1. Expect a ‘Sit’ any time food is given.
This includes both meals and snacks. You may need to teach ‘Sit’ to your Beagle (see aspect #1 above), however treats will motivate him to listen to that command. Once he is in the habit of sitting on cue, you can mandate that it be followed any time that the dinner dish is placed down or a snack is given out.
When this is done, it sends a loud and clear signal that you, the human, are the Alpha. Canines very much understand that
food
equals survival and the importance of the ‘food provider’, so by following this rule, you are stating in the most basic and fundamental way that you are the head of the household; someone to be respect and obeyed.
2. Entering and exiting – While this will not work on its own to make a Beagle listen, it works very well in conjunction with the food element. When hierarchy issues are being hammered out and the status is unclear, the leader (or the one vying for the position), the one whose words must
be followed due to canine rules, never allows his beta to enter or leave the den (house) first. It simply is not done. It is a sign of bowing down and a sign of weakness.
While a cooperative Beagle that listens well may not see that much importance in how household members enter and exit and it will not destroy the hierarchy that has been established, if a Beagle is overly stubborn and outright ignoring his human, it is then that this aspect factors in.
- Have your Beagle on leash anytime the doorway is going to be crossed; even if you normally let him out back on his own. You can escort him outside and then release the leash (if it is safe to do so).
- Ordering your Beagle into a sit and then using the leash to hold him in place and via positioning of your body to take the lead, cross the doorway first. There does not need to be a big gap in time from when you do this to when your Beagle follows; even a count of 2 is fine and will get the message across.