Beagles are lovable, charming and energetic dogs that make a great addition to most families. However, they are known for being quite difficult to train, so it’s important for you to know the best ways to go about it. But what types of training should they have?
In this guide, we’ll give you all the key training tips and information you need to make sure that your Beagle puppy grows up into a well-adjusted adult.
As most Beagle owners know, Beagles are utterly delightful dogs, but they do have a stubborn streak that makes them incredibly headstrong. So, giving them proper training when they’re young is very important to make sure that your Beagle grows into a well-behaved dog.
Beagles can be a lot harder to train than other dog breeds for several reasons. Firstly, they have a natural stubbornness, which requires the trainer to show a lot of patience, and they are also very inquisitive, which means they get easily distracted during training sessions.
As they were bred as hunting dogs, they also have a powerful sense of smell and prey drive, which means they are constantly picking up scents and losing focus on the activity at hand.
However, Beagles are very intelligent dogs, and with copious amounts of patience and persistence from the trainer, they can, of course, be trained.
As Beagles are pack animals, the very first stage of training a Beagle is to establish yourself as the alpha of the house by asserting dominance.
You can do this by setting boundaries early on, being firm when you speak to your puppy and eating before you allow your Beagle to eat. Establishing yourself as the alpha will ensure that your Beagle obeys you, and you can then move on to other types of training, such as:
Beagles are also known for their distinctive howl, so training them to restrict this is important, especially if your dog barks excessively.
When to start toilet training your Beagle puppy
Ideally, you should start house training as soon as you bring your Beagle puppy home. With Beagle puppies, it’s more important to start training early than it is with some other dogs due to their headstrong nature.
An adult Beagle will be much more difficult to train than a puppy as they will already have certain habits. However, it is still possible to train a Beagle once they’ve already reached adulthood.
How to toilet train your Beagle puppy
Toilet training is essential, but it can be one of the most frustrating tasks with your headstrong Beagle. To master this skill it will take persistence, so here is how to best toilet train your Beagle puppy.
When potty training, the first thing you’ll need to do is to choose a designated spot outside where you want your Beagle to go to the toilet. Make sure you take them to the same spot every time they need the toilet.
Choose a tasty treat and use it to reward your Beagle each time it goes to the toilet in the designated spot.
Make sure that you pay close attention to your puppy whilst it’s being toilet trained, and take it outside every time it needs the toilet.
During the first few weeks of toilet training, accidents are inevitable. Don’t punish them for this, as this is just a normal part of the learning process.
While there may be some misunderstandings of what crate-training is, we can assure you it’s not a form of torture for your dog but can instil confidence in your pup.
Crate training has several benefits for your Beagle and is something that many dog owners find useful. It can help to reduce separation anxiety, aid in toilet training and help get your Beagle used to being transported.
As with most dog training, you should aim to start as early as possible, as it’s much easier to train a puppy than an adult dog.
Make sure the crate is big enough for your Beagle to stand up and move around in, and place it in a calm and quiet area. Put some pillows and blankets inside and some of their favourite toys.
Gradually introduce your Beagle to the crate by leaving treats near and around it. Then, start leaving their meals inside the crate.
Each time your Beagle enters the crate, use a cue word like ‘crate’, which you can then use whenever it’s time for them to go inside.
Once your Beagle is comfortable with going inside, start closing the crate door for longer periods until your dog is happy to be locked inside.
You will need to be patient with your Beagle during crate training and keep repeating the above process until they get used to it.
For the first few weeks, it’s best to crate train your Beagle at meal times or after vigorous exercise when it’s tired.
Make sure you keep using treats and rewards so that your Beagle continues to view the crate as a positive place.
Like with everything there are some benefits as well as drawbacks you should be aware of to determine if crate-training is suited to you and your dog.
Although Beagles are pretty stubborn, they are also one of the more intelligent dog breeds, which means that with patience and persistence, they can learn to do many tricks.
Some tricks they can learn are playing dead, walking backwards, giving a high five and even barking on command.
Here are our top Beagle training tips:
Beagles respond better to training if you stick to a routine and are consistent with your training schedule, whether it’s learning basic commands or specific obedience training. This is the best way to help them to develop new habits and to make sure that they progress steadily.
You should always use rewards-based training rather than training that is based on punishments or negativity.
This will lead to your Beagle associating training with positivity and make it an activity that both you and your dog enjoy.
Positive training techniques will also mean that your Beagle maintains focus on the sessions, which is important due to their inquisitive nature.
When rewarding your Beagle during training, you can use treats, but try to avoid giving them too many as this could lead to weight gain and other health issues.
A good way to limit the amount of food rewards that you give to your Beagle is to use clicker training.
This method involves gradually replacing training treats with the sound of a clicker, which your Beagle will then come to associate with being rewarded.
Although Beagles can be a little tricky to train, with the right amount of patience and persistence, any owner should be able to provide their Beagle with the training they need to be a well-behaved pooch.
Starting early and keeping consistent are both important and remember to keep it positive!
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