In July 2005 Daley our Staffy x Beagle joined our family as a eight week old puppy. Named after Troy Cassar-Daley she is nothing like the Australian singer/songwriter. She was the most loved and adored puppy in the world and she knew it! She is still one of the smartest dogs I’ve ever seen but it took a lot of work to get her just right, and she still manages to follow her nose just a little too much sometimes.
Beagle owners will agree that that a beagle is the most rewarding and wonderful dog to own, but beagle dog training is not the easiest. Beagles are very smart dogs and many people assume from this that they will be easy to train. But the smartest dogs, like the smartest people, are not the most obedient.
Beagles can be stubborn and set in their ways. It is not difficult to make them understand what you want them to do, but having them actually go ahead and do it is a very different matter. However, with steady, consistent training you will be able to achieve your aims in the end.
There are 3 points that concern beagle owners in particular, more than owners of other dogs. These are:
1. How to make a beagle come when it is called.
If they are unleashed or manage to escape from the yard, beagles will chase after anything or nothing, often running into danger on the street. They are hunting dogs and they will follow a scent even if the animal that left it has been gone for hours.
To train her to come, first you need to teach your dog to come to you in the house. Then move to the yard. You can use a leash, increasing the length as she becomes more obedient. Finally, let her off the leash - but put her back on it if she does not come when called.
In this early stage of training, never leash her when she comes to your call - she will see that as punishment for coming to you!
When you are sure that she understands the command and will obey it, begin using it on a long leash outside of the yard too. But accept that you may never be able to let your beagle off the leash in unfenced areas.
2. How to stop a beagle chewing clothes, furnishings, children's toys ... whatever it is, they will try to eat it.
Something that is useful here is to give the beagle plenty of toys of her own, and try to keep other things out of reach. You will find that you need to keep a very tidy house with all your shoes, etc, hidden away.
Any time that you find the dog chewing something of yours, just offer her own toy instead. When she takes it, reward her. Remember it is natural to beagles to chew, so rewarding her for chewing the right things is the best way to train her.
3. What to do with a beagle who bites your hand.
The play of young beagles often includes some nipping or biting. If you have a puppy with a tendency to do this, you will want to train her out of it as soon as possible, especially if you have kids - and it's good if you do, because beagles are pack animals who are happiest in large, active human families.
You probably want her to transfer her biting to her toys. However, it is better not to give her a toy when she bites you, because she may see this as a reward for biting you. Just withdraw your hand and walk away. Show her that you will not play if she is going to do that.
At the same time, make sure that she has plenty of her own toys that she can bite on, to satisfy her chewing instincts.
Never try to train a dog to do anything by punishing her. All of her behavior seems natural to her - it is like punishing a child for playing. All that happens is they get scared of you. It is very important to understand that it is natural to beagles to do all of these things, for successful beagle dog training.
I’ve lost many paint brushes, jogging shoes, a swag, and horse lead ropes to our puppy but I love her so much, she is the sweetest most caring sookish thing in the world. She can sit, jump, lie, talk, bark on command, shake hands and knows food refusal too! I love getting her to show off for schmakoes.
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