Rescued Mandy when she was 6 weeks old, she is now 26 months.  Every little noise that is different to her, just plain frightens her.  Even to bring something new into the house or move an item to a different location, her tail goes down and she scurries off to another room.  The first summer we had her it took all summer long to get her use to the lawn mower/weed eater/lawn blower sounds without her scratching on the door.  She wants to go for walks, but if we get to far away from the house, then she starts looking backward as if she is checking to see how far the house is away from her.  Even as a puppy with us, she did this.

1. I've done the behavior training classes with her - it was very hard for her to focus
2. Used "special treats" for motivation
3. Praised and hugged
4. Let her smell anything new we bring in by laying it down on the floor
5. Have read Caesar Milan book and am in the process of watching his DVD's to see if I can learn anything new to help her

Our Vet is very much aware of the trouble and Mandy's reactions to all of this.  We are now trying a second anxiety medicine since the first one was not showing any sign of helping at all.  I've told both of my Vet's that as far as being a Beagle, she would not be a good hunting dog because the first time a gun sound went off she would never be found again.

Is there anyone that has had this problem with their dog (whether Beagle or not)?  Any suggestions for getting her some relief with this situation.  I just feel so sad for her, it's as if she lives just expecting something bad to happen. 

Need help in KY

What type of situation did you Rescue her from? If she was rescued I will assume she was not from registered pedigree parents that were trained hunting dogs. Even with the best hunting bloodlines not all pups are born to be hunting dogs. I have a friend that has a hunting dog that just did not make it to the top of the class. Like not all dogs can become service dogs. Every dog has its own individual personality. 

I am a cat person but I believe that like cats those first weeks for puppies are formative weeks. If a kitten or puppy experiences trauma it will forever be ingrained in them. It sounds like you have a loving companion. You are doing all you can to help her be happy within her limitations. Try not to feed her insecurity by showing her you think she will have a problem. Sometimes when we are anxious about how our pets are coping they sense it and this leads them to feel even more insecure. Insecurity can turn to fear and fear can turn to aggression. Let her know you are confident she can handle herself and keep loving and encouraging her.