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?

You need a staffy in your life Great with children, easy to train & entertain... Wouldnt go for a Cockerpoo if you want easy to train, the ones I know well are stubborn/barky/hardwork although pretty!

I can't imagine a baby and a puppy at the same time.
A puppy is a baby. It may keep you up all night or wake you early, need to be fed, exercised, trained, given loads of attention...
Wait until you have time to look after a dog properly.

They're very hard to tire out

Surprisingly they're not @LakieLady - they just need mental stimulation as well as physical. Mine only gets an hour of physical walking a day - th rest of the time he's at home. Sometimes we play tug or fetch in the garden, but typically not. He has bones, kongs and chews to occupy him and we sometimes scatter his biscuits in the garden or in a snuffle mat for him to find too.

Too much physical exercise makes him really hyped and then he's an absolute nightmare. I've found anything less than 45 minutes isn't enough, but anything above 90 and he's really overstimulated and doesn't know what to do with himself, haha.

I would never have a beagle. Our neighbours have one, it runs off every day and bays at foxes. I wouldnt have a cockapoo either. Bu far and awayy the most child frindly dog is a labrador. The smaller lightweight ones are a delight. easy to train and so gentle

I'd look at dogs that have been selected as companion dogs... they have far less prey drive, are ok with little walks (especially when baby starts walking!) and have generally sweet personalities- with exceptions make the rule!

I had an Irish setter when my 4th child was 6 months old, She was HARD work. I might as well have had a 5th baby

I wouldn't get any dog that you dont feel capable of training. Some breeds of dogs are harder to train than others, I'd recommend getting an older well trained adult dog if you have a young child and dont have the time to train.

My in laws have had two beagles, it is possible to train and recall them but my god it is hard work. They aren’t the brightest dogs and so it takes many many repetitions to teach them something. Their latest dog is about 6 months now and still isn’t fully house trained despite consistent training. They sometimes bark a lot as well which is a pain for your neighbours. Also in my experience they aren’t the most affectionate dogs - they are absolutely obsessed with food and basically see you as a channel through which you get food. A bit like the cats of the dog world. You’ve got to remember they weren’t bred as pets but supposed to live in a hunt kennel setting with 20-30 other beagles and have only really come into fashion as pets in the last 5-10 years.

They are beautiful though.

I’m going to reiterate what a lot of people have already said, do NOT get a puppy when you have a baby or a toddler. You will be making a rod for your own back. I have a small, easy to look after mongrel. But he was a little shit when he was a puppy and I can’t imagine anything worse than having had my baby at the same time. He’s 6 now and is pretty tolerant of my 15 month old.

Wait til your baby is bigger! You are mad to want disturbed sleep, nappies, puppy pissing and crapping everywhere.

My first childhood dog was a beagle - he was 10 when I was born and lived to 19, he adored me and lay under my pram, and followed me everywhere once I could walk.

He was the naughtiest, most destructive dog I've ever had .

I tried to put my boss off getting one - he did and they still can't let him off the lead, ever.

My in laws have a cockapoo Now I love dogs. We've fostered dogs. I've run a dogs home. I know dogs.

Fucking awful dog. Hate it. It eats food off the dinner table. It takes food off my kids. It's eaten toys if there's and makes itself super sick. It yaps. It scratches.

Thing is. Apparently when we aren't there it's a super loving dog. Very calm. But it's caused untold amount of anxiety to my kids. To the point they are now frightened of Any dogs and I worked so god damn hard to make sure that didn't happen.

I would never ever recommend one now. This dog is horrific.

However. This is just my experiences. But I cannot see how this dog who has had umpteen hours of training. Could be that horrid.

I also third. Or fifteenth

Not to get a dog with a puppy. I've done years of dog behaviour training. As others have stated. They need beer on 90% of your time for w good 2 years

Breed wise. Honestly. I'd go for a non pedigree. A mongrel. I really would. I wouldn't pay for a dog even if you offered me a million pounds. Pedigree tends to be more uptight. There tends to be more issues. Especially with pugs. Those type breeds

I had a mongrel. Loved till he was 19. Wonderful dog. Deaf and blind in the end but we still went for a walk daily. Same place. Same way. Truly wonderful dog.

Not to get a puppy with a baby!

I would echo others and advise against getting a puppy right now, they are hard, hard work.

I once met a guy with a beagle who had been a police dog handler and he told me never to get one, it was the hardest dog he had ever trained.

Do not get a beagle! It will ruin your life. Honestly....I speak from bitter experience.
Someone upthread said about them never giving up, even I to old age: it's true. They really are not like normal dogs.

We had 10 husky puppies. Pedigree. That had been taken by the rspca and we fostered them

We had over 450 people enquiring.

I remember saying. Are you prepared to walk 15-20 miles every single day. Come rain snow sun?

We lost 70% with that question alone. After all my questioning we had 17 people who I thought were a possibility.

It took 6 months for them to find their forever home. After home checks. Kids etc. Jobs. How high their fence was. We got down to 10.

I've just read you want it trained in 2 weeks?!?!?

I'm sorry. What the f?!?

You can't train any dog within 2 weeks. Not at all! That's crazy. Especiallly off the lead. Which you seem to want.

Don't get a dog. Spend 12 months learning about them. Their behaviours. Wait till you've got a good 2-3 hrs a day spending time with them.

Beagles are great but clever and hunger driven. Hard work. Utube beagle chicken nuggets for example. V funny but not what you want with small baby. Wait a while. Pups are hard work, babies too. As advised wait a few years.

A beagle as a first dog if you don't have land and the ability to let them do their own thing over it for hours a day, as well as lengthy walks, would be insanity imvho.

We have a working cocker spaniel and a standard cocker spaniel and in between their walks, they mostly sleep. I know they have this chaotic stereotype, but honestly ours would much rather a cuddle over anything else. They're very excitable when we first come home but are calm after a minute or two. They're very easy and an absolute joy to have.

We're dog people. We've just lost our flatcoat this year at 12 and have a terrier mix rescue story who is now 12. We have 3 children. Oldest is 7. My advice...

Do not get a dog at all with a baby. Both are a lot of work and IMO puppies need 100% attention to get training right and settling etc. We always want dogs in our lives but if we lost our terrier now we wouldn't get another dog until the youngest is 5/6. We frequency say to each other we're so lucky our dogs were already mature when we started a family. The Flattie needed HOURS of walking / simulation until she was about 5, which I would think a Beagle may also need.

Dogs are an amazing part of the family, but you need to be sure you can meet everyone's needs (including your own with no sleep and a puppy who needs toilet training.....) so everyone can be happy. For the record if I was looking for a family dog I would stay away from working breeds unless you are really prepared for the work that comes with.

Whatever you decide, good luck.

I have a beagle- she’s a beautiful,loving,loyal twat. Honestly she is hard work and I cannot imagine having her around a baby.

Love that description @Thuglife