Beagles are well-known for being noisy from either their puppyhood or even as they mature into grown-up dogs. Learn about their amount of barking, types of barking, situations that may cause your beagle to bark, and how to stop it without breaking his spirit.
Yes, beagles are known for barking more than other breeds. They have different kinds of barks, though, and these differences — unique from other breeds — are often what will make it seem as though you beagle barks more. In reality, they just have more to say! Getting familiar with your beagle’s need for barking can help you understand the instinct and also do your part to make sure that you help minimize the racket while respecting his doggo needs.
How do beagles bark a lot more than other dogs?
As mentioned briefly above, part of the reason that beagles get the reputation for being noisy is that they simply have more to say. In fact, getting to know your beagle’s main types of barks will help you understand more about what he is looking to communicate with you.
Bark
This is much the same as anything you’ve heard from other dog breeds. It’s usually short syllables and comes in spells rather than is a long, drawn-out sound. These are often used to communicate with humans (more on that below).
Bay
Unique to a beagle, for the most part, a bay is a cross between a bark and a howl. It has the long drawn out sound but it has splits in it that sound like barking. It’ll sound exactly like a bark in a howl form. This, too, is often used to get a human’s attention.
Howl
While not all beagles howl, most do. This is an innate part of their breed and you’ll know it when you hear it! It’s a long, eery drawn-out sound, normally resulting in their snout facing the sky as they howl. They won’t split up the howl (see above), it’ll just be one long syllable. This is often used as a general (usually human-related) alarm or alert.
So, while beagles may be a little noise than other dog breeds that you are used to, it turns out they have more ways to communicate with their favorite humans!
Do beagles bark when left alone?
Beagles commonly have issues with separation anxiety. You may see other signs of it before your neighbors complain about the barking. For instance, peeing or pooping in the house, destroying clothing and shoes, generally creating chaos when he is left to his own devices. These are all signs that your pooch is anxious to find himself alone for “long” periods (long will vary depending on his ability to tell time, of course).
While beagles can sometimes bark when left alone, most of the time neighbor will tell you about baying or howling. Since it tends to cut through the silence of the neighborhood faster than barking (which most humans ignore), baying or howling is often what will cause them to complain to you after the fact.
If you ease your beagle into the idea of being left alone and taking his separation anxiety seriously, this can really help keep him quiet when you need to leave him home alone. For example, ease him into it. Short periods that lengthen as he adjusts. Also, keep him busy with slow-release toys or even consider leaving him a T-shirt he can cuddle with that smells like you.
Reasons for Beagles to bark and howl
Are you curious about when beagles bark versus when they howl or bay? And even what they mean as far as their use for a communication device? Read on!
Why and when do Beagles bark?
Just like most dog breeds, beagles will bark for all of the “normal” issues, including the idea that he’s hungry, needs to pee or poop, or is trying to get your attention for some playtime or cuddle time. Sometimes beagles will also bark when they’re bored or lonely, too. This may be in the room with you or out in another room so that you’ll come and investigate.
Why and when do Beagles bay?
If the barking doesn’t work to get your attention, they’ll increase the volume and then switch over to baying. Since your human ears will find this sharper and intrusive more than barking, you’ll respond to him faster than just barking. Baying is often used when he is especially lonely or really, really wants to get your attention!
Why and when do Beagles howl?
Howling, as mentioned, is totally part of the beagle’s biological part of their brain. Since they were originally bred as hunting and chasing dogs, the howling is the symbol that they’ve sighted their prey and are looking to alert you to it so that you can come and take it down.
In modern day, this could be something as simple as a fluttering curtain, a tree branch waving, a dog down the street or even a bird flying across the patio. Not exactly convenient, right? A beagle’s howl is so part of their biological make-up that you won’t ever be able to make your beagle stop howling entirely. But, there are some great tips to help you get it under control!
How to stop a beagle from barking
From one reason to another and from one volume to another, there are times where a barking, baying, or howling beagle just isn’t convenient. Here are some tips to help you get ahead of it as much as possible.
Ignore
Since a bark is a cry for attention, ignore it. If you respond to the barking or another noise, he knows that’s how to get your attention and he’ll do it again and again, making it hard for you to break the habit later. Try to ignore it and then address him or talk to him when he’s calmed down and, essentially, given up.
As you get used to your beagle’s barks, you’ll know how to distinguish the important ones (“Mom, I gotta pee!”) from the ignorable ones (“Mom, I’m boooored.”. Since an ignored important bark results in a mess for you to clean up, you’ll want to make sure you pay attention to his bathroom bark at the very least!
Help your dog conquer his fear
If you are dealing with a dog who is barking because he’s scared (fireworks, sirens, separation anxiety), you can do your part to condition his fears gradually and together with him so that he can learn that he doesn’t need to bark out of fear. This will help especially if he barks when left alone.
Teach and enforce him to quiet down
You’ll want to teach him the basic commands of barking and stopping barking. If he learns to bark on command, he can also learn to stop on command! Most people use “Quiet” as the cue, but feel free to choose whatever makes you happy. Make sure that he learns to associate his settling down and quiet with a reward, and you’ll find that he quickly adapts to stopping his noise on command.
This is trickier than it sounds. Many smart beagles think that if they bark, their humans will give them a treat when they stop. So, they’ll start barking randomly just to get a treat! I know, right? Make sure that you leave enough space from the “Quiet” command his settling down so that he associates his calm behavior as the reward-earning command.
Give him lots of playtime
If your beagle is barking because he’s lonely or bored, try spending more time with him! Give him lots of time to play and learn and train with you. Since beagles are smart, active dogs, you can do a lot of this through special tricks and lots of walks and other active things. This shows him that he doesn’t need to bard to get your attention to play, he gets plenty of it on his own!
Distract him
If your dog’s anxious at the sound of the vacuum or fireworks, or simply loves barking at squirrels, distract him with a toy or something else. This should be a smart toy that really forces him to pay attention to it and enjoy its challenging aspects. For instance, a puzzle ball! Distraction can work wonders in a pinch and it also helps you separate boredom from something more serious such as fear.
Remember its purpose
Lastly, you want to take a moment to remember the purpose of the barking! They are trying to communicate with you and that communication should be investigated. What you think is an “I’m hungry” bark could, in fact, be a “Mom, someone’s climbing through the window with a knife” bark or “Dad, the kids just dumped spaghetti sauce all over the floor”. Once you know why he is barking, you can decide what to do about it.
Beagles love to bark, bay and howl. Chatty and full of life, these tips will help you separate the good from the bad and make the most out of your family doggo.
