No doubt, if you are reading this article, you are most likely the proud owner of a new, cute Beagle puppy. Or, perhaps you have had your Beagle for a while and are starting to notice that he has selective hearing when it comes to the commands you want him to obey. Ouch; that can be irritating!
But don’t dismay, Beagles are wonderful to train, when you get expert tips on how to go about it.
The Beagle’s Character
Did you know that Beagles were originally bred in England as a cross of various hunting dog breeds? The result was deemed a huge success and Beagles became very popular for hunting game such as small birds and foxes.
- Beagles are well known for their great sense of smell and this is of course one of the characteristics that made them such good hunters. It also equips them well for any type of search and rescue work. In fact, you often see Beagles being used at airports to assist with investigative work.
- Beagles are real “people” dogs. They love to play and they love to be around people. For this reason they are not really the best breed for guard-dog type work.
- Beagles are very intelligent and therefore respond very well to a well-planned Beagle puppy training program. There’s lots of information on how to train a Beagle puppy so there is no need to feel daunted when you first bring home your cute little addition to the family.
Training a Beagle
As you can imagine, hunting dogs were bred to be quick and energetic. And “energetic” is definitely a word that sums up the Beagle, unless he is over-weight but then that is another topic altogether.
So, when training your Beagle, you need to:
- Start early. This applies to all dogs. It is best to train them when they are puppies.
- Be consistent. Because the Beagle is so intelligent, he will learn commands quickly especially if he comes to know what you mean by a particular command.
- Train your Beagle in a fenced area. Because they were bred for hunting, their keen sense of smell can see them take off in the direction of a new and appealing scent, totally oblivious to your frantic calls to return.
- Start training your Beagle puppy to respond to his name and come to you when you call him so that if he does happen to escape your enclosure, you can get him back as quickly as possible. It’s natural that at first he won’t recognize his name so use it frequently and before long his little head will turn every time he hears you calling. But do remember, that the Beagle can have a mind of his own when he catches a whiff of a new scent.
- Because the Beagle is so intelligent and, at the same time, can be easily distracted, try to maximize his attention span by giving your obedience training in short doses. Try to vary the lessons so that you can maintain his interest.
- Your Beagle’s medium length coat should be easy to groom but it is probably a good idea to get puppy used to a gentle brushing from time to time.
- Have patience. All energetic dogs can test their owners with their exuberance when having their training lessons and Beagles are no exception.
How to Train a Beagle Puppy
In particular start potty training your Beagle puppy as soon as he arrives home. It will only take a few days for your little puppy to start to get the idea of what you want, if done from the begriming and correctly.
The tips in our article, Potty Training a Pup, can give you some great guidelines to start with so that you can have a well house-trained Beagle dog.
Best Beagle Books
One of the most comprehensive resources I have found, when it comes to Beagle training books, is Daniel Steven’s Secrets to Dog Training. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.
Daniel Stevens has some great tips on how to train a Beagle. He pools his knowledge from professional dog training to provide a comprehensive Beagle training guide.
Gifts for Beagle Lovers
In the meantime, have fun with your cute Beagle puppy! And if you are looking for gifts for the Beagle dog lover you might enjoy browsing some of the items at BrightStyle:
~ Bright Dog Tips
