To ask whether we should get a Labrador or beagle?

[Eleanorrr]

We’d like to get a dog- have a dd aged 16 and a dd aged 10 and live in a Victorian terraced house in london, with a garden and a minute away from a park. We’re deciding between a beagle and a Labrador and I was wondering whether you wise mumsnetters would have advice on which breed to go for?

My beagle is the worst dog I have ever known and the one I have loved the most. She is clever and uses all her abundant cunning to find new ways to beast us. But she adores us and our children, has facial expressions to suit every situation, makes it clear she has no desire to please us but is shocked when we are cross. She has destroyed spectacles, doors, bras, the contents of the fridge, the back of the sofa, the curtains and more shoes than I care to mention. She has embarassed me endlessly on walks and steals any food she can. She hates being left alone and can last four hours unsupervised after two hours of exercise. She is loving, placid, funny and snuggly. I absolutely adore her - she is the best worst dog I've ever known.

We had a beagle x staffie, he was adorable and very well behaved. Moulted loads and needed a lot of excercise though. And would eat anything!

Our beagle liked to eat his own faeces.

100% Labrador. They are much easier to train, more affectionate, more obedient, gentle, soppy, good with children need I say more?

Just out of interest what is drawing you to those two v different dogs. Love labradors. Kind, good with kids intelligent but be prepared to defluff yourself several times a day and buy a powerful vacuum.needs loads of exercise.

Tooshy I could have written your post. Our beag is 10 now, and as naughty as she ever was. We adore her but bloody hell she's been hard work at times.

Definitely a lab, as another poster said help with the moulting by using a furminator.
Beagles are lovely but generally hard to train.

Don't get a jack Russell. We loVe ours beyond reason. He is bright funny expressive, has an extensive vocabulary. He is stubborn, grumpy, energetic AND lazy, playful, clever, fastidious, gentle unless you break the rules if engagement when he becomes aggressive then sorry and sweet. He is loyal, testing, affectionate. He is the best bad dog ever. Don't get a JRT!

We have a lab. She does moult but doesn't smell. I have never put a lead on her as she is so well behaved, does as she's told and is great with children, other dogs, cats, squirrels etc. Totally biased but i would say lab!!

Dont get a beagle, get a brick. Take it to the woods, chuck it as hard as you can then spend 3 days trawling through the undergrowth shouting its name and waiting for it to come back. The experience will be identical, I promise you.

Beagle all the way!! She smells, she's food obsessed, she's crap at recall unless you do it at a certain point on a walk but she's bloody sweet as anything.
Never been aggressive, rarely barks, never growls. Very loving.

I love both OP but have a soft spot for beagles

My beagle is so vocal, so much so that she is well known in the area. She is greedy, knows all of the commands, but will only 'perform' if there is something in it for her. Off-lead is a bit unpredictable, if there is something more interesting than me, she's gone, but she will stay with a 'pack'. But for all her beagleness, she is amazing with the kids, gives us so much love, gives you all the cuddles you want and has a heart of gold.

Show Cockers are prone to separation anxiety (howling).

Labrador! Best dogs in the world.

I miss my boy so much.

Only in the MN Doghouse!
OP: I've thought about this and I'd like either a beagle or a Labrador
Other Posters: get a whippet/spaniel/other breed I like.

I have 2 beagles aged 2, neither smell or howl! They are well trained, they can be left alone in the house, they don’t steal food anymore (did when they were smaller but trained it out of them!) they don’t come off the lead but it’s not impossible to train a recall in them I know many beagle owners who have them off lead.
They were a handful in their puppy stage yes but I don’t know many puppies that are easy going.
The one thing they do need is plenty of exercise so unless your able to walk them daily I’d say minimum 2 hrs a day then you’ll have the naughty beagle everyone is describing. They’re such lovely dogs :)

No experience with labs although equally lovely for me and I’d happily have one!

Labrador obviously (I have one so I'm biased). Beagles are bolters.

Apologies to their owners but I find show Cocker Spaniels revolting for some reason (the droopy eyes I think?) although my colleague has a Sprocker puppy which is adorable. Looks like a working Cocker - very pretty.

I was speaking to my guy about your predicament and he lambasted me for saying beagle, he had a gorgeous Labrador which he named Kona (after the iron-man competition) but he told me to tell you that they are prone to health problems, his had a twisted gut and had to be put down so make sure you get insurance OP!

Labrador! Lovely family dogs, very intelligent and easily trained. As someone has previously mentioned about health problems, my understanding of it is because these dogs are so popular they have basically been over bred which has created the health problems, i'd personally go for a X breed. you get lots of Lab crosses

Labrador. Very clever, quick learners so easy to train!

YouTube 'beagle chicken nuggets'. Then get a Labrador. Although I'd have either. Lovely, enjoy.

Barbarian you put that so well.

A show type will be calmer than a working type

my many years experience advises the complete opposite

Labarador all the way. Beagles eat anything including poo, have no recall and dig huge holes in your garden. Of course labradors are also dustbins on legs, but they are intelligent and will respond well to training. No contest in this case. Of course if it were me I would get a greyhound