Beagle training can be a difficult process, but this doesn’t mean you should give in to your dog’s demands and let him do whatever he wants. He needs to know that you are the master and “pack leader”. You can not allow your dog to walk over you, or you will lose control over him.
This is why you need to enroll your Beagle into an obedience class, so you can effectively learn how to train him. The following are more pointers about training you need to keep in mind in order to have success with your Beagle.
Beagle Training Guidelines
House breaking – Housebreaking your Beagle takes time and patience, but is something that needs to be taken care of right away. This means, on the very first day you bring your Beagle home, you need to let him know that he needs to do his business outside and that eliminating in your home will not be tolerated.
To help give your Beagle the message that outside is the place where he can relieve himself, here’s what you need to do for the first 8/9 weeks:
- Take him out every hour
- Take him out if he becomes excited or is well exercised or had play time
- Take him out before you go to bed
- Take him out as soon as you wake up
- Take him out after he eats or drinks
- Take him out anytime you think he may need to go
In the first 8/9 weeks, every time your Beagle eliminates outside, praise him for it. Don’t just give him a little pat on the back, we’re talking you need to get really excited as if you just won the lotto. The more your Beagle gets the message that what he did really made you happy, the more he’ll want to do it.
Obedience class – Take your Beagle to obedience class as soon as he meets the age requirement. Obedience training will help teach your dog that you are the boss, and will provide you with the skills and confidence to train your dog with efficiency.
Training consistency – Because Beagles are a stubborn breed to train, you will need to be firm and consistent with training. That being said, you also need to know when to give your dog a break. Puppies have short attention spans. You need to be able to hold their interest, and get them excited about wanting to do your command.
Discipline – Your Beagle will need to be disciplined when he does something wrong or does not listen to you. However, this doesn’t mean you should shout at your dog. You simply look at him straight in the eye and say in a firm tone “No”. You should then proceed to show him the correct way, and immediately praise him when he does it. Discipline should start as a puppy. Note: Never hit your Beagle!
Praise, Praise, Praise! – When your Beagle successfully follows your command or pleases you, praise him for it, and do it all the time. He will be happy when he knows he has made you happy.
Do you think you’re all set for Beagle training? To test this theory, why not try teaching your Beagle the “Come” command by following the guidelines provided below.
Beagle Training – The “Come” Command
The “Come” command can be one of the most difficult commands to teach your Beagle, but it is also one of the most important for him to learn. Thus, you need to have patience when teaching this command and you can’t give up.
Now, before we jump right into the technique, you first need to understand that there are times when you should not use the “Come” command.
- Don’t call your Beagle to come if you intend to give him a bath, pill or for grooming. Go and get your dog. You don’t want him to associate the “Come” command with a negative experience.
- Don’t call your Beagle when you can’t reinforce the command or he doesn’t know how to respond to it. You are only teaching your Beagle to ignore the command in the future from lack of understanding and direction.
- Don’t use the word “Come” for the command if you notice that your dog has got into the habit of ignoring it. Instead, use a different word such as “Here” or “Front” when training.
O.K., now we’re all set. Here’s how to teach the command:
1. Make sure you have enough treats with you to give as a reward, and take your Beagle with you to a quiet room that won’t interest your dog, and is large enough for you to take a few steps away from your dog.
2. When your dog is in front of you and is not looking at you, say his name in a high-pitched, enthusiastic voice, immediately followed by the word “Come!” As soon as he starts to respond to you, back up quickly, so he has to run to catch you. Once he reaches you, lure him into a sitting position and give him a treat and lots of praise. Repeat this lesson until he is running up to you, as soon as you call. Take a nice break.
3. When the break is over, repeat the above step. However, this time, before you give him the treat, take hold of his collar as he sits. Feed him the treat as you hold on to him. Once he is done, release his collar and say to him “Go play!” The point to the step of holding on to his collar and then releasing him is to give you control of your dog when he comes to you. Without this control, your Beagle will likely only run circles around you when he comes to you. By making him sit you have his attention. Repeat this lesson until your Beagle will sit in front of you and you can take his collar every time when you call him.
4. Once you are confident with his understanding, try the command in different areas of your house, where there are more distractions. Eventually you will want to move outside in your backyard where it is well fenced and your dog can not escape.
While you don’t necessarily want to teach your Beagle to come so you can let him off the leash, you wan to have him understand this command so you have control over the situation should he ever come lose, or for safety reasons.
Beagle Training & Care…
