My Beagle is driving me crazy!

Question
Hello, we've just got an 11 month old female beagle, so far
she has been ripping up the carpet in the Living room,
urinating on the carpeting, biting when we attempt to put
her coat or leash on her to take her outside, and is a
general nuisance when we are trying to eat dinner or have a
quite time, she is constantly fighting with us or trying to
do something wrong, either by nipping / biting us, or
jumping on furniture, clawing at presents, etcetera. Are we
doing something wrong? We are attempting "Crating", but I
don't believe that it will affect her current attitude.

Answer
Sometimes older dogs come with baggage from their past homes.  A good vet check may turn up a problem.  If she isn't spayed, it could be part of the behavior preceeding coming into season.  In that case, it would be best to get her spayed before you go through the mess, hassles, and risks.  

The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural inThe key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htmstincts Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm