Tips For Raising Your Beagle Puppy

Beagle puppies are cute, cuddly, and very friendly. They're so easy to fall in love with and welcome into your family, but they are also not the easiest puppies to train. Here are some tips to help you raise your beagle puppy in a way that will result in a better-trained, more obedient dog.

Make sure your puppy is getting plenty of exercise.

Although they may not look like it, beagle puppies are bred to run! They are a hunting dog breed, and they would spend hours running in the woods to tree small game for their owners. If your puppy is not getting enough exercise, he or she may become unruly and destructive, and also harder to train. Spend a good hour or more playing with your puppy in the yard each night. Work on playing fetch, or just let them run.

Stick to a feeding schedule.

Beagles thrive on a schedule. They will quickly learn and adapt to your schedule. If you do not have a schedule, they are more likely to display unwanted behaviors like peeing in the house or tearing up pillows. Feed your puppy at the same times every day. When they are young, three small feedings per day works well. As they approach one year of age, you can cut back to twice-daily feedings.

Take them out to go potty right after feeding.

Consistency is key when it comes to potty training, too. What works well for most beagles is to always take them outside to go potty right after they eat. They will learn to associate eating with subsequently going potty, which will lead to fewer accidents.

Rely on crate training.

While your goal may be to ultimately leave your dog out when you're not home, crate training can be really helpful when your beagle is very young. They will know not to go potty in their crate, which will save you from having to clean up lots of accidents. When they are in the crate, they will also be unable to chew anything, pull pillows off sofas, and so forth. As they grow older, you can start using the crate less and less, if that is your goal.

With the tips above, you can do a better job of training a beagle, which is notoriously a hard-to-train breed. Reach out to a breeder like Hull's Ozark Beagles for additional tips and tricks that might help.