If you own a beagle, then you know this very well that BEAGLES ARE STUBBORN. This makes it a little more challenging to train them.
I am a parent of two naughty but adorable beagles, and over the years, I have stumbled upon various behavior problems.
So I decided to help my fellow beagle parents and made this list of 10 common beagle behavior problems and how to deal with them.
1. Barking – Whining – Baying – Howling
Beagles are vocally expressive. They like to express their feeling out loud. You may have already heard them making different types of noises like barking, whining, baying, and howling.
Barking is normal. They like to bark just like people like to talk. But sometimes loud and excessive barking can become a little irritating for us.
Most owners unknowingly instigate their beagles to bark louder. When you scream at your beagle to stop barking, your pooch gets more excited and sees it as a competition. Seeing you shout, he may try to bark louder than you.
Beagles also bark to gain their owner’s attention. They are very clever at picking up small things. If they notice that barking gets them your attention, they will bark more often.
How to Fix it
The best way to deal with barking is by not reacting to it. When your beagle barks or whines or howls, do not respond, do not even look at him, keep doing what you were.
And once he stops barking for more than two minutes, give him a treat. By this, you are promoting the good behavior of your beagle without encouraging his barking.
2. Chewing around the house
Beagles like chewing. It makes them happy and satisfied. While it’s okay to chew on toys, what’s not okay it to chew on furniture and other household things.
This problem is more common than you think. When I got Groot, my younger beagle, he was a zombie. He used to chew everything that could fit in his mouth. Furniture in my house still has all the scratches and teeth marks.
How to Fit it
The best way to stop unwanted chewing is to confine your beagle to his chew toys only. Please do not give him a chance to chew anything else. Here some of the best chew toys for your beagle.
Do not allow him to roam freely in your house. Instead, keep him in a room or in his crate with his chew toys.
You can beagle proof a room by removing all the unnecessary things that your pooch can chew.
You can also put him in his crate when with some of his chew toys. But make sure your beagle has been crate trained properly.
3. Ignoring Commands
Beagles are very smart and cunning dogs. They will stop following your commands If they realize they don’t benefit much from following your orders.
Let’s say if you stop giving them treats for a while for following your commands, they will start ignoring you.
Something similar happened to my neighbor. Her two-year-old beagle would listen to her only when she had a treat in her hands. And he would ignore all her commands when she had nothing in her hands.
How to Fix it
Your beagle needs some positive reinforcement to follow your commands. First, start giving him treats every time he follows your command. Gradually decrease the frequency at which you give the treats.
For instance, start with giving your beagle treats for every time he follows the command, then lower down the frequency to treating him for every 2nd time he follows the commands. And then after every three times.
Also Read: 7 Commands you Need to Teach your Beagle
4. Pulling on the leash
Beagles have a curious mind. You can say they are dogs with Hashtag WonderLust. Due to this, pulling on their leash is a common behavior problem among beagles.
When they out in the open, beagles are more interested in finding out the source of a scent than sticking beside their owners.
How to Fix it
Allowing your beagle to pull will motivate him more. Whenever he pulls on the leash, stop right there. He needs to understand that pulling will not get him what he wants.
Once he stops pulling and comes back to you, give him a treat, and continue walking. Soon he will understand that pulling gets him nowhere and stop doing it.
5. Biting
It is normal for young puppies to bite. They don’t know how to interact with humans. It is your duty to teach them the correct way to communicate with you.
However, biting habits can continue to adulthood if you fail to teach them the correct way of interacting when they are young.
Soft play-biting is fine, but if it causes any type of pain, then you have to do something about it.
How to Fix it
Redirect your dog’s behavior to a toy whenever he starts biting.
When he bites, make a low pitch, loud noise until he stops and then ignore him for some time. This will help your beagle to understand that biting hurts, and it will end all the fun of him.
If your beagle is still a puppy, then go through this guide of How to stop your Beagle Puppy from Biting. You can even watch this video:
6. Jumping
Jumping on people is not something you should promote. Beagles can jump for many reasons. They jump when they are excited, they jump to greet people. They jump when they want something that you are holding.
While jumping on you may seem cute, but it can be dangerous for you as well as your beagle.
How to Fix it
Whenever your beagle jumps on you, turn away. Do not motivate his behavior by greeting him back.
If your beagle jumps to grab things from your hands, or when you have his food, then give him the ‘sit’ command before he jumps. If he doesn’t sit, then wait and do nothing until he sits.
If he jumps on strangers and guests, then show him a treat and make him sit before you open the door.
In this way, you are correcting the unnecessary jumping of your pooch.
But this doesn’t mean that you should never allow your beagle to jump. You can teach your beagle to jump on your command.
7. Digging
Not just beagles, but all the dogs love to dig, and there’s a reason behind that. Back in the past, when dogs use to live in the wild, they use to dig a hole and sleep in it. It makes them feel more secure.
Even after being domesticated now, dogs still have this hiding of digging. It satisfies their natural instinct. You can watch this video to know more about this behavior:
How to fix it
Digging is perfectly fine, and you don’t need to correct this behavior. However, if your beagle has been ruining your backyard garden by digging up holes, then there is something you can do.
Provide an area in your backyard to your beagle where he can burrow as much as he wants. Designate an area where he is allowed to dig and hide his favorite toy there. He will surely love this game.
And whenever he tries to dig in the garden area, distract him, redirect him to his designated area. Soon enough, he will figure it out where he is allowed to dig and where he is not.
8. Begging
Beagles make a squishy noise when they want something. That’s begging. Once it starts, it never ends.
While begging, their eyes suddenly become very soulful and sound as if they are crying. If your beagle learns that he gets what he wants when he begs, then he will do it all the time.
How to Fix it
The only way to fix this is by not fulfilling your beagle’s wish. Suppose, when you have your dinner and your pooch starts begging to taste some Pasta, do not give him that. Let him beg, but do not give him what he wants.
9. Aggressive Behaviour
Beagles are a breed of friendly dogs, and they rarely show any type of aggression. People often misunderstand common puppy behavior as aggression. So before you conclude that your pooch is aggressive, watch this video of signs that your beagle is aggressive:
How to Fix it
If you think your beagle is aggressive, the best way to deal with it is by consulting a professional dog trainer or dog behaviorist.
10. Separation Anxiety
Beagles are social and friendly dogs. While this is an excellent quality, it also makes them prone to Separation anxiety.
Beagles like to be around people, but when left alone, they can become anxious. Separation anxiety can lead to destructive behavior like chewing and accessive barking.
If your beagle starts barking every time you leave him alone in the room, then he is going through separation anxiety.
How to Fix it
Before leaving your beagle alone, give him some tasks to do like a kong. KONG is a must-have toy if your dog is going through separation anxiety.
Kongs are interactive toys that you can fill with dog food and let your beagle struggle to eat it.
Before leaving your house, give your offer him kong filled with dog food and let him get busy getting his food out of it.
Conclusion
Every behavior problem of your beagle is fixable. You just need enough time and patience. However, if you are unable to solve any of these issues, there is no shame in asking for help from a professional dog trainer.