Beagles are intelligent, energetic hunting dogs that need to be groomed and exercised. They are best trained during their growth stage at 8 to 16 weeks.
The key to success with a beagle is consistency and patience. Lori Norman - National Beagle Club Approved Mentor shares that the key to raising well-behaved and friendly beagles is to make sure they’re well-socialized during their growth stage.
Are beagles hard to train? The truth is that instilling good behavior and obedience in a beagle is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of hard work and perseverance to keep your pup on the right track.
If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, we’ve got some tips that will make your training sessions more effective and fun!
How long does it take to train a beagle? By six months of age, your beagle will be a toddler and begin to really mature in its training.
It is still getting accustomed to the world around it, but you’ll soon notice that it will develop better focus and can learn more quickly.
At this stage, you can transition from socializing your beagle to training it to follow basic commands such as “sit” and “stay.” Liberally dispense treats and verbal praise while training a beagle to listen, so it will form a positive association with obedience.
It’s important to set boundaries for your dog. This is where you can encourage it to listen to you, behave well, and avoid chewing on furniture. Basic obedience training can even extend to playtime — daily games of fetch are perfect for physical as well as mental exercise.
Teaching your beagle when to go outside will save you from the hassle of cleaning up after accidents. There are many ways to potty train a puppy, but most of all, it’s important to remember that you should never punish it when it makes a mistake throughout the growing stage.
Develop a strict feeding and “going” schedule so it will learn when it’s okay to go outside for a potty time. When you go out of the house, keep it on a leash or in its crate.
If you’re wondering how to train a beagle in an apartment or a small house, you can set up a designated indoor area where it can go. Thick and leak-proof puppy pads are convenient options that you can just throw away after each use.
Crate training is an excellent way to keep your dog from destroying your house. You can crate train your beagle while potty training so that it can associate its new home with cleanliness and obedience.
Now that the puppy stage is at its peak, it’s time to start building its core. This is where you can begin to build up your muscles and develop healthy exercise habits. Physical activity will come naturally to your beagle; all you have to do is follow its natural tendencies and teach it where to go.
Make sure to give your beagle the physical outlet it needs to expend energy. Walking is a fantastic option for this. If you are an outdoors person, you can bring your beagle on a hike to slowly build up its endurance and stamina.
Always use good judgment to keep from overextending your beagle. You can consult with your vet or other beagle enthusiasts for an estimate on how much exercise a six-month-old puppy needs. Most importantly, make sure to provide more than enough food and water to make up for all the physical activity
Beagle training must begin between 8 to 16 weeks—right around the time you bring it home from the breeder.
Throughout this stage, you’ll want to skip the treats or try to wrangle your dog into submission. Instead, you should focus on making sure it gets along with other family pets and enjoys interacting with people and other dogs.
Training your beagle during this stage is all about socializing it. When you’re out and about, keep the leash loose so it can explore. Take it to a park or pet store because new people and other animals will be interesting to them.
Beagles are very people-friendly, so they should be eager to make friends with everyone they meet. Lori Norman shares that frequent socializing is the key to raising a confident, kind, and well-adjusted beagle. Their naturally friendly dispositions must be encouraged to develop very early on in life.
If you’re raising a beagle, there are a few things that you’ll want to reinforce in your pup. Beagles can be independent thinkers, so it’s best to instill obedience early on.
They like to follow their noses, so keep them on leash when you go out. While you’re going through the socializing and exploring stages, encourage your pup to sniff around but keep it from running off after another animal or person.
Beagles tend to chew everything, especially when they’re pups. Throughout the teething stage, they can destroy anything they can get their mouths on. Beagles enjoy chewing on things, so it’s best to teach them what things are okay for them to chew on, such as bones, teething sticks, and their chew toys.
If you’re trying to keep your dog off the furniture, don’t scold or punish it; this will only make it nervous and agitated.
This is where the fun and games begin. When it is a year old, your pup will be fully matured and ready to learn complex tricks and commands.
After months of socialization and basic obedience training, some owners can be left wondering, why are beagles so hard to train? Beagles are historically intelligent and skilled dogs, but they have independent streaks that need to be reined in. They respond well to scent- and food-related stimulation, so focus on these areas to instill good behavior.
At this point, you can begin training your beagle for a specific purpose. You should focus on its innate intelligence and train it for tracking and agility.
Wondering how to train a beagle to come back? Enrolling it in obedience classes will teach your dog some of the best behavior and social skills it will need in life. Moreover, other dogs in the class will help build your dog’s confidence and social abilities.
Beagles are one of the best breeds for hunting, tracking, and agility. By this time, they should learn how to track and follow scents, so it’s a good idea to start taking them on scent trails in preparation for hunting season.
By following all these steps for training a beagle to listen, you’ll have a well-adjusted, confident, and obedient dog. Ensure years of good behavior by taking good care of your dog’s well-being, too.
A healthy and happy beagle will happily follow all of your commands.
Meet Paul, a devoted dog dad to the delightful French Bulldog, Cofi. With a flair for humor and a deep understanding of Frenchie quirks, Paul brings a lighthearted touch to his writings. His relatable stories and practical insights are a blend of laughter and valuable advice and resonate with fellow dog owners.
Through his words, Paul aims to celebrate the joys and challenges of being a dedicated pet parent, reminding you that life is simply better with a four-legged, snorting sidekick by your side.
