Best training tools to train a beagle?

November 14th, 2009

I have two year old beagle that still isn’t potty trained. I have heard from people that beagles are one of the hardest breed to train is this true? What are some good training techniques to train a beagle without getting it professionally trained? I work at home so it is not a issue of being here.

If you work from home — then the issue is that you are not dedicating enough time to training. So, you really have to put some serious time to house-breaking as well as general obedience. I would say that you need to schedule 1 to 2 hours a day. That would be the time spent walking the dog for exercise and potty breaks. Then some time needs to be spent just training obedience. Often it is easier to train if you are signed up for classes outside the home. If you’ve paid out some $$ – you tend to actually attend classes as opposed to thinking about training at home and putting it off. Some schools will tell you – they are not training your dog — they are training YOU to train your dog.

Beagles are hounds and Hounds can be a difficult breed to train. They are bred to work on their own and so tend to need a high motivating toy or reward. Figure out what your dog loves (food, tug ball on rope, whatever) Then use this reward when training. I love clicker training as it is really helps the dog understand when they are successful. So – look for some clicker training classes in your area.

Potty training – you didn’t say if you have a male or female. Spaying or neutering will help so if your dog is intact — to the vets’s!! I have attached a schedule of potty training — you need to use a crate and confine your dog unless you are paying totally and absolute attention to her/him. But, you should be able to get some results from this within the first week. Don’t move too quickly – your dog has been untrained for a long time – move slowly and expect some feedback from your dog (like a Ar-roo or two!!).

Also – a friend had a beagle and it would pee in its crate if there was bedding in it — no bedding, no peeing. So be on the look for odd quirks of beagle behavior like this – and just work past it.

GOOD LUCK!!

3 Responses to “Best training tools to train a beagle?”

Linda_Doxiegal

If you work from home — then the issue is that you are not dedicating enough time to training. So, you really have to put some serious time to house-breaking as well as general obedience. I would say that you need to schedule 1 to 2 hours a day. That would be the time spent walking the dog for exercise and potty breaks. Then some time needs to be spent just training obedience. Often it is easier to train if you are signed up for classes outside the home. If you’ve paid out some $$ – you tend to actually attend classes as opposed to thinking about training at home and putting it off. Some schools will tell you – they are not training your dog — they are training YOU to train your dog.

Beagles are hounds and Hounds can be a difficult breed to train. They are bred to work on their own and so tend to need a high motivating toy or reward. Figure out what your dog loves (food, tug ball on rope, whatever) Then use this reward when training. I love clicker training as it is really helps the dog understand when they are successful. So – look for some clicker training classes in your area.

Potty training – you didn’t say if you have a male or female. Spaying or neutering will help so if your dog is intact — to the vets’s!! I have attached a schedule of potty training — you need to use a crate and confine your dog unless you are paying totally and absolute attention to her/him. But, you should be able to get some results from this within the first week. Don’t move too quickly – your dog has been untrained for a long time – move slowly and expect some feedback from your dog (like a Ar-roo or two!!).

Also – a friend had a beagle and it would pee in its crate if there was bedding in it — no bedding, no peeing. So be on the look for odd quirks of beagle behavior like this – and just work past it.

GOOD LUCK!!
References :
http://www.ltah.net/Housebreaking.pdf
http://www.clickertraining.com/dogtraining

wishnuwelltoo

I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it. I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate. Dogs don’t potty where they eat and sleep. When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on. So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out. I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time. They have to graduate to more space. If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them. I take them out the same door each time. I tie a dinner bell to the door handle. Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it. So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty. When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty. Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty. Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn’t. So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her. So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy. If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst” and take her out right away. I never yell* or spank* my puppies. Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go poop until 10 minutes later, so wait for the poop. I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not. Puppies train at their own pace. While I may have a puppy that hasn’t had an accident in several weeks, I don’t let my guard down. I don’t expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old. If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over. I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them. When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her. All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl." This is the time I train her how to behave in the house. So we are practicing "no barking", ‘no biting", "no jumping", and "don’t eat the furniture." I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn’t knock over things. You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble. Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.

REVISIONS:
*I use a CRATE to train with. It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried. I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured. The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. . However, use the method that works best for you…..a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.
*OUTSIDE, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using. When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty. You can move it away as they get older. The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty. Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens. The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.
*BEDROOMS, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me. Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty. While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to. They don’t have to sleep in the bedroom forever.
*TREATS. While I use treats for training, you don’t have to. I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.
*SOME PUPPIES will go potty in the same spot each time. Some puppies have to be told to go potty. A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for poop, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops. This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs. By using commands, the puppy won’t get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home. The command will tell them what you want them to do in an unfamiliar place. You might also want to use a leash method, so the puppy doesn’t sneak of
References :

Sam W

hi,

The key to rock-solid housetraining is to start the day your dog comes home. If you stick closely to the following routine, you should be able to housetrain an adult dog within a week, or less.

here are some guidelines:
http://dogtime.com/housetraining-for-adults.html
References :

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