Beagle Behavior: Howling and Baying 

Barking Beagle? Stop your dog from driving you "barking mad"

Excessive howling or baying is a recurring problem in many dog breeds, but can be a real nuisance in beagles. The key to understanding this Beagle Behavior is to understand its nature.

Beagles are bred to bay and howl

The beagle breed was originally bred to be a pack hunting dog. Beagles were created to run in front of the hunters, who were often on horseback. They would chase down game, usually a rabbit or hare, and generally would be far in front of the hunters, often out of site of the hunting party. The breeders solved this problem by creating a dog breed whose great howling and baying would allow the hunters to stay in auditory contact with the hunting dogs at all times.

Methods to stop baying and howling

Today’s beagle, often kept as a pet, needs to be taught to ignore its nature and turn down the volume a bit. By praising the dog when he is quiet, you teach the dog that his quiet moments are when he gets attention from you. When your beagle does begin to howl or bay, sternly tell him “no!” Do not be afraid to raise your voice. Then, when he stops, praise him for doing as he was told. Don’t punish him for doing the desired behavior, which is to stop baying. It is usually a person’s first instinct to tell the dog to stop the bad behavior, and then punish him in some way after stopping the bad behavior. This kind of aversive training rarely works and just confuses the dog.

One form of aversive training that does work, but is not without its controversies, is a no-bark collar. No-bark collars are often derided as being a harsh form of negative reinforcement training or conditioning, but once they are thoroughly understood, one can see that they are a safe and effective quick-fix to a howling or baying problem. A no-bark collar has simple function: it senses a dog’s baying or howling via sensors in the collar, it then either emits a sound or spray of citronella – clueing the dog in to what’s coming next. Then, if the barking does not stop, the collar emits a short, mild shock of electricity. Usually, the dog then knows that it is time to stop baying.

Dogs and animals in general are remarkably quick learners. After just a few barking incidents, the beagle will know that when he hears the beep or smells the citronella, he had better stop barking. In general, after a short duration the no-shock collar will not even be necessary and can be removed, as the dog will be broken of the problem behavior.

After all is said and done, all you need to remember is that although beagles make great pets, they were originally meant for another purpose - one that may sometimes conflict with what most desire in a dog. Beagles enjoy communicating with you and with each other through howling and baying – it’s just that we humans don’t enjoy it. You can control your beagle’s natural behaviors through prevention via positive reinforcement at a young age if possible or via a humane form of aversive training.