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Puppy Training

Are Beagles Hard To Train? No.

 

Successful training isn't instant, but it's well worth the effort!

People often tell me that they've read online that beagles are hard to train. I think this belief is caused by rumors started by non-beagle people and people that have tried and failed because of attempting to train with poor methods and poor consistency. There are lots of videos on YouTube of young beagle puppies that have already learned many tricks and good behavior commands, within 2 to 4 weeks of going to their new homes!

Some of our beagle puppies have become Search and Rescue dogs and therapy 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 beagles that warns their owners of impending seizures.

So, training a beagle is definitely "do-able," and 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.

  • Definitely, begin training the puppy to "come" from the first day you have him/her is a very important lifelong skill.

  • 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." And honestly, they should not be allowed to be the "alpha" or lead of the pack. That isn't good for ANY dog.

Some thoughts to consider from the beginning:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

Training Links

Potty/House Training   General Training   Biting and Dominance   Crate Training   Chewing   Shows and Grooming   Top

Potty Training (Housetraining)

The potty training is the toughest thing for me, also. So much of it is "timing," so we start by taking the puppy outside as soon as he/she wakes up from a nap, and also within 20 minutes of eating if he hasn't shown signs of wanting to go after eating.

We can usually tell if a puppy has to (I guess I have to say this word...unavoidable, LOL!) poop. ;-) When they need to go, their bottom/anus will be puffing out a little bit. If it isn't puffing out, "usually," they aren't close enough to needing to potty to be able to get them to go at this age. You'll quickly learn to recognize that physical sign, and also his signs of looking for a place to go.

We like to take them to the door, set them on the floor, and either tap their paw on the door or ring a bell (hanging from a string or a bell that is suctioned to the floor) before proceeding outside. This teaches them that they need to "give a sign" at the door to signify that they need to go outside. If we pick them up and carry outside, without stopping and asking them to make a signal, it may take longer to get them to give us a sign.


Dog potty bells on Amazon
Dog potty bells on Chewy
(Don't get the paw-shaped one...the round/square/rectangles are much easier for puppies to use)

Potty/House Training   General Training   Biting and Dominance   Crate Training   Chewing   Shows and Grooming   Top

General Training

Potty/House Training   General Training   Biting and Dominance   Crate Training   Chewing   Shows and Grooming   Top

Biting and Dominance

Puppies need structure and rules. Without structure and rules, they feel lost and out of control. They may then act in ways that seem like they are going to be "bad dogs." But, structure and showing puppies what is and isn't appropriate behavior can guide them to becoming the best dog you could ever hope for!

The first article seems to work well for us, and is quite different from most of the other articles. It is based upon acting the way another adult dog would act in response to puppy aggression. Some people don't recommend it, but it really can work quickly to stop aggressive biting in young puppies.

Teach the puppy that you are alpha over her (the first link)

Teach the puppy that you don't like being bitten, and you won't play after she bites (stopping play with a "time out")

Make biting unpleasant without punishing (pushing fingers FARTHER into mouth when biting occurs...some trainers love this, some disapprove)

Using play time to train puppy to do tricks until the biting stage is over.

You may only need to do one of these, or you might try several/all tips at one time until her biting phase is over.

Potty/House Training   General Training   Biting and Dominance   Crate Training   Chewing   Shows and Grooming   Top

Crate Training

Chewing

Training (and Grooming) for Shows

Potty/House Training   General Training   Biting and Dominance   Crate Training   Chewing   Shows and Grooming   Top

 

  

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Cedar Ridge Beagles
 c/o Toni Perdew
 crbeagles@gmail.com
(the best method to reach me is via e-mail)
Bedford, Iowa
 Click here for additional contact information.

Our premises are monitored via video surveillance for your puppy's safety!
Toni Perdew
3005 Lexington CT
Bedford, IA 50833

 
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