Beagles are infamous for their stubbornness. My Groot often ignores our commands and does what he wants. This is not because beagles are stupid. It’s because they are too smart.
So I contact a friend of mine who is a dog trainer and asked him how we can get our beagles to listen to us. She made a step-by-step program for us to follow, and surprisingly it did wonders. Right now, Groot is more obedient and disciplined than he ever was.
So I decided to help you all, and with the trainer’s permission, I have listed down all the steps that must be taken to make your beagle listen to you.
Step 1. Teach the ‘Look at me’ Command
The first and foremost thing to do while training a dog is to make sure they look at us while we command ‘look at me.’
Beagles are a curious breed. It’s easy for them to get distracted by a bird or even a new scent. Look at Me command will allow you to get your dog’s attention. It’s much easier to communicate with your beagle when they look at you.
Teaching Look at me Command
- Say ‘LOOK AT ME’ and how your beagle his favorite treat.
- Then hold the treat closer to your face, between your eyes.
- When your beagle makes eye contact with you, give him a treat.
- Practice this consistently for a week.
- Now say the command without showing the treat to your dog. Praise your pooch when he looks into your eyes and give him a treat.
Step 2: Train 10 Minutes Every Day
It’s a common misconception that training a dog is a one-time thing. But it’s not. Training is a lifelong process. You must take out at least 10 minutes every day to train your beagle.
Teach them new tricks, revise old commands, train them to behave. Training should be conducted in various places and environments. So train your beagle in parks, in your backyard, in your friend’s backyard, in public places. This will give you better control over your dog in different situations.
If you have any problem training your beagle, you can get this Dog Training course. I personally bought this course when my first got my Groot and trust me it worked like a charm.
Step 3: Expose them to different environments
One of the significant aspects of getting our beagles to listen to us is to expose them to a wide variety of places, situations, and people. They may seem distracted at first, but doing this regularly will make them more social and comfortable.
Here are few things you must do:
- Take them to dog parks regularly.
- Take them out to public places.
- Socialize them with different people. They should be comfortable seeing a guy with facial hair or a woman wearing a hat and sunglasses.
- Let them sniff different things. Beagles are scent hounds, they love smelling.
- Set up playdates with different dogs.
- Introduce other pet animals to them, like cats and tortoises.
It is highly recommended to start exposing your beagle to different environments since his puppyhood. However, if your beagle is an adult, then better late than never.
We got Groot in December 2019, right before the pandemic hit. The entire country was under lockdown for more than six months. So we didn’t get much opportunity to socialize him. But as soon as we got the vaccine, we started exposing him to various situations.
Yes, it took us a while to socialize Groot properly and make him comfortable in a different environment.
Step 4: Give them enough exercise
A tired beagle equals to a happy and obedient beagle. Whereas a beagle full of energy equals to DISASTER.
If your dog is hyperactive like Groot, you must make sure he gets ample exercise every day.
Communicating with a beagle full of energy is like shooting in the sky for a star. So make sure to remove all the excess energy, especially before the training.
This is what our schedule looks like
- I take my Groot out for a long walk twice a day. Once in the morning, once before going to bed.
- Apart from that, he gets to play around in the backyard for a couple of hours every day.
- We take him to the dog park twice a week, where he gets to interact and play with other dogs.
- Every Sunday, we take him to a jogging track where he gets to run for 10 to 15 minutes.
- After all this, he still has some energy left for his mischief.
Step 5: Use Gestures along with verbal Commands
Dogs communicate with each other by their body language. It’s much easier for a dog to understand gestures than verbal cues.
So start using gestures along with verbal cues for important commands like sit, stay and look at me.
Since I started using gestures, I have noticed that Groot follows commands with much more success than before.
Step 6: Understand your Beagle’s emotional state
A beagle is less likely to listen to your command when he is distracted by another dog’s presence. Or when he is scared by the loud sounds of thunder. Or when he is stressed before going to the vet.
In such cases, you need to deal with the underlying problems first before you teach your beagle to listen to you.
Step 7: Don’t Give up
Just remember one thing, it’s never impossible to train a dog. No matter how mischievous and naughty your beagle is, he has the potential to be a well-behaved dog. And it’s possible only if you don’t give you.
The training is not a one-day thing. It may take months, but it will be all worth it.
Some advice:
- Be Consistent
- Do not give up.
- Release your beagle’s energy before training.
- Do not overdo it.
- Never be hard on your dog.
Final Thoughts
Trust me, THIS PROGRAM WORKS. We have tried it on Groot, and he has become more obedient than he ever was. He listens to me when we are outside; he listens to me even when he is distracted.
He still does some naughty thing every now and then, but that’s okay.
