Beagle Training – How to do it?

If there is one thing in common amongst beagle owners, it would probably be their perception that beagles can’t be trained. Beagle dogs and puppies are extremely active, and getting them just to pay attention would hardly be an easy feat. In fact, even dog trainers I know have remarked that Beagles would only hardly make it to Intermediate and Advanced level of trainings.

Well, my one-year old beagle dog Clifford seems to have the ability to pay attention. He now rolls over, begs, shakes my hand, sits, stays, comes, heals, jumps through hoops and fetches. Right now, I’m trying to teach him how to play dead.

So, what is the secret to successful beagle training?

1. Know what makes your beagle pay attention

Fortunately, my beagle dog loves to eat. And he would do ANYTHING for food. Simple, plain old Science Plan dog food is good enough to reward Clifford. He doesn’t need premium meat slices or over-the-counter treats to get him started.

The trick is to find out what your beagle CRAVES for. If your dog loves cheese, then use cheese as training rewards– in small amounts, of course. Most dogs love the smell of cooked sausages, so you can heat some up each time you want to train you beagle. Remember to feed your dog small pieces so as not to overfeed.

It’s best that your treats are soft and easy to swallow. This way, you won’t have to wait too long for your beagle dog to finish his food before you move on to the next trick.

2. Reward your beagle immediately

Always reward your beagle IMMEDIATELY after he or she does what you say. Dogs live for the moment and delayed rewards may mean that you are rewarding for something else. Let me illustrate.

You say the command “Sit” and your beagle responds immediately. But since you don’t have a treat in your hand, you fumble in your pocket for the reward. However, your dog gets up again within a few seconds. Giving the beagle the reward AFTER he or she has gotten up will mean that you are rewarding the dog for sitting up.

To avoid this, always have the reward in your hand and give your beagle the treat at once after your dog has responded correctly.

3. Be generous with your treats or rewards

Reward your beagle dog for everything he or she does right. Don’t be tightfisted with your treats. You’ll end up only disappointing your beagle.

4. Get your dog to look at YOU

A beagle that does not look at you in the eye will be distracted and will not respond. This does not mean that your dog is disobedient, or can’t be trained. Your beagle has to focus before it can be trained.

Call your beagle by his or her name and make sure you get attention. Show your dog the treats you have – make some noise with the bag holding the treats if you can. Use a special word like “Training” or “Play time” to signal the start of a training session.

5. Don’t disappoint your beagle

It usually takes several beagle training sessions spanning days or even weeks before your beagle can get one command right. Before that happens, your beagle may learn in parts, or can’t quite get it right completely.

Dogs DO get disappointed if they try hard at something, but don’t get rewarded for it. Therefore, to keep your beagle interested, alternate new tricks with old ones. This way, your beagle will still be encouraged to complete the entire training session.

6. Finally, have lots of patience!

We have to understand that beagles are not humans, do not have the IQ of humans, and therefore need more time to learn. Don’t expect your beagle dog to learn something new each lesson. Lessons need to be repeated before your beagle gets it right!

Is it possible to train Beagle Puppies?

If you have had beagle puppies, you’d agree with me that you can have a stubborn, mischievous and thoroughly active puppy. In fact, if you have two of them, they can literally keep you busy the entire day. It’s normal if your beagle puppies are at odds with one another. Being self-absorbed, they can be jealous if they detect your slight preference for one over another.

Many beagle puppy owners wonder if there is even a “remote” possibility that their beagles CAN be trained. This hyperactive pooch seems to have a mind of its own, and being obedient is definitely not one of this breed’s virtues.

1. Use the right training techniques

Based on my personal experience, this is important. Dog owners with no knowledge of dog training, tend to teach dogs from a human perspective. Then, frustration kicks in when the puppy doesn’t seem to understand what its owner wants. Finally, the owner gives up with the belief that the beagle just doesn't have it in him to learn.

The truth is, dogs have different learning styles from humans. A dog learns when he does something voluntarily, with food or dog treats used as incentives. For instance, overturning your puppy with your hands in a bid to teach him “roll-over” doesn’t work. You will just frighten your poor friend.

However, the right way to teach roll-over is to first teach your puppy the “down” command. Then, hold a dog treat with your hand over your puppy’s head and slowly move the dog treat in the direction where you want him to roll over to. At the same time, say “roll-over” to familiarize your beagle with the command.

If you are serious about training your beagle puppy, check out these training resources, made ESPECIALLY for beagles!

Beagle Care & Training E-course Package

Beagle Dog Training

2. Use food as reward

Beagles in general have one thing in common – their love for food. Of course, if your beagle puppy doesn’t seem to adore food as much, you may try changing your food to another brand that is more appealing. Emily (of Jessie, as she is now named) seemed to have no liking for the food we fed her. However, her new owners have discovered her affinity for fish-based dog food. Getting your beagle puppy interested in its food is important in getting him or her trained.

3. Make it hard-to-get

The next step is to get your beagle puppy to pay attention. When in training, use toys or props that are only accessible during training time. This creates that “I want it even more now that I can’t have it” mentality in your beagle puppy. Thus, your beagle puppy is more likely to focus so that he or she is able to get that elusive toy in the end.

4. Start them young, if possible

Puppies have an affinity to please their masters. Use this to your advantage by starting training sessions as soon as they are paying attention to you. As I bred six beagle puppies, Clifford already learnt to sit at 5 weeks old.

5. Give praise and be firm

Try not to dote over your beagle puppy. Many beagle puppy owners do this, and end up with a disobedient dog that thinks of its owner as a peer. If you want to successfully train your beagle, you’ve got to show him or her that you are boss. You are the pack leader and your beagle puppy has to listen to you.

Nevertheless, praise your puppy when he has done right. Also, be generous with your treats, and give him a reward IMMEDIATELY for each trick done right. On the flip side, be firm (but not fierce) to correct him when he has made a mistake.

6. Be patient and have fun!

Beagle puppies are fun-loving canines. So, if you make training feel like a game, your puppy would be more than happy to join you. Be excited about your training session, and your beagle puppy will be too!

Also, it takes lots of patience to train beagle puppies. They don’t always get it right the first time, and it may take several sessions or even several days or weeks before your puppy will get it right. The good news is that it is always easier to train beagle puppies than dogs. Watch my beagle training videos here! Have fun!

Beagle Training Videos

Training Clifford the beagle has been interesting, easy and fun. Eager to learn, he sits and waits for my command and responds in anticipation of food. Watch these 2 videos and be inspired! It is possible to train a beagle to be obedient!

Watch as Clifford jumps through the hoop!




See how Clifford fetches the ball, rolls over, stay and come when I ask him to!

Claire's home stay in December 2007

Claire's owners put her up for boarding at our home for several days in December 2007. It was fun having her around! She made herself at home almost immediately, and loved the company of the other dogs.

Murfee was a little vary at first - she probably didn't understand why there was another puppy in the house! ("Oh no! Another puppy? Clifford is already driving me crazy!!!") Clifford was overly friendly, and just wanted to play the entire time. We tied him to the grill, and let Claire stay in his cage. But I think he didn't sleep the entire night (he has never slept anywhere else other than his beloved cage)

So, the next night, we placed both of them in the cage. Even though a little cramped, they enjoyed each other's company a great deal. Here's a picture of Clifford and Claire together again.

When her owner came to pick her up, Claire was thrilled. She recognized the whistle her owner used to catch her attention almost immediately!

Clifford looked a little sad after Claire left. After all, she's the other other puppy he has known that WANTS to play with him. The other dogs just find him an utter nuisance, and avoid him whenever they can. I guess we will bring him to visit Fritz later, and see how his brother has grown!

More pictures of Claire during her stay:

Claire biting a shoe. Clifford does that too - A LOT!

Dog greetings - that's how they get to know one another :)

Clifford's early puppy days

Clifford posing for a picture (He responded to the command "Stay") :)

The largest in the litter when he was born, Clifford was immediately distinguished from the rest of the puppies. I guess his prominence was accentuated by his sleek black fur, much darker than the rest of the puppies. He obviously had an ideal location in his mummy's womb, even before he was born.

Hence, the name Clifford. His demeanor was silent, steady and watchful. He looked us eye to eye when we carried him, unlike the rest who usually wiggled. For all we knew, he was observing all the hustle and bustle around the home, the other puppies, and of course Murfee and Tobie. All the information he collected and processed through, leading to his obvious superiority in behavior.

He didn't play as hard as the other puppies, he learnt to poo at the right place after meals when he was only 3 weeks old, and he came over when we called him when he was 5 weeks old. Clifford followed me at my heels, as I walked in and out of the porch. He didn't run haphazardly around like his brothers and sisters. He would sit down and look up at me when he knew it was meal time.

Again, responding to a command. This time it's "Down" and "Stay"

Standing out from the crowd, Clifford was never overly playful or bashful. He did play, was not too lazy, but he has his limits. This was probably why he didn't mingle that well with the rest of the puppies - they were always wrestling or biting one another. Sometimes, Clifford got caught in the crossfire and he fought back. Nevertheless, his cool demeanor was always kept. At 6 weeks old, he already learnt to sit and come. We thought he was brilliant and have decided to keep him as our third dog.

At 8 weeks, he started to get a little vocal. In fact, he started to display signs of being able to make the Beagling howl - a half bark and half howl sound that only Beagles can make. Tobie had never made such sounds, and has never been overly noisy. Clifford would now bark whenever it was time to eat. Sometimes, he would bark after dinner when we placed him back in his cage. Our discipline came in the form of a rolled up newspaper which made a loud noise but was not hurtful to the puppy. He usually stopped his complaints after one session of discipline. That's good for a beagle.

We have decided to train him regularly and now he knows: Sit, Down, Come, Stay, Roll over, Shake and Beg, although not perfectly. This book we bought - 101 Dog Tricks - has shown us great methods to train dogs that we would never have thought of. It's amazing how the right approach in dog training can speed things up. Our target is to teach Clifford at least 20 tricks. I think he will be able to do it. I will upload videos on this once Clifford gets them right!