How do you teach a dog not to bite the wall?!

He need more exercise for his mind and his body.  He needs more training (that provides an outlet of mental energy).  He needs management to keep him close to you to prevent the behavior and confinement when you can not watch him to break the pattern.  He needs alternative chewing things.  These kinds of behaviors usually occur due when a dog is bored. 

Maybe you could spray something on parts of the wall like the product Fooey. It's extremely bitter-tasting.

Some dogs actually like the bitter taste, so that could backfire.

I agree with mrv on this one.  The only thing I could add is to correct (not yell, but maybe eh eh), redirect (give him something that's OK to chew on) and then praise him for chewing on THAT and not the wall.

You can also "catch" him doing something good and praise for that.....more praising, less scolding.....he'll figure it out rather quickly.

It's not the exercise, he has plenty in the long walks that we do twice a day, with the doggy school, I keep walking him with plenty of dogs where he runs and plays so much that when we come back he just throws himself on the floor and goes to sleep, he also has a big backyard where he likes to stay for a long while... He has all the other toys and likes them but even with them around, he keeps biting the wall...

Maybe he really likes how it tastes, but I don't like how it looks at all...

But thanks a lot for the answers, maybe that spray thing is not a bad idea!

I didn't say that he's 10 months old and is a very very stubborn beagle...

You are luckier than me if you have one dog and the one dog is the source for the destruction. I have multiple residence dogs and multiple fosters and I noticed one day two holes in the wall from a dog chewing.  It could have only taken place during the night while we were all sleeping.  If I caught the dog, I would apply a correction.  When I patched the wall and repainted the room, it never happened again. 

I could walk my gsds all day and all nite long and not wear them out.  I realize your beagle is far smaller, but they are bred to hunt so maybe the physical exercise isn't enough?  If one of my dogs is out in the yard alone, they don't run and play.  So, it's possible that he isn't getting enough physical exercise, but more likely that he needs more mental exercise too.  Buster balls, tricky treat balls, any interactive toy will help.  And, as I said, correct and redirect and make sure he has plenty of good stuff to chew on besides the wall.  Knock on wood, my shepherds have eaten a lot of things, furniture and all manner of big stuff, but never the walls.

glenmar

Some dogs actually like the bitter taste, so that could backfire.

True!!! Some dogs do aquire a taste for the stuff. Our pistol Cheyenne wasn't phased by the bitter taste. Luckily, though, 5 month old Tecumseh is. Despite all the chewies and activity he receives, he was curious with our artifical Christmas tree. All I had to do was put a little of the bitter-tasting spray on the tips of some of the branches; he got one taste and now stays away from the tree. In fact, he'll now sometimes walk up to it and start barking (as though he's frustrated that he can't "taste" the branches anymore!)!

Put him outside.  Beagles are outside dogs.  They don't like the indoors as much as other breeds.  If you have to chain him, or watch him, or walk him, whatever, just tire him out before you let him in.  He's bored and is doing it to satisfy his needs.  But seriously, beagles are hunting dogs, they love the outdoors, so if you have a fenced in area, just put him out.  Good Luck!

In my experience a dog left outside for long periods of time will become bored, not exercise himself, and be more prone to digging, barking and in general being disruptive.

Janet808

Put him outside.  Beagles are outside dogs.  They don't like the indoors as much as other breeds.  If you have to chain him, or watch him, or walk him, whatever, just tire him out before you let him in.  He's bored and is doing it to satisfy his needs.  But seriously, beagles are hunting dogs, they love the outdoors, so if you have a fenced in area, just put him out.  Good Luck!

I can't agree with you on that. Beagles are very social dogs and they do well when living in kennels because they have a ton of beagle friends there with them (most beaglers have upwards of a dozen dogs), not because they are outside. A beagle alone out in a yard is going to be a very lonely, very bored, very LOUD beagle.  

I adopted a hunting hound who had lived outside in a kennel situation for two years before we got him and it took him approximately .34 seconds to realize that living inside, with the family and with our other dog, where there were comfortable things was a million times better than being outside. If I try to put him out by himself now, he's back at the door after doing his business, begging to be let back in.

The wall chewing could be a lot of things. Can I ask what kinds of interactive toys the dog has to play with?  Kongs? Tug-a-jug? Hide-a-squirrel? Anything like that?

That's why they need to be outside.  But, not just outside, sorry, after reading my post I realized, I forgot to emphasize, stimulation.  Play ball, fetch, something, but he's obviously bored that's why he's biting at the wall.  Take him for a walk, in your local park, or around the neighborhood, anything.  Teach him some tricks, but socialize w/ him as much as you can.  Hopefully this will help!  Good Luck!

Well, I'm happy to inform you that the wall biting has ended! I don't know why, he just isn't doing it anymore... Happy me!

And I must say, from day one he went for hours in the park to play with other dogs, he is not alone at home because I actually have 2 dogs... I guess he was doing that because I left him and he felt angry. Now he seems to understand that I have to go, but I'll come back later...

Yes, and I tried to leave him in the garden but it turned out to be a very bad idea... He started digging and ran away into the next garden a couple of times, he was barking all the time at cats, birds, everything. Crazy beagle... And then my other dog, a boxer started doing the same and we had some problems with the people who live close... But now, everything is just great!

p.s. thanks a lot for the answers! 

Thank you for the update!  I always like to know how these things turn out.

 Apparently, he has exited his "second chewing stage" (surprised not many of you seem to know about this ).  Dogs go through this as part of normal development, although it's one reason so many adolescent dogs get turned in to shelters (presumably for chewing walls, table legs, shoes, and other things).  The key to not having your chair legs gone is to supervise the dog, give him alternative chew objects.  Kong toys, buster cubes, rope tugs, etc.  When you can't watch the dog, you crate him, or confine him to a safe area (not alone in the back yard - many Beagles just learn to dig their way under fences, and end up as strays).