People
often tell me that they've read online that beagles are hard to train. I think
that is hogwash, probably consisting of rumors started by non-beagle people and
people that have tried and failed because of attempting to train with poor
methods and poor consistency. Check out this video of a very young beagle puppy:
The above video (on Youtube) and links are external, and we can't control the content. If
someone adds a video that is linked to after this initial video, and if you
think it's inappropriate, please let us know and we'll remove this clip's
link.
Some of our beagle puppies are now Search and Rescue dogs.
Beagles are also used as drug-sniffing dogs, especially in airports because
they are non-aggressive and smaller than other drug-dog breeds.
We also know of a beagle that warns its owner of impending
seizures. So, training a beagle is not only "do-able," but they can perform
high-importance jobs!
Training is very important for all puppies, and that
includes more than just potty training. Showing your puppy that you are the
leader of your pack is urgent to prevent your puppy from wandering away and
getting lost or stolen. Solid training can help prevent damage to your home.
Training makes your puppy happier...yes, happier! All intelligent animals
want to feel as though they fit in. Training gives puppies a sense of
accomplishment and comfort in knowing where they fit in to the family
"pack."
Some thoughts to consider from the beginning:
Crate training is extremely helpful for house/potty
training, and is not cruel. Dogs are "den"
animals, and like sleeping in a place where all sides are covered except
one. Our farm dog, Rose, makes a den in our hay barn where she can curl up
and just look out of a small opening. Summer, winter...temps don't matter.
Puppies inside the house usually find the little "den" under the computer
desk and sleep there. Dogs LIKE dens. Your job is to make sure YOU approach
crate training correctly.
Potty training takes time. Puppies up to 4 months old
need to potty (especially urinate) frequently. When they urinate, they don't
fully void their bladders most of the time. This makes them need to potty
more often than adult dogs, too. And, it is a reason that you'll notice your
puppy potty outside when you take him out, and then within minutes of
returning into the house, pottying again! Stick with it, check out a variety
of methods by searching the Internet, and even consider buying a book about
house training (amazon.com has several available).
95% of our puppies are voluntarily going outside to
potty 100% of the time before they leave us at 8 weeks. But they aren't
potty trained. Instead, they are a combination of crate trained
and doggie-door trained. If you installed a doggie door in your house that
went into a safely-fenced area, and attached an
indoor pen or crate to the
wall there, you could probably potty train your puppy very quickly! When the
puppy is in his/her crate, he/she could go right outside to potty. When not
in the crate (leave the crate door open so he/she can get through to the
doggie door), you'll still have to watch closely to train the puppy that the
whole HOUSE is your crate. However, the puppy may very quickly learn to rush
back through the crate and out the door. Problem: most people don't
want to cut a hole in their door or house to install an energy-leaking
doggie door. Therefore, solid potty training methods become necessary!
If you know of another great link to add to the ones below that would help puppy
owners, please let us know so we can add it here. Because potty training and
general obedience training benefit each other, the links below cover more than
just house training.
