Everyone loves a puppy! And who can resist an adorable beagle pup. According to the American Kennel Club, beagles are one of the top ten most popular breeds for families in the US, known for their sweet and loyal nature. But raising any puppy is a practice in patience, and in order to raise a well-behaved, confident and happy dog, you will need to provide proper training.

One of the biggest problem behaviors that owners of beagle puppies have to deal with is nipping or biting, and it’s important to recognize the difference between the two. It’s best to correct the problem early in life to set you and your dog up for a successful and happy relationship. Biting can be fairly harmless when it’s a cute little beagle pup doing it, but left unaddressed, it can be a much bigger problem in an adult dog.

Beagles, in addition to being known as loyal and cuddly dogs, are also notoriously stubborn. This means that you may need to get creative with your training if your pup is biting, and try different solutions to find the one that works best for them. It’s also important to understand WHY your dog is biting or nipping, so that you can address the root of the problem.

The Differences Between The Types of Biting

First off, let’s define the differences between three similar types of behavior in beagle puppies: biting, nipping and teething.

• Teething

Teething is something that all puppies will go through, but their reactions to it can vary. If you are a human parent, you already know how cranky and sore teething babies can be. Beagle puppies have to go through the same thing. Just think about how it feels to have those sharp dog teeth coming through tender gums. When teething, dogs will mouth or bite on things in an attempt to get relief from this pain. Teething behavior involves the dog mouthing an object (hopefully not your hand!) and moving their gums around on it. It’s a very different action from the other two behaviors.

Teething is often easy to combat by using chew toys designed for young puppies, whereas nipping and biting are a bit more challenging to misdirect.

Generally, most teething tends to wind down between the ages of 6 to 8 months, but for certain dogs teething can continue well into the first year, and may even require a vet visit if their old teeth aren’t falling out properly. For this reason, don’t get discouraged if your beagle puppy seems to want to chew on everything, it’s just a natural part of losing their baby teeth and getting their adult teeth fully grown in, and it will eventually end. As long as you use the tips below, you’ll be able to manage your beagle’s behavior even in the most intense of teething phases.

• Nipping or Play Biting

It can be somewhat difficult to distinguish between a nip and a bite. The definition does not center on the severity of the bite, as either one can result in broken skin or an injury.

A nip is often a play behavior, in which a dog will snatch or quickly grab and then let go of you with their mouth. Nips are the way that dogs play together, so your beagle will have to be trained not to play with you in the same way.  Dogs can also nip when they are startled or hurt. 

Nipping can also be a result of your puppy being hungry, and mistaking a finger for food, or simply trying to bite something else but lacking the coordination to hone in on whatever it is they want, and accidentally nipping you instead.

Generally, nipping is a gentler form of biting that doesn’t have the same intent that biting has. Nips aren’t meant to cause harm, they’re simply an instinctual way for dogs to express themselves.

• Aggressive Biting

A bite is when a dog approaches with an open mouth, closes their mouth and maintains contact, digging their teeth in before letting go. This can also be a play behavior, but it must be curbed immediately, as it can lead to more serious injuries. Almost all puppies bite to some degree or another as they are being socialized. However, if you see that a puppy seems to be aggressively biting, you should consult with a trainer so that it does not become a problem behavior.

Generally, beagles are not known to be an aggressive breed, but that doesn’t mean they won’t ever show certain kinds of aggression. One way to gauge if your beagle puppy’s biting is an aggressive bite, is to assess other signs of aggression, including:

• • Growling or barking
  • Showing teeth
  • Chasing
  • Aggressive stance (ears high, tail raised, body stiff and angled forward)

While this behavior can be alarming and concerning for many dog owners, there are ways to curb it, and it starts with focusing on teaching them not to bite. Read below on how exactly to start this training.

How to Train Your Beagle Puppy Not to Bite

Provided that your puppy does not appear to be aggressive in their biting, but is engaging in it as a play behavior or a way of trying to be “dominant”, there are many different ways to curb this behavior. Of course, every beagle is different and – as with all training – there will probably be some trial and error as you work to eradicate biting behavior. As you train your puppy, you should take their personality into consideration when choosing the right types of methods for them. A few of the more popular methods for training puppies not to bite include:

• Ignoring the behavior

If biting is a puppy’s way of trying to get your attention or engage you in play, sometimes simply withdrawing your attention and refusing to play when they bite you can be enough to turn them off of the behavior. If the puppy is an aggressive biter, this may not be an option, but it is a good place to start.

If you are too reactive when your puppy bites, they may interpret that attention as positive reinforcement, and will continue biting as they know that it gets a reaction out of you. If you remain neutral and ignore the behavior, they may show less interest in continuing to do it, because they know it usually means that playtime is over.

• Crating your dog

Putting your beagle puppy in a crate can both help them feel more secure (which typically decreases aggression) and act as a time-out away from the source of overstimulation. In other words, if they go to his crate when they bites, it disrupts the behavior and they will begin to associate being pulled away from an activity with biting.

This type of stimulation control can be used to combat all three types of biting, as it puts your beagle in a more calm, and relaxed mindset once they are removed from the situation entirely.

• Redirect the behavior

Redirection is a terrific tool for training dogs of all ages. If your puppy is trying to bite something, direct that behavior to something more acceptable to chew on. Giving them a chew treat or chew toy and then rewarding them with lots of “good boy”s or other phrases of praise when they chew on it will reinforce these positive behaviors. Be sure to have plenty of chewy toys and treats on hand for this purpose. This can also help relieve teething pain in young puppies.

• Offer them distraction

This goes along with the above. Giving your puppy something fun to do will not only stop them from biting, it also reinforces what kinds of play behavior are acceptable. It’s important that your dog develops the ability to soothe and entertain themselves as they grow up.

My favorite types of distractions include:

• • Chew Toys
  • Ice Cubes
  • Tug Toys
  • Frozen Kongs

• Give Your Beagle A Task 

As a dog that was originally bred for hunting, beagles are extremely task oriented, and tend to flourish when they have a specific job to do. That’s why beagles have been known to make great guard dogs, seeing eye dogs, police dogs, and other types of jobs.

Tasks don’t have to be anything as serious as police work or guarding, they can be as simple as carrying items around the house, dragging heavy items for you, and even keeping an eye on your kids or other pets! When you instill responsibility in your beagle, they’ll be more focused than ever, and will be much less prone to bad behavior.

• Act like a puppy!

Puppies learn what is socially acceptable from interacting with other puppies in their litter or adult dogs around them. If they don’t have these role models, they need some guidance on when to stop “rough play.” Yelling OW in a high-pitched voice, like a puppy yelp, may sound a little silly, but it will get the point across that whatever behavior your puppy is exhibiting is not acceptable, and is in fact causing harm to you

If you have other dogs around, especially older dogs, they can teach this lesson to your dog too.

Read More: Does My Beagle Need A Friend

For more tips, check out this great video guide from Saro Dog Training:

What NOT to Do When Your Beagle Bites

• Don’t jerk your hand away quickly

When your beagle bites, depending on the type of bite, it’s likely that they are in an agitated or overstimulated state. If you jerk your hand away quickly, these might add fuel to their overstimulation, and could make the situation even worse. Short and sudden movements can be mistaken for play, which can be seen as rewarding the bite if it is a play bite, or they can be seen as threatening, which can exacerbate your beagle’s aggression.

Instead, when your beagle bites you, you should keep your hand or arm still, and slowly retract it, maybe while letting out a yelp or “ow” sound to let them know that they hurt you, and it’s not something that they should do again.

• Never hit or physically reprimand your beagle

It’s extremely important to never hit or physically reprimand your beagle, as negative reinforcement has been shown to be less than affective in changing behavior, and will only make your beagle afraid of you, it won’t teach them good behaviors.

Furthermore, physical responses to your beagle will hurt your overall relationship with your dog, and will make it harder to foster a warm dynamic with them and your family. While many people think they need to be the “alpha” of the pack, they misinterpret how to display that dominance. It’s perfectly easy to show dominance while not hurting your dog, by using stern tone, and only rewarding good behavior.

• Don’t ignore the behavior

Ignoring the behavior is also less than affective, as your beagle won’t get a chance to understand that they behavior is a problem. It is important to remove yourself from the situation, but if you ignore the bite and keep interacting with your dog as normal, they won’t understand that anything has changed. That’s why if your beagle bites you during play or another activity, you need to end the activity altogether and change the setting (often by putting them in a crate), this allows them to reflect and understand that biting gets them nothing.

• Don’t give them access to your hands and feet all the time

If your beagle has a habit of biting your hands, feet, arms or legs, you’ll need to be diligent about not giving them access to these parts of your body while the two of you are interacting. They’ll need to learn to respect your personal space just as a child would, and by removing access, they’ll learn that these things aren’t toys, and biting them has consequences.

• Don’t wait too long to react

Dog’s have particularly short attention spans, so if you wait too long to react after the bite has occurred, they may not be able to make the connection that they’re being punished for the bite, and won’t be able to associate the behavior with the punishment. If your dog bites, you’ll need to react immediately (again, not by jerking your hand away) using the methods outlined above. This way your beagle will clearly be able to learn the basic cause and effect that takes place whenever they bite when they shouldn’t.

How to Prevent Puppy Biting

It’s doubtful that you will be able to prevent every possibility of biting in puppies, but there are things you can do to discourage the developments of problem behavior. Aggressive or anxious biting is curbed by engaging in obedience training and – in particular – training related to eliminating separation anxiety.

You should also make sure that your puppy is getting adequate exercise and a chance to run their energy out, and that they have plenty of toys and activities available. We’ve all heard the phrase “a tired puppy is a good puppy”, and it is one hundred percent true!

Exercise is not only great for physical health and development; it also helps your dog build confidence. Insecurity and anxiety are the root cause of a lot of problem behavior, so by helping your puppy get out in the world more, you are also decreasing the chances that they will develop problem behaviors as they grow up.

Biting and puppies, unfortunately, do somewhat go hand in hand. The important thing is to curb that behavior early by giving them alternative play choices as well as teaching appropriate behaviors. General obedience training will go a long way in preventing all sorts of problem behaviors, including biting. It’s also a good idea to crate train your puppy, so that you can use this as both a method of reducing anxiety and a place for your dog to take a “time out” during problem behaviors.

As your puppy grows older, and teething becomes less of an issue, if given the right amount of obedience training and redirection, you should be in a good position to prevent biting and teach your puppy right from wrong.

Final Thoughts

Lastly, while it’s great to work to correct problems at home and to create a good foundation of training, don’t hesitate to contact a professional dog trainer if your puppy’s behavior becomes destructive or aggressive. The sooner a trainer helps you, the sooner you can fix the problem!

While you won’t be able to completely prevent all of your puppy’s problem behaviors, early training will definitely get you past all those pesky puppy problems and on your way to a happy and healthy lifelong relationship with your new family member.