Many dog owners train their beagles a trick or two while they are still young and then stop training their dog abruptly. They expect their beagles to remember everything after practicing it just once. Well let me tell you a quick story about Jenny. Jenny decided to adopt a dog from the local shelter and completely fell in love with a cute little beagle named Lucy. Lucy’s previous owner taught her some basic tricks like coming and sitting, so Jenny thought there was no need to teach Lucy any more tricks. Things went well and Lucy the beagle was a perfect angel.
Over time, Jenny noticed that Lucy began to respond more slowly and began to disobey Jenny’s commands. Jenny still didn’t bother to reinforce what Lucy’s previous owner had taught her, so Lucy figured she didn’t have to listen to Jenny anymore. Over time, Lucy responded a little more slowly to what Jenny asked until she finally stopped listening to her.
This all happened because Jenny didn’t bother to train her beagle dog. She will see that even though she has taught her dog a new trick, she still has to continue to practice it from time to time. Just like us humans, beagles can forget things. It is not enough to make your dog sit once on command. Training is a gradual learning process and should be treated as such.
Believe it or not, it’s actually healthy for your dog to practice the tricks he’s learned before. Training requires a lot of thought on your dog’s part, so refreshing his memory not only ensures that your beagle remembers all of his tricks, but also exercises his mind.
If your beagle has some behavioral issues, refreshing his mind can fix them. During the time you spend with your dog practicing old tricks, the bond between you and your dog grows stronger. They will present themselves as the leaders of the pack if the training is done correctly.
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but you can certainly refresh old dogs’ minds by practicing some of the old tricks. Your dog will not only be healthier and happier, but his behavior will also improve greatly.
