Things You'll Need:
- Great dog treats
- Collar
- Leash
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Step 1
Start with great treats. Whether you're just beginning to train your young beagle basic life manners or you've got an older dog that hasn't even managed to learn its own name, start by collecting some extra-special, extra-smelly treats: cheddar cheese cubes, thin hot dog slices, bits of doggy "jerky," anything small (less than 1/2-inch) that your dog can consume in one gulp. Training should be fun and energetic, which means pausing while your beagle chews up an entire Milk Bone and then takes the next five minutes to hunt down all the crumbs just won't do.
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Step 2
Get your beagle's attention off the ground and onto you. Show her the treat, close enough that she can sniff it, but don't let her have it. Say her name, then say "watch me" and hold the treat up near your eyes. When your dog looks at you, praise her and give her the treat. Do it again and again. Stop after four or five minutes, and try again in a couple of hours.
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Step 3
Teach the sit. Beagles are relatively small dogs, so you might want to sit on the floor (or ground) for this. Sometimes when an owner looms over his or her short dog, it can make the dog nervous, which is not a state that's conducive to fun learning.
Hold the treat just above your beagle's nose and slowly move it back toward her eyes and ears. Praise her and give her the treat. Do it again. Only after a few successful sits should you introduce the word "sit" to the proceeding. Only say "sit" once. You're teaching "sit," not "sitsitsitsitsitBetsysit" which sounds completely different to your dog, and will only confuse her. Be prepared to gently guide your dog into a sitting position with a treat for some time. -
Step 4
Walk without being dragged. Another area of training where you can use your beagle's love of food to your advantage is walking nicely on a leash. Beagles, for all they weigh twenty to thirty pounds, are notorious leash-pullers on walks. Leash up your dog and pick whether you want him walking on your right or your left. Right is easier for owners who are right-handed, but if you think you might (maybe, someday) take a formal obedience class, put your beagle on your left side -- that's where they have to walk in the obedience ring.
Make sure your beagle knows you have a treat in the hand directly above his head. If you've done the "watch me" often enough, your beagle will not pull ahead of you at all! Be sure to stop every forty paces or so and give your dog the treat he's been eyeing for the last block. A good command word for walking on a slack leash is "easy." As you're walking with the treat -- and as he's not pulling -- say "goooood (name), gooooood easy." Remember, praise should be delivered in a higher-pitch-than-usual happy voice. Dogs use higher pitches to communicate positive information to each other, and lower tones for aggresive or angry messages. -
Step 5
Keep your dog safe. An absolute, positive must for all beagles is a basic understanding of the command "leave it!" It's likely your sniff-hound makes of habit of being under your feet when you cook dinner, and many human foods are poisonous to dogs including chocolate, onions, and citrus fruit. If you drop a slice of onion, odds are your beagle will have eaten it before you turn around -- unless she knows the "leave it!" command.
Take two treats, one in each hand. Show your beagle one. If (when) she goes for it, say, "leave it!" and pull it away. Treat her with the other treat in the other hand. Slowly get to the point where you can lay the one treat on the floor and say "leave it!" -- and then reward with the treat in other hand. At no point should the dog get the treat you've indicated should be left alone.
