Beagles are so adorable. Those beautiful ears and calm eyes get me every time. If you love puppies, but you don’t own one because of how big they can get, then you would love a beagle.
Sometimes though, your beagle puppy may start showing some undesirable habits. One of such is biting. We all know how it feels when someone we love begins to act out of character. To stop your beagle from biting, there are specific steps that you can take.
First, let’s break down the root of the problem.
What Reasons Cause Beagles to Bite?
Although beagle are not typically aggressive, they can sometimes bite. There are a number of reasons for this. One of the major things that may cause your beagle to bite is if they’re in the teething stage.
Usually, when your beagle about four to eight weeks old, they start growing teeth. This process can be a bit uncomfortable for the pups, and as a result, they may start to nibble on anything and everything that they can find.
If your beagle is at this stage, they may bite your hand while you try to feed or play with them. You should know that this doesn’t mean that your beagle is being aggressive or angry, it’s just their natural response in the current phase of development.
Another reason why your beagle may start biting is that it is just being playful. We call this play-biting. Beagles are naturally social dogs. Social in the sense that they love being in the company of their kind. If a beagle is with its siblings while still at a young age, it will start playing with them. Some of these play activities include playful biting, and it can be hard for them to know that this same biting isn’t okay around humans.
However at times biting can be completely out of aggression, and it’s a behavior you’ll want to look out for. This type of biting typically comes alongside growling, and skittish behavior. You’ll want to assess your beagle’s entire demeanor when evaluating what kind of biting they’re doing.
Curbing these habits at an early age is the most effective way to combat both play biting and aggressive biting.
How to Train Beagles to Stop Biting
Since there are different reasons why your beagle may bite, it makes sense to have different ways to train a beagle to not bite.
If the biting is caused by teething, you could use a chewable toy as a replacement that they can mouth on. Most of the time, when biting is caused by teething, you would notice that your beagle is not only interested in nibbling at your fingers, but it also tries to mouth on other stuff around your home. Furniture, clothes and other things may also tickle their fancy.
Remember that they’re only trying to soothe the discomfort, not necessarily harm you. Your skin just happens to be useful at the time. So, if you introduce some chewy toys that can keep them busy, they should gradually lose interest in nibbling at your fingertips. You can check out my guide on beagle teething here for more tips.
If the biting occurs when you’re playing with them, or when they’re generally having fun, it shows that it’s simply a playful act. Toys may be effective here too, but sometimes, the dog just wants to have fun with you. Trying to distract it with a toy may not work here.
What I would recommend is that you respond like its siblings would. If your beagle bites you, let out a loud yelp and withdraw from your pet for a while. This way, the beagle begins to understand that the act of biting brings displeasure to you. This is usually quite effective because beagles are generally a playful breed and just want to be friends with you. The negative association with biting will reinforce better behavior
Sometimes, you may feel that your beagle’s biting is aggressive, and not the playful kind. In this case, it’s better to call certified trainers for help. Aggressive biting is often a result of physical or emotional pain and discomfort, and may require external effort to manage depending on their age. You can check out my guide on beagle aggression for more tips here.
Knowing the Difference between Real and Play Biting
As I mentioned earlier, if your pet is showing signs of aggressive biting, it’s better to seek the help of a professional. But how do you know if your dog is simply having fun or if there’s a bigger problem?
One major difference between play biting and aggressive biting is the kind of pain and injury that comes with it. Even though your beagle can take the fun too far at times, you can’t compare the pain to that of an aggressive canine. If your beagle is aggressive, its bite will be more painful than a playful nibble. It may even cause injury in some cases.
Another difference is the posture of the dog while biting or trying to bite. If your beagle stands like it’s being defensive and gives a fierce look while at it, it’s a sign that an aggressive bite may follow. Of course, to come to this kind of conclusion, you must be familiar with a beagle’s posture already.
Unlike some other breeds, it’s easy to notice if a beagle is not looking friendly, mostly because of its natural facial features. For dogs like the pitbull, you may need to look more carefully before you can conclude. With beagles, the posture and facial feature shift is pretty obvious.
Body language is also an important pointer to the kind of bite the beagle gives. If the biting is accompanied by growling, showing of teeth and snarling, it’s likely an aggressive bite. Also, check the tail, if the tail is pointed upwards and stiff, the dog is most likely in an aggressive state, but if the tail is relaxed and wagging, the dog is probably just having fun.
How to Stop Beagle Biting at Older Ages
If you missed the chance to train your beagle to not bite at a younger age, there is still something you can do. At this stage, the safest step to take for the both of you is to request the help of trained behavior specialists. As the old saying goes: “It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks”. In reality, it’s only hard for you because you’re not trained for it.
However, between the time you notice the behavior and the time your beagle is treated or trained, there are some dos and don’ts you need to observe.
Do not strike or hit your dog when it exhibits this behavior. Remember that you’re one of the few humans that they trust in the whole world. If your beagle bites aggressively, it’s not a sign that they suddenly hate you, hence, it’s better to not take it that way. There are other forms of punishment you can introduce, rather than inflict pain.
Also, discourage playing with the beagle with your hands and feet. These are the usual targets when the beagle bites. Keep them away when playing with the dog. If the bite your hand, make the affected area look limp and let out a loud yelp, then withdraw from them for a while.
Provide things that the beagle can chew on. Since it’s more difficult to train an older beagle to stop biting, you can make an alternative. So, rather than bite or chew on furniture, they can use the toy you’ve provided.
Final Thoughts
Like I mentioned earlier, it is rarely ever your beagle’s intention to cause you pain or injury. If they bite, it is either as a playful activity or as a response to some discomfort. Beagles are generally very social. They enjoy the company of each other and that of people too. To give your pet the very best shot at developing good behavior and socialization, occasionally schedule walks to parks to meet other pets and people.
However, you may also experience a few gentle biting episodes while doing this. These adorable beagles sometimes have separation anxiety when taken outside. The biting is their way of saying “don’t leave me alone here”. See it as a communication of their trust.
Lastly, always remember that your pet has feelings, emotions, and thoughts just like you, and while they’re providing you company and comfort, you should take very good care of them too.