Beagle puppies and perpetual bitey face
Written for Beagle in Mind NPO
Beagle puppies. Just saying that brings the memories of soft puppy ears, puppy breath and wobbly steps. Beagles are undeniably one of the cutest puppies out there. And I am not just saying that as a beagle owner (because I’m not THAT prejudiced… I think?) — beagle puppies have been voted one of the cutest puppies by the internet for years.
Don’t believe me? Just search — cutest puppies. And there, see I was right.
Something this cute can’t be that bad right? Wrong (sort of). Beagle puppies are adorable, cuddly and just completely make me go squee. BUT — they are also amazing biting machines. Hands, toes, feet, ears, coffee tables, couches, glasses … The list goes on. And that’s just my list as a beagle mom who has a pretty chill beagle.
In the first 3 months of owning my Durin — we replaced my glasses (without which I am a bat) about 5 times. Our brand new coffee table had the most *gorgeous* new additions — chewed edges. Our rooftop garden was decimated in under 2 weeks. And then there was the constant play biting.
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Unsurprisingly, one of the most common questions asked by beagle parents when they get a new puppy is: “How do we stop the biting?! Is it normal?!”
And yes. It is. It is so completely normal that every single beagle owner I know has war stories about it. We all laugh about it now (much like beagling), but at the time we were just as much in despair as the new parent.
But how did we get through it? Infinite patience. That’s all I can tell you. Yes there are ways to stop the intense biting, and yes you can reduce it — but you cannot stop it. Much like lava, a beagle puppy will continue to bite things until it decides to stop.
This is the first lesson in beagle stubbornness I believe — the first time as a new parent that you really see what it will be like having a beagle. Stubborn down to the core.
Now, to get onto better topics — here is a small list of how to reduce the biting of your beautiful bouncy baby.
The best way I found to reduce this bitey face is to shout “OW” in a really high pitched voice and turn away/walk away or get away from them. Remember that they are puppies, still learning their strength and even though mama beagle has taught them biting sore hurts — mama beagle also is a lot hardier than human mama/papa. The key thing with this is consistency (lesson number 2 of owning a beagle FYI) — every single time they hurt you, react in the same way. Say OW, walk away/ignore them.
That’s it. That’s my small list. Told you it was small.
Have you tried any other ways? Did it work?
