Consistency
Beagles today makes a wonderful family pet but, like other dogs, beagles require training. Like many of the hound breeds, Beagles tend to be independent and able to think on their own. This can make them a little stubborn at times. Consistency is very important when training any dog and especially so when training a beagle dog.

Consistency in expectations as well as voice level is an important part of Beagle training as is not having the individual lessons last too long. Like children, puppies have a limited attention span and will get bored with the Beagle training and attempt to find a diversion elsewhere. Beagle obedience training will surprise you, when you realize how quickly a Beagle can learn and remember the basic commands.

You must also remember to maintain consistent expectations at home as well as at Beagle training classes so the animal does not get into the habit of listening to your commands only when in class and not at home. This is a very real possibility according to many trainers and often confuses the dog and frustrates the owner.

Beagle Potty Training
Housebreaking your Beagle dog requires patience. Beagles can be a little slow to learn when it comes to housebreaking. Strict cleanliness is necessary so your dog will always know that you are serious about where he can and cannot potty.

When potty training beagles, you should follow the same procedures that you would follow for other puppies and dogs:

• Make sure that your dog knows where he is supposed to potty;
• Watch him carefully for any signs that he needs to go outside;
• Take him out as soon as he wakes up;
• Take him out as soon as he eats or drinks;
• Take him out after excited play;
• Take him out before bedtime.

With all of these trips outside your dog may still have a few accidents. Getting angry won’t do any good. Pay closer attention next time.

Crate Training a Beagle
It’s a good idea to invest in a properly sized crate for your Beagle. Crates should be big enough for your dog to stand in and to lie down in comfortably. There are usually guidelines for different breeds on the tags and boxes for the crates. Crates are extremely useful when it comes to crate training a puppy or dog. As a general guideline you can crate your puppy one hour for each month of age, plus one. So, for a three-month-old puppy you can crate him a maximum of four hours. This is a good guideline to tell you how long you can expect a puppy to be able to go before having to relieve himself again, but remember that it is only a guideline. Your puppy may not be able to go quite that long. This helps explain why a puppy often can’t make it through the night without needing to go outside.

When you use a crate to help with housebreaking it encourages your puppy or dog to wait until you take him outside to relieve himself, as long as you don’t make him wait too long. The crate is the dog’s sleeping area and dogs have a natural desire to avoid soiling where they sleep. The crate method takes advantage of that instinct.

Your dog may also regard his crate as his private place where he can escape from noise in the house and from other pets. Many dogs like to take naps in their crates and use them as dens. Crate training a beagle, like with everything else, takes time and practice.

Learning the rules
When you first bring your Beagle home he will also need to learn many other things. If you have a beagle puppy, keep in mind that nearly everything is new to him. He will need to learn the words for things as well as basic good behavior.

Many new owners run into the problem of chewing. Fortunately, Beagles are not as bad as some breeds about chewing things, but they are typical headstrong puppies. They will happily chew anything that you leave lying around. You should get in the habit of picking up anything of yours that you value, whether it’s the remote control to the TV, your shoes, your eyeglasses, your purse or a pizza.

One of the best things you can do for your new Beagle puppy is to provide him with plenty of his own acceptable things to chew on. The more toys and chewies he has of his own, the less likely he will be to chew your things. And, if you give him plenty of things to chew on he will probably show less interest in chewing on your leather sofa.

Beagles are wonderful companions and great family pets but you do need to take the same kinds of precautions in the home with them that you take with other dogs. Even the greatest dogs are not born knowing the rules for living with humans. They all have to learn what we expect of them and they only learn when we take the time to teach them. These beagle training tips will help you.

There are two reasons why training Beagles can be hard:

• Beagles can be independent to the point of stubbornness.
• Beagles have great noses — they can be distracted by scents and ignore your commands.

That doesn’t mean that Beagles can’t be trained. Far from it. If you are consistent with your training and find good ways to motivate your dog then Beagles can excel in many kinds of training. Beagles are very intelligent.

Training Classes or Training at Home?
Can you train a Beagle better in a class setting or at home? You may be wondering which approach would work better for your Beagle. It may depend on the kind of class and on your dog’s age.

If you have a beagle puppy then puppy kindergarten classes or puppy preschool are an excellent way of getting your puppy out and socializing him. The whole purpose of these classes is to introduce your puppy to other puppies and people. Socialization is one of the most important things a dog learns. It helps him fully adapt and adjust to living in the human world. He learns the manners he needs for interacting with non-threatening strangers. He learns to be a pleasant, friendly dog and to act without fear. These classes help to build your dog’s confidence.

Beagles puppies usually have a wonderful time in these classes. Beagles were bred to live in packs for so many centuries that they enjoy being “part of the gang” in a class setting and get along very well with groups of other puppies. Classes such as these are highly recommended. You can often find out information about puppy preschool and puppy kindergarten classes at your veterinarian’s office, pet supply stores, pet shops, animal shelters, kennel clubs and training centers.

When it comes to more serious beagle training classes, you may wish to continue training your Beagle in a class setting. Beagles can do well learning obedience in classes. Small classes are usually better than large ones and training situations with fewer distractions are recommended. If you have a choice between long classes and short ones, the shorter classes are are better for most dogs. A dog’s attention span usually begins to wander after a short while. Several shorter beagle training classes are better than one long one.

Beagle Training at Home
You can also train your Beagle quite well at home yourself. Like other dogs, Beagles respond to positive reinforcement very well. Consistency is very important but so is getting and keeping your dog’s attention and making training fun for your dog.

Beagles usually respond very well to food rewards. You can also use a favorite toy or playtime as a reward when training your dog.

Commands such as “Sit,” “Come,” “Lie Down,” “Heel,” and “Stay” are considered basic obedience commands. Your Beagle can easily learn them in either a training class or at home. There are several ways to teach your dog to sit on command but they all involve a little positive reinforcement. Some people like to use a clicker to “mark” the behavior but it’s not strictly necessary.

Have some treats in your pocket. Hold a treat near your dog’s nose and move it back over his head and downward. He should move into a sitting position to try to reach the treat. Praise him and give him the treat. Do this several times. Do it again and and give the command, “Sit.” Give him the treat when he sits. Don’t forget to praise him lots. Keep repeating until your dog is associating the word “Sit” with the behavior. Beagles like to eat and beagle training always goes better when their is food involved.

You can also teach sit by using a clicker. Clickers a small clicker devices that you can buy for about $2 at a pet supply store. When you see your dog doing something that you like “CLICK!” the clicker. It gets your dog’s attention and tells him that you like what he’s doing. Follow up with some treats right away. Your dog may not know what he did but he knows the clicker means something good. You can keep going until you have fine-tuned what your dog did and he knows what it was. Say your dog sits and you click. You give him treats. He has no clue why you’re giving him treats. Next time he lies down beside you. No treats. Then he sits down again. “CLICK!” and treats. Your dog starts to figure it out. All you have to do is put the command to the behavior.

You can teach your dog to do anything a dog can do using a clicker. It works particularly well with Beagles since there’s food involved.

There are many good ways to train your beagle. Following the rules above and you will find that beagle training isn’t that are of a process despite the dog’s stubborn streak. Training just takes time and patience.