To not want a beagle?

[tired1245]

We've always wanted a dog, house just feels empty without one as both had one when living at parents house.
He's got his heart set on a beagle, when i would love a cockapoo.
I've just heard always bad things about beagles, how they're hard to train and recall is awful.
I don't really want the hair either!
He won't be able to take a month off to train the dog when we get it, maximum 2 weeks.
With a cockapoo I just think they'll be a lot better to train, don't malt nowhere near as much as a beagle would and we've got a 3 month old, so the last thing I need is a dog running off on a walk when I've got a baby with me. What do we do?

I'm taking a different tack as this is in AIBU not the doghouse.
Obviously getting a puppy when you have a 3 month old baby is bonkers, but so is thinking a cockapoo will be calm and trainable in two weeks. Two years is a bit more like it.

But usually OPs of threads like this don't take any notice of those types of comments so I thought I might try being constructive

SIL got a labroodle and did no research. Feel for the it won't moult, thought it would be small in size and got it when she had a toddler and babe in arms.

She regrets it now as it was hard work and the dog moults like anything and the kids won't leave it alone.

I would personally wait now as others have advised.

Here is my beagle. He gets a good hours walk a day and spend the rest of his time upside down on the sofa snoring! He only really wakes up for food or if he thinks titbits are on offer

However despite all that I've said I wouldn't get a beagle (or any other dog) with such a young puppy. Ours took up a lot of our time as a puppy and he was hard work for a good eighteen months. He turned two in February and only started settling down in around November.

Wouldn't change him for the world

neither!

i think your nuts getting a puppy and a baby!

but if you are insistent on a dog, neither of those breeds (well one being a cross)!, are the best choice.

Labs are fab but boisterous around kids (wiggly), spaniels are good with kids

Oh my god don't get either, you're going to end up with a difficult toddler and a terrible teen phase dog at the same time.
It doesn't sound like you've got much of a clue about dogs in general.
We waited til our dd was 4.5 before getting our puppy and that's the youngest I would probably go, and my dd is really great and used to animals.

My cocker cross just came into her first season at 10 months which can happen anytime from 6 months. Fancy a baby crawling round in the floor with the dog dripping blood from her Fanjo?
How are you going to manage a working breed dog with a baby?
Training is on going, we are still actively training at 10.5 months, and our pup has had 1.5 weeks of on lead walks only and almost a week of not going out at all.
How would you cope with a loopy randy dog and a child just learning to walk?

I have a 10 month old beagle and although I love her to absolute bits she is a pain!

Lots better than when we first got her but still the odd accident, would never let her off the lead as she would never come back and her listening skills are not her biggest talent.

Given all that she is a lovely dog who does behave sometimes (very very treat led) and loves us all to bits. She sleeps through the night like an angel but would have no qualms about jumping on the kitchen table and eating a full roast dinner if it was left unattended for 10 seconds.

Wouldn't give her back but if I knew how hard it would be would maybe consider a different breed.

I would think very carefully with such a young baby. It’s really hard to do training and socialisation with a baby and puppy. We have a lab puppy that we share with my Mum and I have a six month old and it’s been much harder than I thought.

Logistics of getting them both in and out of the car. The early days where he had to be carried on trips out meant I always had to have another adult with me. Even just leaning down to give treats, pick up poo etc is tricky when baby is in the sling.

They have to be kept apart at all mealtimes 8 per day between them and when I’m breastfeeding and therefore can’t fully focus on pup etc. Logistically it really is a headache.

My DM has a puggle, a pug x beagle and he is the most stubborn and smelly little bugger ever! He's such a softy in the house but his recall is terrible and and dog with any beagle in I would personally avoid. I'm sure they're lovely but so so stubborn and difficult to train. I have a cavapoo and he is a dream, we went for cavapoo rather than cockapoo as he is slightly smaller. Very easy to train, doesn't have the typical 'dog' smell as not an oily coated breed like beagles and no shedding. Lots of brushing and coat care needed though but it's perfectly manageable. I'd advise you both do a lot of research into beagles before you made that jump, they're definitely not the easiest of dogs.

I have 2 dogs (terriers) and a 13mth old - I agree with all the PP do not get a puppy with a small baby. I adore my dogs but the puppy & teenage years were very challenging & I can not even imagine doing that with my baby too.
DD is into everything and the dogs are amazing with her but it is hard working keeping everyone safe and the idea of trying to do it with a puppy is crazy.

Wait until your baby is old enough to be more trustworthy with dogs unless you have eyes in the back of your head & more arms than an octopus!

Getting a puppy when you have such a young baby seems pretty daft.

Beagles are lovely dogs but as a breed that is used for hunting packs they are used to being worked - so they need good training and exercise.

Cockerpoos are a cross between cocker spaniels and poodles. Cockers were bred as gundogs originally - they need a really good amount of exercise or they can become quite anxious and destructive. Poodles are highly intelligent dogs which need a good degree of mental stimulation.

Therefore a cockerpoo is a cross-breed that is likely to need a really good degree of exercise AND mental stimulation in order to be happy. Does that sound like a 'low maintenance family dog' that would suit you?

I'm sure they're lovely but so so stubborn and difficult to train

In my experience they're easy as pie to train because they love food so much. If I have a cocktail sausage in my hand, mine will do absolutely anything. He loves learning tricks and is very, very clever.

The "beagles are stubborn" thing is a bit of misnomer. Beagles are hunting dogs and aren't bred to work alongside humans, so encouraging them to work WITH you is going against their breed instinct. Beagles are designed to disappear off into undergrowth (hence the white tail tip - this is you know where they are!) and call their masters to them when they've found what they're looking for. They're not designed to work alongside people in the same way labs and spaniels are.

So you need to work WITH that instinct. You can't expect to let them off in the woods with deer and rabbits galore and think they'll trot along nicely by your side .

I have two family members with 3 beagles between them and they are all terribly behaved despite many hours of training classes. TBF one is now 10 and has quietened down so maybe old ones are ok.

Honestly, I wouldn't have a puppy and a baby at the same time. Wait a while, it will drive you mad otherwise.

I have a whippet but he has the worst recall ever but that might be due to my training. I actually think he's deaf sometimes because he often ignores me but I think it's selective deafness. However, they are low-shed, quiet and lazy dogs on the whole and I would get another (when retired and wealthy - not with a busy family like now).

Saying that, I have always fancied having beagle but I am not sure about scent hounds. I like the look and size of a beagle. My OH fancies a border terrier and they do seem to be lovely dogs but I'm not sure I could handle a terrier after a chilled out whippet.

@minettechatouette
Yes, you're totally right there.
I rehomed my dog from a Gumtree ad. There are other ways to go about it.

Please do not get a dachshund! Stubborn, difficult to train, zero recall, they are hounds and follow whatever scent they find. My two children are a lot older and our dachshund has been a very very difficult dog to fit into our family as he is just so naughty!

Forget breeds.

What do you actually want from a dog? What can you give a dog in terms of space, time, exercise, grooming, training time? Those questions should help narrow down a shortlist of breeds.

Secondly, wait a bit.

I've had dogs all my life. I work with dogs. I work with difficult dogs. I've never not had a dog, often having had multiple high energy breeds at a time.
We sadly lost our dog a couple of months before our baby was born. He's now 18m and I have no desire to get a dog at the moment at all. Raising a toddler is exhausting enough without adding a puppy into the mix.

Plus you're on maternity leave I assume. Seems like a good time to get a dog but what you actually get is a dog that in 9 months time, if you go back to work very likely has separation issues.

Two high energy dogs that I wouldn’t have them around 3 month old.

Saying that though, do look into other breeds. Even ones that you’re not keen on.

My dh hated chihuahuas but got one for me. He fell in love and now adores the breed and won’t have any other

Get a rescue whippet gavel

My next door neighbours have a speagle puppy. She's gorgeous but she is quite naughty: most fond of coming into my house, liberating my slippers (or my favourite cuddly Teletubby) and burying them in one of the four gardens on the block

I would leave it until your child is at least 4 years old. Young dogs and crawling babies/toddlers are a really bad combination for both sides. You are unlikely to have time to really commit to training the pup with such a small baby, and that leads to a lot of problems

I have 2 beagles and yes they are hard work, stubborn, scent driven little hounds.
On the plus side ( for me anyway!) they are lovely family dogs with very happy natures but I wouldn't get one if you have a newborn baby in the house. My DD was 8 when we got our first one and while you might not want to wait that long I personally found it ideal.
They need a lot of exercise and things to keep them amused or they will get destructive very quickly.
If you still are interested in the breed then I recommend Beagle Welfare who will give you lots of advice but I think ( don't quote me on this) that they wouldn't re home one with anyone with really young children
If you have any more questions about the breed feel free to message me

OP you are insane! Please don't get a puppy with a newborn!

we've got a 3 month old

Dogs are fantastic additions to a household. But would I get a puppy while my baby was 3months old? No.

To be fair, OP didn't say anywhere that they would get a puppy, just a dog. I think we've invented the puppy thing all by ourselves.

Getting an older dog that is already house trained and out of the crazy stage may well be possible - I would definitely look at sighthounds or a lab or retriever or similar, something that is calm around the house.

@vanillandhoney

Gorgeous photo