Beagle Toilet Paper Blues

November 13, 2006 on 3:15 am | In Beagle Artcles |

If ever there’s a time when beagles look like mischievous toddlers, it’s when they’re sitting on the bathroom floor surrounded by ribbons of toilet paper. The expression on their faces says, “Oh, did I do that?” Once they see you laughing, they’ll happily tear into it again. They may start pulling at the toilet paper because they’re bored or curious, but once they get going, it’s just plain fun for them!

Toilet paper is fun because it engages all of a Beagle’s senses. Toilet paper is soft and light, and it flips and flutters. The roll makes a great noise when dogs turn it. And best of all, the pile just keeps getting bigger and bigger. For dogs who are really captivated by visual stimuli, the ever-growing white thing they’re making is a huge reward for pulling on the roll.

Dogs can entertain themselves for quite a while with a roll of toilet paper, but what makes it
really fun is the reactions of their owners. Nearly everyone laughs when they see their dogs’ antics for the first time, and their dogs remember that. Even if you respond with a shriek, that high-pitched shout sounds a lot like a puppy’s yelp. It translates to Let’s go play!

Unraveling the roll is just part of the game. The other part is running through the house with the paper flapping. That’s the part a lot of dogs really enjoy! Toilet paper rolls aren’t very firmly anchored. Dogs get a lot of satisfaction from working them free from their holders and showing everyone in the family what they’ve done.

Not everyone appreciates replacing a roll of paper, only to see it in shreds a few hours later. But you should consider yourself lucky when you have a puppy who limits himself to this shred-and-chase game - it means he’s not destroying something else. It’s a whole lot easier to clean up toilet paper than to replace carpet or hang new curtains or bring in a new couch. Usually, closing the bathroom door does the trick.

How To Make Him Stop: Make it clatter. Most beagles outgrow this unraveling phase, but some keep doing it because it’s so much fun. Discipline may not help, because it only takes a few seconds for dogs to turn a roll of toilet paper into streamers - meaning, it’s hard to catch them in the act. One way to discourage them is to set a booby trap. Put an empty can or two on top of the roll. Put a few marbles inside the cans. When your dog gives the paper a pull, the cans will tumble, making a noisy clatter. After a few frights, most dogs will be convinced that grabbing the roll isn’t as much fun as it used to be.