Beagles are well known for their warm and affectionate disposition and attachment to their owners. These compassionate canines crave their owner’s attention all the time.
Cuddling has a lot of benefits for beagles, and it can be an effective tool to strengthen your bond with them. Even if they’re not allowed in your bed or on the couch, you should find time to pet them and be close, especially during the early training stages.
In this article, I’ll explain why beagles are natural cuddlers, the health benefits that this cuddling provides, and some risks of giving them too much attention.
Why Do Beagles Like to Cuddle?
Not all dogs enjoy cuddling and are affectionate. Every dog has a unique personality, and not all of them are super cuddly.
Beagles however are genetically prone to be a little clingy, and will often show affection as a result of this.
Beagles love to nestle up to their pack leaders, which is you!. They are one of the most most loving types of dog breeds that you can bring into your family.
Beagles want to be with you all the time, licking your face frantically, sitting close to you so that they can cuddle and sit on your lap, but they can also be prone to separation anxiety if you’re apart for too long.
Beagles are natural attention seekers, and will try to get your attention by any means necessary. If you establish yourself as their pack leader and reward good behavior, they’ll usually try to get that attention be behaving in good ways. However without proper training, beagles will be less cuddly and more likely to act out if it gets them attention one way or another.
Why Do Beagles Burrow In Blankets?
Beagles love to create a den-like environment to feel safe, protected, and calm. They have a natural instinct to relax or sleep in a small, secure, and warm place, as they were bred to be hunting dogs and sniff out fox holes.
They love being under the covers right next to their owners, but also are independent and will enjoy their own den-like space if you crate train them at a young age.
Beagle puppies also like to using snuggling as a way to keep warm. Beagles can have a tough time regulating their body temperature in cold weather, because of their short coats. Because of this, they may try to burrow in any warm fabrics that are lying around your house.
This behavior is the result of your beagle’s natural instinct, and it is not easy to discourage them from doing burrowing. Beagles are small hound dogs, and by burrowing in blankets, they mimic their inherent behavior of flushing out small animals from holes or tunnels. Beagles do not like to be left alone. If your beagle is left alone for extended periods, they can become anxious and will find ways to ease the anxiety by burrowing in a blanket or even digging into your bed or couch.
If you put soft blankets and pillows in their crate, you’ll be able to establish a safe area for them to burrow and dig to their heart’s content, which will hopefully stop them from doing it to your more valuable blankets.
How to Encourage Affectionate Behavior In Beagles
The beagle is a naturally affectionate breed and is, most of the time, playful, upbeat, and cuddly.
They tend to always be eager to please you, but just like us, dogs are unique and vary in their temperament and propensity towards physical affection.
While it’s tough to generalize, beagles are often known as people pleasers, and so by rewarding them for affectionate behavior, you make it clear to them that this behavior makes you happy, which means that they are likely to reiterate that behavior.
Just as you use food motivation to train your beagle to respond to commands, you can use your own affection to praise the physical acts of love from your beagle.
For your beagle to be affectionate towards you, they need to be able to trust you. Trust will ultimately affect how your beagle behaves towards you, and is a type of bond that takes time. If you have the privilege of raising your beagle from a young age, trust can be established fairly quickly.
Either way, you should strive to make it clear to your beagle that you are there for them no matter what, so that they feel secure and content in your ownership. This will help your dog to become more loving towards you.
If you have multiple dogs, beagles can get jealous of the attention you give to their fur siblings, so you’ll want to keep that in mind when distributing your time and care.
If you want your beagle to show affection to you, then you need to model the same. Make it a point to have regular one-to-one time and give your full attention to your beagle during that time. Engage your beagle in interactive play, or brush their hair or relax with them at home. Remember, the more loving and caring you are towards your beagle, the more affectionate your beagle will be.
While training your beagle to be affectionate, you can use food rewards and treats, especially if they are having reservations about physical affection in the first place.
Give your dog a healthy treat each time they let you pet their head. However, never use too many treats to be your primary source of affection because you will teach them bad habits in the long run.
Benefits of Cuddling for Dogs
For dogs, cuddling with their pack leaders is an evolutionary tool that they’ve used for centuries to keep them safe. Like humans, their brains naturally produce oxytocin, which naturally reduces stress and helps them relax and feel elated.
Cuddling with your dog will help them form an association between this stress relief and being near you, which is a great way to strengthen your bond together.
You can check out a cute example of how affectionate beagles can be from one of our favorite YouTube channels below:
Risks of Giving Your Dog Too Much Attention
Like I mentioned above, beagles as a breed are very prone to separation anxiety, so by giving them too much attention all at once, they may end up becoming insecurely attached to you.
This can create a negative cycle of bad behavior whenever you leave them home alone for too long. You’ll want to provide your beagle the right amount of attention, with some boundaries in place so that they still are able to have their own sense of independence within your home.
Some good ways to foster independence is by training them to do specific jobs in the house. This will make them feel like a useful and productive member of the pack, and not entirely dependent on your time and attention. Some common training ideas can be found in another video below.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need a reason to cuddle your beagle. Your beagle’s cute little face and big puppy eyes will naturally melt your heart. Your cuddles can benefit your furry friend a lot. No matter how active and energetic beagles are, at times, they need to feel protected as well. Most beagles love physical touch and bonding, and if they don’t, they can easily be trained to be more affectionate through proper training.