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 convinced my husband I wanted a dog...he convinced me to get a Beagle. I adore her. She is wonderful with our kids, she has a heart of gold and gives me wonderful cuddles in the morning.

My Beagle knows all of the commands and does what she is told...when she wants to. Mine will generally only perform when food is on offer (they will scavenge for anything and if there is a crumb under the couch they will find it). Her recall is wonderful...unless she gets a scent, then all bets are off. I don't let her off the lead (unless I have sausages on me).

She also has a wonderful vocal range - but it's not for everyone.

Seperation anxiety is common with Beagles too, and takes a lot of patience an time to deal with it.

My dog is wonderful, but she is hard work.

I have 2 beagles, they are hard work but are also lovely dogs.
They are well trained in all aspects except recall, however I know others with beagles who have good recall.
They are both 4 now and are a lot calmer than when they were puppies.
I had a baby last year, they are brilliant with her. They took to the change incredibly well, they’ve learnt to walk next to the pram and not pull, she’s 1 now and is walking and they’ll bring her a toy to throw for them and go and sit in their beds if they don’t want bothering.
I wouldn’t get any form of puppy with a 3 month old baby personally it’s very hard work! Introducing a baby into the dogs lives was hard enough and they were already trained.

I think you would be beyond barmy to get a puppy while you have a very young baby. My youngest was 4 when we got our first dog and used to get so fed up of the dog handing onto the bottom of his trousers as we walked round the house and chewing all of his favourite toys.

Most dogs want to be with you so put any notion of dog in one room, you and baby chill axing in another to one side. Also, like babies, puppies wake up in the night and very early in the morning. Then there's the toilet training and every inch of carpet and your sofa ruined by puppy accidents. And your furniture chewed.

I wouldn’t have a beagle. There’s a reason you rarely (if ever) see them off the leash!

Got a cockerpoo that turned out more cocker. She is not at all hypoallergenic. But she is very very gentle and affectionate and well behaved and loyal. With a child I'd say get a spaniel. The flighty poodle side of things is no benefit if they aren't hypoallergenic. And our ones only real fault is she is a bit of a wuss. You need an unshakeable one to be around children really. A nice solid Springer maybe?

I’d wait until your child is past the toddler stage otherwise you’ll end up shutting the dog out constantly to protect it. Wait until your child understands to leave the dog alone. Also a cockerpoo would need to go to a groomers regularly which is pricey, every single one I’ve met is completely bonkers and they’re massively overpriced for saying they’re a cross breed. A close friend of mine has one and he yaps at everything you can’t watch tv without it barking, you can’t sit in the pub without it barking, you can’t let it out in the garden without it barking and they walk it miles and it never tires.

A month off to train it? Is that all it takes 😂

We had a beagle when I was a kid. Absolute nightmare, and my parents were sticklers for good dog training. We were told that they make much better pets once they're older and the hunting instinct has faded.

Friend has a cockerpoo. Also a nightmare! Lovely affectionate dog but very needy and barks all the time.

I'm a big fan of sight hounds. Lazy, quiet, but they do like to chase furry things.

We have a cockapoo. She moults everywhere. Not to mention paying above and beyond to have her groomed every 6 weeks.

She's fantastic around DS but don't fall for the non moulting thing

@MouthBreathingRage It's not a 'cockapoo'. It's a mongrel bred for human's sake. Are you in a position to deal with any future health issues brought about by crossbreeding?

1. A mongrel is a dog of unknown decent. Cockapoos are a cross breed you know what their parents are

1. A cross breed or mongrel are no indication of health issues. You only have to look at pedigrees such as pugs, German Shepard's or KCS to see the horrific health issues that they have. Cross breeds are no more likely to have health issues than any other dog

The use cockapoos for hearing dogs. I don't understand all the negative comments the breed gets on here. Lovely dogs.

Forget about the breed, that's the least of your problems. No breed of dog can be trained in two weeks. You are looking at months worth of training to get the basics in and, realistically, 18 months worth of training to get over the teenage stage, strengthen everything, build in reliability, etc. This is not something you want to be doing with a very young baby. You'll be sleep deprived and fed up without adding a puppy to the mix.

wouldn’t have a beagle. There’s a reason you rarely (if ever) see them off the leash!

I see beagles off lead on my nearest field all the time! Very rarely their owners though!

The use cockapoos for hearing dogs. I don't understand all the negative comments the breed gets on here. Lovely dogs.

not as often as they use calm, sensible, biddable dogs like labradors

I absolutely adore beagles, they are cute, funny, very affectionate and quite smart. But when they get a scent (which is very frequently, as they have excellent noses), they're a bugger to get back. And they can run a very long way before they get tired. They're very hard to tire out.

They're possibly at the top of the list of breeds I love but would never have.

I wouldn't have a cockapoo either, for reasons that have been aired on here so often some MNers will know them by heart.

Would a whippet suit? Very cuddly, very loving, need a short sprint twice a day and a comfy sofa for the other 23.5 hours, not at all hairy (no grooming required) and if they get muddy you can wipe them clean with a damp flannel. And they're funny, they do daft things.

My next dog might be a whippet, I'm too old and arthritic to have another terrier when my old lady goes. DP thinks it'll take up too much room in a motorhome though, so there's a debate to be had there.

Beagles get a lot of stick on here, and they are very hard work the first year or so, but no more than any other puppy IMO! I’d say after 2 years old she was so chilled and amazing. She was 2 1/2 when DS came along, and they are best friends!

If a non-moulting breed is important to you what about a Tibetan terrier. I love mine. He is a very happy dog and destroyed nothing as a puppy other than the odd sock. He doesn't shed but does require regular grooming

My mate has had 3 TTs and they are fab dogs. But she spends 20 minutes a day grooming each of them, and they're kept clipped. If she misses a day, she says it's more than double that time the next day.

They also have a lot of energy and have 2 hours exercise a day, Mind you, hers have to be fit because she competes in agility (which they love and are excellent at).

We are planning on a rescue after this lockdown, I like beagles but already had them down as not for first time dog owners. We are going to use the expertise of the blue cross to match us

My mate has had 3 TTs and they are fab dogs. But she spends 20 minutes a day grooming each of them, and they're kept clipped. If she misses a day, she says it's more than double that time the next day.

My mum has one of hers in full coat (because she's looked after her coat all her life and its gorgeous) but it used to take her 5 hours once a week to bath and dry her - she's got a lot quicker now but it's a lot of work!

I had limited success at agility with them but they are fun dogs - just not if you're looking for willing and obedient!

@whippetwoman, do you put your whippets in dog crates in the car? If so, I'd very much appreciate it if you could tell me what size crate they need.

This could be key in resolving the too-big-for-a-motorhome issue. My lakie's crate fitted easily under the table in our old motorhome, which was perfect for travelling. DP thinks the gap will be too small for a whippet-sized crate.

Apologies for hijacking the thread.

not as often as they use calm, sensible, biddable dogs like labradors

We had a visit from them at Brownies. The people who came in use cockapoos. Can't be untrainable naughty dogs all the time.

I bloody loved my beagles but they are not for the faint hearted. Wilful is the best word I can use. It is no coincidence that so many beagles end up in rescue centres. I would love another one but realistically I don't have enough time or energy to give to the breed.

In terms of training and settling, you need way more than two weeks whatever breed you get. Puppies take a long time to get sorted and settled, and a puppy plus a baby is a LOT to take on. When DS1 was born, I had one elderly beagle and it was a challenge.

We have a cockerpoo. Yada yada mongrel whatever. We got him from a reputable breeder. Did lots and lots of research about breeders, parents and breed. 6 months old tomorrow. Such such hard work. Great personality but not an easy dog at all! Luckily we knew what we were getting into.