We dog lovers defend that these animals are undoubtedly man's best friend, but in order to appreciate all the qualities that lead us to affirm this, it is necessary to carry out a process of dog training.
Contrary to what one might initially think, dog training not only allows us to teach the dog and balance its character, but it is also one of the most powerful tools to strengthen the bond between the pet and its owner.
If you have decided to take in a beagle or are considering it, you should know that although this dog is lovable and gentle, it can also be easily distracted, which is why we provide you with severaltricks to train a beagle that will make learning an easier process.
The Beagle Temperament
The beagle is a dog of endearing character, as it is characterized by being gentle, cheerful and affectionate. He enjoys the company of his family and is ideal for being with children, as he has almost infinite patience, however, due to the attachment he can develop, he is prone to separation anxiety.
Although it can bark in the presence of strangers, it is also very accepting of strangers, so it is not very useful as a guard dog.
The beagle needs exercise, especially to avoid the overweight that is associated with this breed, but it does not require intense exercise, so it is not recommended to take it to a state of exhaustion.
Regarding the training of the beagle, we must know that it is an intelligent and obedient dog, but that it can be easily distracted by olfactory stimuli, due to their nature.
Positive reinforcement in beagle learning
To train a beagle as well as any other dog, we must know that physical and verbal punishment, in addition to being harmful to the animal, it is not at all effective. Instead, positive reinforcement should be used.
Positive reinforcement consists of not punishing the dog for his mistakes but rewarding him for his successes, in this case we suggest you use clicker and dog treats when using this method.
- Clicker: This is a tool that emits a characteristic noise when pressing a sheet. It is a method as fast as it is effective. It is recommended to use the clicker and immediately after offering the treat. Discover the initiation to the clicker.
- Treats for dogs: By using the clicker previously we allow the dog not to get too excited with the treat, since the auditory stimulation allows the dog to have greater concentration.
We must be clear that dogs have an instinct to please their owners and that the key to learning lies in good communication, don't forget to reward your dog when his behavior is appropriate and don't communicate with him in a way that could be confusing.
Learning beagle puppy
From 8-14 weeks of life, our pet will be more easily influenced, but it may be that our puppy arrives at our home before this age, and then the learning should simply consist of showing him a routine to the dog.
If we want the tricks for training a beagle to be effective, we must first be able to establish a routine, as this will allow that our pet feels safe in his new home, in addition, the routine alone facilitates the understanding of the limits that as leaders we must impose.
The routine should translate into feeding the dog at the same time, avoiding giving him food or treats between meals and allowing him to get used to his collar so that later on he can also set the times for daily walks.
How to train a beagle
From 8 weeks of life we can start learning the basic commands, but for this we will need our dog to respond to its name, since the name of the pet is essential to capture their attention, and if we don't have their attention we can hardly expect them to be obedient.
So that your pet can learn its name, we recommend that you act as follows:
- Make sure this learning takes place in quiet environments free from distractions.
- Call your dog by her name and when you get his attention, press the clicker and offer him a treat
- When your pet has assimilated this information, you must move away so that when you call it it comes to you, you must also use the clicker and the prize when it does.
Once the dog has learned her name and responds to it, you can start learning other basic commands such as sit, lie down or stay.
To facilitate the training of a beagle as well as its obedience, we also recommend that you rely on the following actions:
- Overexcitement and calm: First, you should encourage your dog a lot and play with him until he is overexcited (do not prolong this situation for too long as it can be stressful for your beagle), then you should encourage him to calm, which will teach him when the game is over and help him to be able to respect the limits.
- Brushing: In the early stages of learning we recommend that you brush your beagle daily, since few actions strengthen the bond between dog and owner so much, moreover, when we subject our pet to brushing, we are also disciplining her.
Once the dog has assimilated the basic commands, we can introduce more complex commands, always using positive reinforcement.
Problems training your beagle?
Training a beagle is simple if the owner is able to communicate properly, however, sometimes we can encounter various difficulties, To help you overcome them, we provide you with more canine training tricks, and more information about the basic commands for dogs.
Finally we want to remind you once again of the importance of positive reinforcement, as well as going to a canine educator if we see that our dog's behavior does not respond positively to the learning process.
