Beagle Puppy Training

By Glyn Sheridan

Overview

Your beagle puppy descends from a long line of English hunting hounds, selected and bred for his outstanding sense of smell and congenial personality. As an adult, your beagle will reach a height of between 13 and 15 inches and will weigh approximately 20 lbs. Your beagle puppy will form a loyal bond with you and your family and he will be a fine companion animal, but his intrinsic sense of the hunt makes training challenging. Early socialization and obedience training will help you control your beagle's natural urge to chase anything that moves.

Train your beagle puppy with love and patience.

Walking

Begin leash training your beagle puppy as soon as possible. While some breeds adapt to a walking lead easily, the beagle is likely to be distracted by every strange smell on the sidewalk. Predominantly a scent hound, this breed may walk with its nose close to the pavement, prepared to track a tantalizing scent at any moment.

Maintaining a brisk walking pace with a beagle puppy, without pulling him along, may prevent him from sniffing the ground constantly. To reduce distractions, carry a few tasty treats in your pocket and use them as rewards for walking without pulling. Alternately, hold the treat in a closed hand to prompt a reluctant puppy to begin walking.

Housebreaking

Begin housebreaking your beagle puppy as soon as you bring him home by placing him outdoors in one spot in the yard frequently. Until he is 4 months old, your puppy may find it difficult to control his bladder for longer than an hour or two at a time.

Because their sense of smell is acute, house training should include preventing "accidents" that leave behind an odor, signaling your beagle puppy to do his business in the same spot. Restricting this breed to a small area with washable flooring may help reduce this problem. If accidents do occur, move the feces or a urine-soaked paper towel to his outdoor potty spot. His sense of smell will reinforce what he is supposed to do.

Obedience

When he is not distracted, your beagle puppy will strive to obey and please you. Consistency in training techniques and daily reinforcement is necessary to reduce your puppy's natural desire to go in a different direction. Use positive reinforcement and avoid scolding and punishing your beagle puppy for mistakes.

Baying

Beagle noise may be a factor when keeping a beagle outdoors in a yard or a kennel. Along with his ability to bark, your beagle may enjoy baying. Although this is natural for his breed, it can quickly annoy the neighbors. The use of a citronella collar that emits a small squirt of harmless citronella may discourage your beagle from barking or baying. Remove the collar when the puppy is indoors and on walks. Do not use a citronella collar near a noisy playground or loud street traffic that may inadvertently set off the collar, punishing your dog for no reason.

Comments (2)

Aug 19, 2009 kota

I have recently adopted two beagles puppies(a first for our family) after losing my beloved Peepers. They are doing very well and have been good company.The only issue that they have been having is that they don't like to have their paws get wet due to rain or morning dew. They have been very good about going to the backdoor to let me know when they need to go out to go potty. I have tried to take them out on a lease seperately and that seems to have helped. They seem to almost be afraid of the cold wet feeling they get. I am very proud of my little Gracie and Dakota, for 10-1/2 weeks old they are doing great!

Oct 19, 2009 puppyloverguy

so cute

Any inappropriate content? Tell DailyPuppy!

More Puppy Pages

Training Beagle Puppies

Instructions Instillling Good Habits Early Step 1: Training a beagle puppy can present many rewards as well as challenges. Characteristics that made you fall in love with the breed may also be a source of frustration when you train your little dog. Being...

Hi! I’m Melanie McLeroy with Taurus Training for Expert Village and it’s the time to talk about Beagles. Now, a lot of people get beagles because they don’t really understand all the breed characteristics. They are awfully cute dogs...

Although beagle owners love their cuddly, long-eared friends, they know a beagle's howl can be a terrible noise. Anything will get a beagle howling, too. Beagles howl at vacuums, sirens and loud noises. They howl to show affection, and when they are...

Beagles are a popular breed because they are good with kids, eager to please and do not need a lot of grooming. However, beagles have special training needs. Keep your beagle puppy inside to train him, so you can quickly stop bad habits from forming.

Puppies can begin supervised leash training when they are still with their mothers at about 6 or 7 weeks old. They can get used to a collar at this age, but they need supervision so they do not get it caught on anything and choke.