As a Beagle owner, your dog’s enthusiasm can be infectious. He’s quick to invite you to play and run, often barking or howling along with you as you sing your favorite song, and leaping for joy when you come home for the day. Well, it’s more like jumping. He really likes jumping whenever you get home. Up on you, up on the door, and maybe sometimes up and down on the furniture.
You might have grown used to his greetings, but the guests you invited for dinner and their small children may not be so excited. How can you teach him that jumping up is probably not the ideal way to greet people walking in the door?
It’s easy to teach a Beagle that jumping is rewarded with affection. Any time you pay attention to him when he jumps is just a reinforcement. Even puppies will pick up on this cause and effect and you may not realize how troublesome it is until your Beagle is fully grown and is getting his paws all over you or your guest’s pants.
The good thing is, Beagles pick up on things fairly readily. Within just a few weeks, you can reverse this behavior and turn your jumping Beagle into a calm and polite host. Catching this behavior at puppyhood is the easiest, but adults are quick to respond to training with the right encouragement.
Beagles are eager to please and as such, you shouldn’t have much trouble teaching them a new behavior. A good treat is enough to encourage learning, however, a toy or a leash may also be needed if you plan on offering your Beagle an alternative activity to engage in rather than jumping. You’ll need to simulate the situations where he tends to enjoy jumping, so be prepared to come in and out of your house, if necessary.