Beagles Archives - Page 3 of 4

All dogs have Traits and quirks that are breed specific. Beagles can be hard to train due to their inquisitive nature. However, with the right training and time invested it is a very achievable task. Do I need a dog trainer to train my beagle? If you’re new to dog ownership the task of puppy and dog training can seem a little daunting at first. New owners can feel pressured into having the perfect dog, (It’s a little known secret but even the best trained dogs can be a little naughty at times) so don’t worry too much about your puppy. In time you will get to a place where you’re happy with their behaviour. The secret to good training is patience, time and consistency. Dog trainers can help massively with training and socialisation. They can offer a major boost in your dog's development but they can’t do everything for you. A one hour session once or twice per week will help you to become a better owner giving you the tools and tricks you will need to give you and your dog the best start. This however is only a small part of the story. Once the training sessions are over, you will need to put into practice everything you have worked on in class and spend time perfecting your relationship with your dog. Expecting outstanding results in just a few days is not achievable. We would recommend (at least in the first six months of a puppy’s life) a minimum of an hour or two per day, training your dog through play and out on walks for the best results. As stated earlier patience, constancy and time are the secret to puppy training success. How to train a beagle puppy? Let’s start by looking at the breed's traits. Beagles have been bred for hundreds of years as hunting dogs. This has resulted in your dog having a strong instinct which can be distracting for you beagle. A beagle’s sense of smell is its main distraction. If you have ever met a beagle out and about you will notice they basically spend the majority of the walk with their heads down smelling and sniffing constantly. So be prepared for distractions and be patient when your beagle stops paying you 100% attention, they can’t help it; they just love to smell things. Be consistent when training your beagle. All dogs can get confused by inconsistencies, keep it simple and fun. Plan your sessions before you start and stick to easy terminology and hand signals. Your beagle will recognise your body language and gesture’s just as much as the commands you say when you want them to sit or stay. Keep your sessions fun with lots of praise and rewards when they get things right. Beagles tend to love treats so small treats like cooked chicken breast chopped up into rice sized portions work best. Treats and praise help to reinforce good behaviour in your beagle and can help your dog to focus and break your beagle's natural instinct to wander off and sniff. Always praise and treat for good behaviour, never punish your dog by shouting or being angry as this will break confidence and confuse your puppy. Remember your dog wants to please you. So treats for good behaviour encourage your dog to do more of what makes you happy, no treats or praise and your dog will soon figure it out. Just be patient. Training sessions should always be consistent and fun. Try and repeat sessions around the same times every day to reinforce your dog’s understanding of what you expect from them. Reinforce with praise and keep verbal commands and hand gestures consistent throughout each and every session. Your dog will have energy to spare in the morning and will be most receptive to training at this time of the day. Giving your dog a good active and stimulating training session early in the day can also help get rid of high energy, prevent your dog feeling bored, and help your dog keep calmer during the day time. A well exercised and stimulated puppy is less likely to destroy things in your home as your dog will have used up energy and most likely spend time resting and feeling more content. Start training early Beagle puppy’s like all dogs are more receptive to training when they are young. As dogs get older habits become more difficult to break or adjust as time goes on. Put in the hard work as early as you possibly can to set yourself up for success. Training your beagle should be fun and engaging for both your puppy and you. Use toys, treats and positive praise to show your dog she/he has done well. Try to play games like fetch or go find to keep your dog stimulated. Keep calm and don’t be over-excitable as your beagle will mimic what you do. If you're high energy and loud, your dog will be too. So keep a calm and mellow approach to training. Remember beagles are high energy dogs so long walks can help calm them down when training. Your beagle is highly intelligent and independent, she/he is also easily distracted by smells so try and keep your beagle focused with high value rewards and treats. Routine and feeding time. Establishing a routine in a puppy’s life is extremely important. Beagles and all dogs are creatures of habit, knowing what’s next and what to expect throughout the day will help with training. Keep playtime and training sessions to a routine (mornings/after work). Keeping mealtime to a consistent schedule helps with toilet training too. Your dog will need to go to the toilet at a more predictable time if you keep meals at a regimented schedule too. This will help reduce the possibility of accidents in the home. How to potty Train Your Beagle? Start potty training your beagle puppy as soon as you get them home. Beagles love to mark their territory and have a strong instinct to do so even at this early age. Try and spend as much time outside in the garden with your puppy and praise her/him when they go to the toilet. You may find that grass is preferable for your beagle pup or they may prefer to go on gravel. Try and take note and encourage them to go to a designated area so it becomes routine. Remember reward and praise is essential here. Your puppy needs you to let her/him know she’s done well. If your puppy does have an accident in the home you must clean it up thoroughly with special dog odour neutralising cleaning products. Your beagle has, as we have discussed, a heightened sense of smell and will return to a toilet corner if he/she smells a previous accident, as far as your puppy is concerned, this is where they go to the toilet. If you see your pup going to a previous accident area in the house keep an eye on them and pick them up if they start to go. Take them outside to the designated toilet area and praise them for going. Over time your puppy will prefer to go to their outside toilet and even start to go to a back door to be let out. Train your Beagle to let you know they need to go the toilet Training your dog to bark on command can help your puppy let you know it's toilet time. Once you’ve taught your dog to bark on command , go to your door and say speak. When your dog barks, open the door and give them praise and a reward. Keep on repeating this as part of your regular training sessions and before long your pup will be able to let you know when toilet time is and you will have no more accidents in the home. How Long Does it Take to Train a Beagle? The time it takes to teach your beagle will depend heavily upon their age. Puppy’s are easy to train and they learn fast. With a puppy you are going to see results faster than an adult dog. A puppy absorbs information fast, so it is important to start the training in these early months. The length of time it takes to train your puppy will also depend upon their environment. Due to their strong sense of smell they. can become difficult to train. However if you have them in an environment where they will not become distracted this will quickly speed up the process. For a puppy it will take two to three months to see results if the proper training has taken place. When in these training sessions with your puppy you will want to be doing 5 to 10 minute sessions 2 or 3 times a day to see the best results. These short sessions allow for your hound to take in information easily but more often. You should also be using positive reinforcement throughout these sessions. When a beagle reaches 8 to 12 months older you should be changing the training style. At this point the training sessions should be once a day and last 15 to 25 minutes. It is important to not keep these sessions going on for too long as they can be straining mentally and physically. Good results will not come if your beagle has lost their concentration. A realistic time frame for your beagles training will be about one year of consistent training. In conclusion Beagle pups are great house pets that respond well to a consistent patient training routine. A dog's training is only as good or bad as you personally make it. Try to make every training session fun and engaging with lots of praise and rewards. This is the golden rule to training all dogs. Using a recommended dog training school can help accelerate your puppy’s training but you must also put in the hours to get great results. Related articles -Do beagles make good house pets? -Beagle's meal and diet advice -When do beagles stop growing?