alpha about 70 lbs., 6 years), and biggest (100 lbs., 2.5 years. Each have been introduced into the house separately, a few years between. When I look for a new dog, I consider everything, what type of breed they have in them etc., but especially their personality. For me, Labs and Shepards are a good mix, the two smaller have Lab, the larger has Shepard. All are very submissive to me, I look at them and over they go. They all get along swimmingly, never scuffle, and play all the time without concern. I think there are two things I always do when a new dog comes into the house that makes things work. The first is constant supervision of the new dog when it's not crated, for at least 9 months. This should be a rule for any new dog. This allows for gradual correction. Lots of people cringe when I suggest this type of supervision, but it works. Most of the time when you are doing something, you can make the dog lay down and chew on a bone, if this isn't possible, crating can take place. Thinking of this as a temporary thing until dog matures and has most negative issues resolved eases the sting some people get out of thinking about it. Plus, it is an almost always fail proof way of making positive things happen. The second thing has to do with feeding. All three must allow me to put my hand in their bowl, take food out, and give it to them, when they are eating. I also insist that I must be able to take food away when I want, only to give it back within a few seconds. This reinforces my alpha status over them beyond doubt. I also insist that each dog must be able to visit each others food bowls. The bottom dog of the house does this naturally, the other two might do it, but not always. This reinforces the bond that they have for each other, they all know that I simply will not tolerate any type of aggression, period, unless there is a threat. It seems to me that your dogs are trying to discover each other, and where they are going to fit into their little pack. This happens naturally, sometimes easy, sometimes not.. You have a very high strung younger dog that wantÂs to play, witness the biting. This is a natural play behavior, some dogs are just rougher than others. The hackle hair raising is natural when the dog is threatened. When playing it typically happens with the submissive dog and is harmless. Your older dog is adjusting to everything. What she is going through on a daily basis is simply trying to find her way. At this stage of things, she is not being very successful doing this, she jumped the fence trying to get away. Added to her problem is her health which she has simply not regained yet. Give her time! You need to nip not only your current problem in the bud, soon, but also anticipate others. Aggression, even in minor forms, can quicky escalate and become severe. Every second supervision (army basic training style, not mean, just sternly)is essential when they are not crated. You need to reinforce who is the boss, and take any necessary steps to do this. This may mean severely clamping down on both dogs freedom for a month or more, depending on how progress goes. Obedience supervision is simply a must. Make sure both dogs have their space, especially for eating and sleeping. Be involved with everything the dog does. If you donÂt approve of something they do you will need to figure out a way to correct it. Your intimate relationship with both of them will help solve lots of problems before they even start. A very important thought: Negatives need to be turned into positives. You have lots of negatives! Also, giving dogs their freedom needs to be done gradually, over the course of a few months. Doing this to fast confuses them, and they donÂt know what to do. All of this is probably going to take tons of time, and your patience will be severely tested. You need to educate yourself about the personality of both breeds (Google has tons of information), and consult who ever you can about what is going on. Rescue leagues are a good source, lots of times they can put you in contact with someone who gives advice free of charge. You have already done the most important thing, recognizing that there is a problem. Now all you need to do is figure out how to fix it. Good luck! SG

Thanks, Shannon. We were lucky to find a house with all the woodwork unpainted. We fully expected to have to buy a house and strip the woodwork. Bonnieann - I love that brick chimney, too. When we remodel our kitchen later this summer we will uncover an old chimney. I hope it has a hearth like yours! Momto4boys - I think both looks are nice, just different. Maybe you need a set of blue boxes like the red ones to pick up on the beachy theme of the shells. Could you just paint the red ones?

Jim, I put a switch like that in one spot in our house. It’s next to a window where we put our Christmas tree, so all we have to do is plug in the power strip and turn on the light switch. No more reaching behind the tree knocking off ornaments in the process, to turn on the lights. We had a huge live tree and then a huge artificial tree. We have since downsized our tree and it isn’t as much of an issue now but I still enjoy the convenience. This has always bugged me. When we had new tile put in our master bathroom, for some reason the guys doing the work removed a long piece of wood moulding and then pieced it with MDF, resulting in this poor job. When I found it, they wouldn’t confess to what happened, but I suspect they damaged the wood so badly they had to do something. I complained and they tried to sand it but it never looked the same as a long continuous piece.