Beagle Training Tips and Advice

For those of you who do not know what a beagle is, here is a short description. Beagles are dogs that belong to the category of hounds, are short in stature, and normally grow to a height of around one and a half feet. Typically, their color is a combination of tan brown and white, although at times, you do get to see the odd patch of black as well. They normally weigh between seven to fourteen kilograms and have distinct brown eyes and long floppy ears. Most dog experts are of the opinion that training beagles is difficult as compared to training other dog breeds. Before we move on to any sort of beagle training tips and beagle training advice, it is important for you to become familiar with certain behavioral characteristics of beagle dogs.

Beagle Dog Behavioral Characteristics
As mentioned earlier, a beagle is a type of hound. Hounds being hunting dogs by nature, the same characteristic or quality can be seen to a certain extent in beagles as well. A prime example of this is the sharp sense of smell that a beagle has. At the same time, they are curiosity personified. Thanks to their sense of smell and their extremely inquisitive nature, you will always find a beagle sniffing and snooping around, regardless of whether he is indoors or outdoors. They are very restless and energetic by nature and as a beagle owner, you should ensure that you provide your pet dog with enough exercise and play time. This is an important piece of dog training advice for your beagle dog.

Beagle Training Advice
You should begin with beagle dog training at the right age. Training a dog who's over a year old or training beagle puppies three weeks after their birth is inappropriate. It will not help. You should ideally commence dog training once the beagle is around eight to ten weeks old and not before that. Begin with the basic commands such as 'sit', 'stay', 'heel', etc. Once your beagle is able to understand and follow these basic commands, you can then move on to a few advanced commands and dog obedience training sessions.

Beagle Training Tips
These are some training tips for you to keep in mind while training beagles.

• Keep the training sessions short. Avoid training sessions that are longer that ten minutes. Instead, opt for a 6-8 minute training session and repeat this twice or thrice a day. It will make your beagle respond better and with continued interest.
• Make sure that your beagle gets enough exercise. Beagles are dogs that are naturally very energetic and enthusiastic and you need to provide them with ample opportunities to utilize that energy productively. Lack of exercise, walks or outdoor play may make your dog lazy, moody and less responsive to training sessions.
• Be firm, but polite in all your dog training sessions. Beagles respond better when they know that you are the master and the person who is in control of the situation.
• Beagles are known to be stubborn, moody and a little bit aggressive. After all, they are hounds! The point is, as a beagle owner you should be aware of these dog behavior characteristics and must be prepared to tackle them accordingly. However, getting physical with your dog is a strict no-no, regardless of what dog breed he or she may belong to.
• Reward your dog with the occasional dog treat. It helps to boost the dog's confidence and has a positive impact on training.

These were a few beagle training tips for newbie beagle owners. Remember, if you're having trouble training your dog on your own, you should always explore the option of hiring a professional dog trainer. It can be much more effective and efficient in terms of producing results.