Beagle Training Advice

Beagles are one of the smartest, playful and absolutely cute dog breeds. Beagle is a breed that came into existence after cross breeding several hunting dog breeds. As a result, this breed exhibits powerful hound characteristics. Beagles make for cheerful house pets and great companions. However, training them can be a major challenge for beagle owners, as these dogs are headstrong and stubborn. But with proper dog training you can definitely improve your beagle's behavior.

Characteristics of Beagle

Physical characteristics of beagle include large floppy ears and big, sad eyes. Beagle is a small dog with height of about one and a half feet and weight about 8 kg. They have short legs and medium coat of fur. Most beagles are a combination of brown and white, sometimes with a black patch. Beagles inherit most of the characteristics of hounds including sharp sense of smell and high energy levels. Beagles have a natural inclination towards disobedience, hence training them can be quite a challenge for dog owners. However, the fact that beagles are smart and quick learners also simplifies this task.

Beagle Training Advice

Start at the Right Time
It is very much important to initiate dog training at the right age. Older dogs are too stubborn to respond to any kind of training, whereas very young puppies are immature to grasp anything. Ideally, beagle puppies training should begin at the age of 8 weeks. Your beagle is more likely to respond in a positive manner when you start early.

Be Consistent
It is extremely important to be consistent with your instructions while training a dog. If you punish your dog some day when he does something undesirable and then ignore him the next day when he repeats the same thing, you often end up confusing your dog. Hence, it is important that you make it clear to your dog regarding what kind of behavior is acceptable and what is not. Similarly, if you are getting him trained at a school, you should also repeat the instructions at home, else he will only learn to be obedient at school. Training pens are a useful aid while teaching basic commands to your doggie.

Potty Training
Potty training is the most difficult aspect of dog obedience and training. Since, dogs are yet to learn the accepted hygiene norms while living with humans, they often frustrate their owners by relieving themselves at the most unexpected places. However, this dog behavior can be corrected with persistence and patience. Make a schedule for your dog and follow it diligently. Closely observe his behavior when he wants to relieve, so that you can immediately take him out. Assign a specific place in your house or yard where your dog can relieve himself, so that he does not go on spoiling your precious carpet. Irrespective of all this, it is still very much possible for your dog to have occasional accidents. In such cases, punishing him won't do any good.

Crate Training
Dogs often love crates as they consider them do be their private space. Make sure you buy a right sized crate for your dog, so that he can stand and lie down comfortably. As dogs sleep in crates, they are unlikely to soil them. Hence, it would be a good idea to make use of crates while you are potty training them. Your dog will often wait for you to take him out for relieving, just make sure you don't test his patience by turning up too late!

Be patient
At last, it is very important for you to be patient and leave your dog alone at times. Remember, puppies have to learn everything from scratch, to make themselves fit to live with humans. This is not a natural behavior for them, hence give them some time to learn acceptable ways of behaving with humans. Accept certain animal instincts and think of counteractions to protect your home and family. For instance, if your dog chews anything that lies around, make sure you give him enough toys of his own to chew on. Similarly, if he unnecessarily becomes aggressive, then perhaps you are not exercising him enough. Beagles need activity in their life. Lack of it can force them to direct their energies somewhere else.

Beagles respond very well to food rewards. Hence, a particularly challenging training task can be accomplished by rewarding him with his favorite dog treat.