Any Beagle owners out there?

[feedtheghoul]

We are at the thinking stage of wanting to get a dog. Dh and I both had dogs until we left home. Now our elderly cat has passed away and ds (6) is growing up we want a dog.

I have always adored Beagles. I love their slightly bonkers personality as much as the way they look. I have read lots about them. The lots of exercise, keeping on lead/scenthound, escape artist tendencies things don't worry me. We are looking for a 4th family member and are fully prepared to adapt our lives.

The only thing that really concerns me is the oft mentioned separation anxiety they are prone to. Please don't misunderstand me, I have no expectation of wanting to leave a dog frequently, or for hours on end. But more, how much of a problem would it be to leave an adult beagle for 2 or 3 hours occasionally? I am thinking more the odd meal out or kids party where dog really couldn't come along.

As I say, it isn't about leaving it all day, I wouldn't do that. My mum has already agreed to dog sit aswell as child sit the 2 days a week I do work. I just know that realistically, once a week, we are likely to need to leave it for 2 or 3 hours, and I don't want to get a dog and cause it distress, just because I like a specific breed, if our lifestyle is inappropriate. Any experience or advice from Beagle owners?

I have a beagle, one thing I would say is hide all your food! Beagles are very good at pretending they are starving and are not fed! Don't fall for it! If I leave anything out she will try her hardest to get it, she can be very sneaky.

Mmm shes not keen on being left but sometimes you have to, we try to walk her just before we go out and that works for us. Ours is a rescue beagle and she is completely latched to me (much to dh's distress) and won't leave my side so we don't keep her on a lead. However, other beagle owners tell me one sniff and they're gone.

Wouldn't change her for the world, one look in her eyes and I'm lost!

Ahh she sounds lovely! I certainly wouldn't do it often, I'm hoping to be attached at the hip to be honest, I thought it would be the easiest way to get a few miles a day in of exercise quota!

I'd read about the food thing too. To be honest, I'm wondering if I was a Beagle in a former life, I share quite a few personality traits! But, I promise not to cave easily if I get one!

We haven't decided between puppy or rescue yet. There are fors and against for both. Dh is firmly in the camp though for giving a second chance to a dog. I'm slightly more worried about the chance of already having deep rooted separation anxiety. I guess that a good rescue would help/advise regarding this though?

I just want to make sure we have realistic expectations that's all. I desperately want a happy hound, not one that I've made miserable!

Thanks pugmill. I have had a good look at the website you mention already. My mum has just bought me a lovely hardbook book about them too, she has read it too and fallen for the idea of one big time which is just as well as she will be performing doggy grandma duties. My dad is happy to trek off places on 'their' days.

I just don't want to jump in feet first without a couple of 'real life' accounts too.

Feedtheghoul, we have a 19 month old beagle, if you search you'll see some of my other posts. I strongly advise anyone not to get a beagle. They require a huge amount of attention, mine is walked off lead twice a day for about 50 mins, then a 20 min road walk.

Problem is what to do in between walk times. They need so much stimulation. Mine will sleep for 2 hours if not disturbed after a run, then she is up and raring to go. I can't let her in garden alone as she escapes, and I have spent a fortune on fencing! So I have to chain her up out there, then she will start barking to come back in and will continue to bark so I do have to bring her in. Neighbours are complaining.

In the house she is confined to dinning room and kitchen as she will destroy ANYTHING! If I have to leave her for a minute I have to crate her as she will steal and destroy! And I really do mean a minute.

I have to crate her when prepping food and when we eat.

Dinning room and kitchen have to be clear of anything movable as she will steal whilst you are in room. She will steal off your plate whilst you are eating if not crated.

I take her in the lounge with me in the evening but on a lead as she bounces over furniture and DC's and will air snap at them if they try and get her off settee.

She Is so much hard work and I am an experienced owner. I know it's her breed and not how I have dealt with her as my cavie and all the dogs I previously had we're not like this. And I read loads before I had her, but unless you have had a beagle no book can prepare you for what it is like.

There is a poster called joolyjoolyjoo who is a vet and has two beagles and she will tell you the same.

When we are out she is totally totally different. I go training every week with her, we have achieved silver standard. She does recall to a whistle for food absolutely brilliantly. She loves other dogs and is very sociable. She will fetch the ball and play beautifully. She is a dream beagle when we are out. But a nightmare at home.

My DH wants to rehome her, but I am really struggling with that idea.

They look beautiful but are very very hard to live with, and one of us is home all day!

A poster on my struggling with beagle thread a week or so ago suggested she needed more mental stimulation. I can't fit any more time at clubs in due to charity work and children's clubs, dog walking, full time work and running a house, pluses DH does shifts, so going to agility was out but I have just spent £100 on agility equipment to do it in the garden, to see if that helps. It arrived today, so we'll see.

There are so many other dogs who make wonderful pets, in my experience a beagle is not one of them, a cavalier king Charles on the other hand........

Also I can't have relatives come in and walk her if we go out for a day as she is too much for them, she is a long snout beagle, very slim and unbelievably strong. So has to go to doggy day care. £15 a day.

Mmmm it is stories like yours that do make me so wary jaynerae.

I only work 2 days a week and ds is at school full time now so I could and would dedicate a lot of time to the dog but I know that a dog displaying the behaviours yours is would test anyone though, no matter what time you have.

Oh dear. We have just been to stay with my uncle and his lovely cocker spaniel. Ds was utterly besotted...and utterly allergic!

We got through the 4 days with piriton but I guess it is going to take a lot of thought now about what to do. The two of them were inseparable and ds would get so much from a dog being an only. I guess I whole new thread required now about dog ownership and allergies, and whether it will even be possible. I had my doubts about allergies before but always hoped it was just his hayfever.

I have a beagle. She is wonderful. She has been hard work at times and suffered from extreme separation anxiety for a few months (she ate several door frames!) howevere with love, some compromises and hard work she got through it and it fantastic.
We got her from a tiny pup when my DS was only 22 months. That meant it has been manic at times but they love each other and play well. She is so patient with him and his friends. She is a bit bouncy when people arrive but she is getting better at that. As long as she is near us when we are in she is content. She is happy to be left now - in fact she'll sleep for hours and seem put out when we return!!
She loves a good walk but copes fine on those days when life gets in the way. I don't let her off the lead though. She is not brilliant at recall. I should have been brave and done it from the word go. I will if we get another dog.
The most annoying thing about her is she moults! I didn't think she would that much but oh my goodness!!
Howevere she is great company and we love her to pieces. If you have small children a beagle is brilliant.

P.S DH is not great with allergies etc but he is fine with our beagle

Mum just got a Beagle/Reriever cross puppy from the Blue Cross. She is delighted with it. She has gradually left it fr longer periods, and can now leave her for hours, and she is perfectly happy, has toys and chews etc.

I used to have a (rescue) beagle. He was actually fine at being left (I worked full-time but we had a dog flap and I used to pop home and walk him at lunchtime).

However, after a bit, I found it really limiting that he could NEVER be let off the lead. For me, much of the fun of walking with your dog is seeing it run off and sniff and explore and let it swim out in the sea and play with other dogs. We never had that. For that reason I personally wouldn't choose to rehome another beagle, as much as I adore the breed.

There are dogs out there which are low-shedding and therefore more likely to be suitable for allergy sufferers. I, for instance, was always snivelling and streaming around my sister's Golden Retriever (and her lab for that matter) but haven't had any problem at all around our recently-acquired cockapoo (crossbreed of cocker spaniel and poodle). There are many poodle crosses around nowadays that might be OK with your DS. And they're less likely to be such high maintenance as a beagle. But be aware that, as they're a bit of a fad at the moment, prices are stupidly high.

I have an American Beagle - smaller than an English one - and he's ridiculously cute. He loves me to bits (and I him) and he does suffer from some separation anxiety when I'm not around - sits on top of the sofa looking forlornly out the window waiting for me to come back. I can walk him off the lead as he doesn't tend to disappear too much, but he doesn't necessarily come back to me when I call. I have to go to him or scream hysterically call urgently when he's near the road in the park.

He's been ill though. Beagles can get (as can a few other breeds) Beagle Meningitis which is awful. They don't know what causes it, but Beagles should grow out of it by the time they are two. Mine didn't, so we have to treat him with kid gloves - can't put him in kennels any more as he gets too stressed. Fortunately a friend has two elderly dogs and is happy to look after him when necessary.

Would I get a Beagle again? Probably not. They're too difficult to train. You really have to put a lot of work in (and be good at it) to have a Beagle that will fit in with your family, as opposed to our situation which is more of us fitting in with him.

I want to see some pics of these beagley dogs!

We think our rescue mutt might have some beagle (or pointer) in him, due to his big floppy ears and soppy eyes....

We had a rescue beagle/staffy cross for 12 years (he was 3 when we got him).. He was a lazy sod, who loved his bean bag, and lying in front of the fire, and he was never stressed by being left for a few hours.

He only ever had two trips to the vet in his life, and was reasonably well behaved...

Reasonably in that he did come back when you called him... sometimes.

He would eat everything and anything he could get his paws on, and wasnt averse to walking past a table and stealing either.

He got on fine with most other dogs, but not all of them...

He would chase anything that moved.... and was often dragged by his back end out of a rabbit hole that he was trying to get into..

Moulting was definately a problem.. everywhere he went there was a trail of fur..

We got a cat when he was about 6, and he got on great with our cat.. didnt like any others, but the cat was boss in our house, and he pined for her terribly when she went missing and didnt return.

He also travelled very well in the car, and apart from a bit of pulling, was ok on the lead.

He was very sociable with people, (probably the staffy part of him) and loved being cuddled and trying to sit on your knee.

All in all, I would say he was a great family dog.

Thanks everyone. We still love Beagles but I think we will have to consider something that is better known to be more suitable for allergy sufferers as the wheeze ds had around the spaniel was terrible and that's without the swollen eyes.

Ds befriended an elderly chap on holiday earlier in the year with a Border terrier (and ended up on 2 hour dog walking expeditions with my poor mum having to tag along) and was taken with that dog too. It seems they are recommended for allergy sufferers and also have a lively personality. We might have a look at those. I do want a dog that is abit of a livewire, I think it would suit us all better.

I do feel a little sad knowing that a Beagle is probably out for us though.

Just wanted to add that DH has horrible allergies to other dogs and cats but has always been fine with my beagle. Perhaps if it is just that putting you off you could visit a beagle rescue / specialist breeder / family with beagles and let your son have a good roll around with them and see how he is?

It would be a shame to discount a breed you love if you don't know for sure he's allergic to it.

If you are near the East Midlands, pm me and you can come and play with ours!

We're south yorks sugarandspite so not exactly local but not a million miles either depending on exactly where you are. I could be tempted to take you up on that offer next year when decision time comes, if you are serious!

To be fair, what ever breed we go for, I would want to do exactly that as we will be committing to what ever dog we get for life so we need to make sure it is right for all of us.

FTG, have PMed you with where we live. I'd guess we are about an hour away from you.

Do come and have a walk and a play and see how you get on with one.

Ps - am not a serial killer trying to lure you to my lair. Honest.

Although I would say that if I was one I suppose? We could meet you for a walk somewhere public maybe?!

Thankyou sugarandspite, I have messaged you back. I would love to give it a go if we can arrange something.

If you want a hound what about a standard daschshund or a PBGV ? We have had these dogs and they were quite "easy". A friend of ours had a beagle and despite his very concerted efforts he had to re home it for never ending totally wild behaviour.

In view of Squeakytoy's glowing reference for a beagle staffie cross does http://happystaffierescue.org.uk/meetscrumpy.html this georgeous chap appeal to anyone? I'd adopt him in a flash but our rescue staffie doesn't like shareing.