[Lensa]

I'm just wondering how many of you have got your beagles walking nicely on the lead, and if you have, However did you manage it /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

We have tried: Be a tree (stop every time they pull and carry on when they stop pulling) - For some reason he started to sit down every time I became a tree, and then would pull the second we started again!

Turning in the other direction (zig zagging or turning around whenever they pull) - With this one he catches up with me, overtakes and pulls!

I don't need him to walk to a formal heel, I just want him to be able to explore the world up to the limits of his lead, and not pull my arm out of the socket! This is of course much worse whenever there is another dog in sight, or if we have had a particularly exciting walk. He is only 10 months old, so perhaps we need to just persevere with one of the above methods, I would love to hear other peoples experiences though.

 

[Murphys Dad]

I have a leash for polite walks and a 25 foot lead for the typical beagle adventure sniff. I use a tracking harness on our adventure walks so I can pull my beagle back from danger. The Bagel is convinced the best smells are always just 6 inches beyond the end of the lead. There is so much beagle pleasure in sniffing about I only force Bagel to polite walk when in crowds, going to and from the house to the car or car to the dog park or such! He knows the difference between a his leash and his lead. On his leash he will still sniff a bit but won't strain at the end of his tether. If I have him sit on my left heal (Sometimes I have to make him sit twice to convince him), then say HEAL, he will key on my pace, sit when I stop and act like a proper gentledog but we went to obedience school to perfect those skills. That said, 95% of our walks are on his 25 foot lead and tracking harness, 4% are short walks to vehicles, parks, the vet, on his leash, and only 1% are those actual heal walks.

I hope you can reach some sort of compromise where Bailey has fun and you still have an arm socket. I can give you advice on how to train him to heal but being such a proper, polite healing beagle is really less fun than sniffing everything. You are going against hundreds of generations of breeding to instill that sniffing drive. Beagles weren't bred to be on leashes.


That said, a small treat, kept in your left hand will work wonders to get Bailey's attention and keep him close to your left leg!

 

[angelaH]

If you can afford it then dog training school would be most helpful.
With our two, who were both 5 years old when we got them, trial and error have been the answer. Long 'body leads', these are leads attached to a large loop lead, worn around ones body. The hounds are attached to a lead joined to this an can walk happily until they get ahead of us. Then we yank them back and shout 'back'. It took ages but they now both walk without pulling. This works until another dog comes towards us, then they go mad. We have given up getting them to walk past other dogs without a fuss. However, ours our rescues of an extreme sort.
Good luck.

 

[Jennifer]

Quote:Originally posted by Lensa Green:
Turning in the other direction (zig zagging or turning around whenever they pull)

This is the method I've always used to train my dogs to heel. The heel command is probably the most difficult of all the commands to teach unless you have a breed that is a natural heeler (GSD, Collie). Beagles definately aren't natural heelers at all. Like Bob said, they aren't designed to be on leads walking politely by your side, they want to run, chase and sniff everything and follow their nose.

But it can be done. Rosa walks perfectly to heel but it took a lot of effort and many many hours walking up and down alleways, corridors and in car parks to get her to understand. I found it works better if you can find an area that is more enclosed like an alleway where they can't see loads of wide open spaces.

Another thing to do which helps is to teach him to heel in your garden off lead with the aid of treats. Walk a couple of paces, treat, walk a couple more, treat, all the while saying "good boy heel" whilst he is in the correct position. As soon as he moves away call him back to your side and start again. Try not to lose patience or get cross when he moves away, he's not doing it to be naughty, he just doesn't understand. Make your side a fun place to be with the aid of treats or a toy.

Good luck