Five Great Tips To Help You With Your Beagle Training

Are you established as the Alpha dog in your pack? I hope so because it’s very important that you are. You see, your Beagle will look to the pack leader for guidance and that leader needs to be you. Don’t assume that your Beagle is smarter than he is; he is simply an instinct driven animal, not a furry little human. For him to gain acceptance in the pack he is relying on the Alpha dog (you) to tell him where he fits in.

The key to training your Beagle is to put your primary focus on changing how he manifests his natural instincts. You don’t do this through scolding or excessive discipline. You do it through positive reinforcement.

Once you have become aware of basic training techniques sometimes some additional tips can be helpful. That’s what the scope of this article is: to add reinforcement to what you already know. So here you go….

• A. The most important tip I can give you is this: you MUST assume the Alpha dog position. Most people when asked about Beagle training will tell you that the dog has a lot to learn. That really isn’t the case. You have a lot to learn and your dog will react to your reactions. For the most part your Beagle can’t understand what you’re saying and it’s your job to show him that you are the leader of the pack. By being in control of all situations you show that your leadership skills will provide him with a level of protection. He can relax knowing that you will always guide him in what he needs to do.
• B. Here’s a tip that you may not even consider a training tip. Sign yourself and your Beagle up for an obedience class. Why? Because it is the perfect environment to pick up lots of tips every time you go. Besides that, you will learn good training techniques with an instructor watching to make sure you’re doing everything correctly. It’s a great way to socialize your dog with other dogs and is an excellent method of bonding with your Beagle.
• C. If you haven’t considered crate training your Beagle, I suggest that you should. If you’re like many people you may be thinking of a crate as a little jail cell for your dog. On the contrary you should think of it as your dog’s private little living room. That’s the way he thinks of it; a place of his own where he feels safe. You should never use the crate for punishment. That would only defeat the purpose. When you begin crate training you should stay home and move about normally so that your Beagle will learn that he is safe in there. Once he recognizes this, any anxiety issues he may have had will disappear and he will bark less and become more content.
• D. If taking your Beagle for a walk on his leash is difficult I have a really good tip for you. When he starts to tug, calmly stop the walk. Please note that I said calmly, it will be much easier to get him to react the way you want him to. Once you have stopped get him to sit down next to you and then wait several moments before you resume the walk. After this little exercise has been repeated a few times he will start to get the idea that pulling on the leash means the walk is going to stop.
• E. My last tip for this article is this: Always remain consistent. If your Beagle is confronted with one way of doing things and then later a different way he will become confused and revert back to a pre-training mode. A good Alpha dog leader will always be persistent and consistent and that is what your Beagle will always expect.

from Paws Puppy http://bit.ly/2QHL1gr