Do you own a Beagle?

[Lemongrab]

Dh and I have talked about having a dog. Our preferred breeds are the Labrador (I had one as a teenager and he was the most wonderful dog I have ever known) or a Beagle.

Is it true that Beagles are very difficult to train and quite naughty? I've heard some people say this about them but the only ones I've actually seen walking, seem to be very well behaved. I've read that they are loving, loyal family pets that are very friendly with children, but I must admit that I'm not overly keen on searching for hours for a dog because it's caught a scent and run off! Do they still do this even if they usually have excellent recall? We live in the countryside so this is something we have to consider.

Just thought I'd ask all you lovely knowledgeable dog owners as I don't know anyone in real life who owns one.

I don't own a beagle myself, but did have close contact with one for a while. It is not a breed I would ever own.

They need vast amounts of exercise - you would ideally need to be a regular runner/cyclist to be able to meet the dog's needs.

Every time the beagle was here, we had to watch the front door like hawks, because as soon as it was even slightly opened the beagle would be off like a shot and no amount of shouting would deter him. Off he would go with everyone in hot pursuit until someone eventually managed to get hold of him. It's not funny when the children are in and out of the house all the time & no matter how careful we all were, he would still manage to escape.

This by the way, was as beagles go, a fairly well trained one who sort of listened sometimes. If there was an interesting smell for him to follow though we had no chance.

He was an expert food stealer, who would systematically work out all the ways to open a cupboard/tin/fridge and wouldn't take no for an answer.

He didn't like being left alone and was known to cause varying levels of destruction in the home when he was left to his own devices.

He was a gorgeous looking dog, with a lovely nature. But I will stick to my labs, thank you very much! In my eyes, there is no contest.

Labradors actively wish to please you and are a lovely breed to own with a family. A well trained labrador is an absolute delight and will give you many years of pleasure.

Cant add any more to what chocolatelime has wisely said .

Gorgeous dogs but a nightmare to own . It is very sad to have a lovely dog and never ever be able to let them off the leash for their own safety . Recall in my experience is too hit and miss .
Go with a labrador Lemongrab .

Lets put it this way, we have a Beagle and the postwoman knocks on the living room window as she knows I don't open the front door incase whoever it is hasn't shut the gate. The last time she escaped it took us nearly 3 hrs to catch her. Get yourself a Lab, I wouldn't be without Rosie but the only the back door can be left opened as it is secure on the back garden with no chance of her getting out. I feel really sorry for her when my other dogs are running round on field, so we bought her a horse training lead nearly 20ft long, she loves this but she can't run off when she gets a scent.

I have had regular contact with two beagles....I have no idea who owned either!
The first one was at my brothers house, and it used to appear and let itself into the house, it seemed as soon as you started cooking ( I think my brother vaguely knew where it lived)

The second was a couple of years later, ...I kept on thinking I was hearing my cat eating, when I got home from work and I would go down to see him, and he wasn't there..... Very unusual as he was a very social cat....I finally discovered that I had a beagle visitor, coming into our house and stealing his food, unfortunately for the beagle, my cat cottoned on to what was going on, and sorted it out.....it took it a while to get the message.....it was very tenacious, but my cat was large ( Maine coon size) and even more determined!

But do you see a pattern........

Well, better be a Labrador then!
l had heard stories but had never spoken to someone with any first hand Beagle experience. Dh and I always wonder why, despite being beautiful dogs with lovely temperaments, there seem to be so few of them around! Now we know!
I definitely have a soft spot for Labs too, so I think we'll take your wise advice and go with a Lab. Thank you for your replies.
Now, just need to decide on black, chocolate or yellow...

Years ago we had a beagle cross. We also owned a labrador at the same time. I would never want a hound tyoe again as he was totally untrainable and I knew what I was doing!

We now have 2 lads...nuff said

Labs...I ment labs not lads!!!

Coudnt choose Lemon .......so best go for one of each . But the chocolate ones are scrumptious .

My friend has a beagle and it is WILD.

Mynewmoniker - hounds are lovely looking though aren't they?
LittleTulip - definitely don't want a WILD dog!
bassetfeet My Lab was black, but I do love the chocolate ones, they're so..chunky and delicious! The yellow ones match my carpets better though! Decisions, decisions!

go chocolate

they are fab ;)

Came back to this & I'm so pleased that the labrador option has gone to the top of your list! If I had the choice of all 3 colours, I would go for black every time. They are definitely the most intelligent and honestly yellow labrador hair shows up on EVERYTHING! A cute black lab puppy with a little pink tummy - there is nothing like it

We own a beagle. DO NOT GET ONE!

We got ours as a pup and have worked very hard to train her. She is now nearly 5. We can let her off the lead if we do a recce first of where we are and the likely escape routes. However if a beagle gets the scent of something, nothing will bring them back. I have regularly had to run across fields etc to catch her (not good after two children!)

Her recall is absolutely crap, she is obsessed with food and is always nicking things. She has chewed many shoes. Their strongest trait is stubbornness, it is a constant battle of wills. They are also quite strong dogs, who pull on the lead, and stop/start as they sniff things, so perhaps not ideal for children to walk. We have just found a beagle walking group near enough to us that we are going to start going to that, as they love to run in packs.

We had both had experience of dogs and knew beagles before we got her, but they are very hard work and she has really tested us.

On the upside she is adorable, loving and cuddly, gets on great with other dogs, and I think we have got lucky in that we can walk her off lead which makes her a bit easier to exercise. We feel we have got her as well trained as we ever will, so it was as much a case of us training ourselves to live with a beagle!

I am often stopped by people who comment on how gorgeous she is, and say that they would love a beagle. They usually know nothing about the breed, and I always say to research them thoroughly and think seriously about whey they want to get one. In fact I often try to put people off, especially if they haven't owned a dog before.Someone near us got a puppy a few years ago - they had quite young children at the time - they lasted about three months before they gave her back. Not fair on the dog.

That all said, I would get another beagle in a moment, would have a whole pack of them if I could, now that I know more about the breed. Saying that I would happily have labs too - lovely dogs.

MyPegsAreFab - Thank you for the advice - we've now decided that perhaps a Beagle wouldn't be right for us. I've had dogs before but didn't know much about Beagles at all so it's good to hear from people who know or own one. We just love the look of them, but I know that's a bad reason to pick a breed!
chocolatelime - My Lab was black and a really gorgeous boy, I always think of him when I see one. It's just so hard to pick one colour!
everlong - I'll look up the Italian Spinone, sounds like they have all the right traits!

We have a border collie, fab dog. V clever, great recall, great with the kids.

We also have a beagle, different dog altogether!!

Very very stubborn, can't let him off the lead cos he is a flight risk if he gets a scent. Chews stuff, jumps up constantly to get food etc

However, he is adorable, loves his cuddles on the sofa in the evenings, is fab with the kids and although we don't let him off the lead he is great on walks. Very cute the way he walks along sniffing his way

They are different dogs but get on great and we wouldn't be without either of them now

I have a yellow lab. I often meet a couple with two beagles whilst walking and we chat as dog owners do. I was saying how my labs recall wasn't great but we were getting there and i commented his cute the beagles were. She gave me a wry look and said that they were very lovely but they had minds of their own and at least i would be able to train my lab! Says it all really.

We have a beagle. We love her but will never have one again! She is a rescue who has had 3 homes already by the time she was 10 months. She is 17 months now and we finally have her 95 per sent house trained. She has no recall and will run up to you so she is just out of reach before running off! Very annoying. We have brought a horse line like the other poster. She also steals things off of kitchen work top and tables. She chews things up and howls. The garden had to be completely beagle proofed and we have hardly any grass left. That said she is lovely with the kids,great fun but so incredibly stubborn that we couldn't do it again! My brother has a lovely Labrador though.

I feel your pain, Suck! Last night DH was making wraps, and was sure he had taken the wraps out of the breadbin. Was searching everywhere for them and eventually found the empty packet under our bed. None of us know how Fabbyhound got them, she is a stealth ninja.

She is currently snoring upside down on the couch. There is no doubt who is pack leader in this house!

Well DGP own beagles but they are working/hunting dogs not pets IYSWIM. So yes we do need to take a lot of precautions for them not to escape and always leash them when walking, because otherwise they would get a scent and leg it. On the plus side they are non aggressive and we have had no problems with them being around children. They do need a lot of exercise though.

My neighbour had a rescued one aged about 3 and is now 8.
He says he can never let him off the lead in the fields, is very food orientated and hates other males that walk past his house.
He has a very loud bark as if he is a giant of a dog. He is not a speedy mover. My little dog is built for running and she moves like the wind. He waddles .
He does not leave the front garden when with his owner and he could as very short wall.
I have met smaller beagles who are off the lead and are obedient.

Thank you everyone for your posts, it's definitely helped.
We've had a family chat (me, Dh and two dd's) and we've decided that when it's time to have a dog, it will be a Labrador. Probably chocolate but we're not 100% decided on colour yet! (Though I'm already imagining a gorgeous chunky chocolate lab pup called Bandit lolloping around!

Whoops, lost a bracket!

A friend of mine has a beagle that they rescued. She's very cute but EXTREMELY high maintenance! Can't be off lead, terrible seperation anxiety, pees in the house still regularly... She's a million times better than when they first got her but still very, very hard work.
Do love a lab, but as I just said on another thread (re boxers/pointers) look at a Portuguese Water Dog! Feel like I am slightly on a one-woman-campaign to raise their profile, but can't help sharing the fact that in my view I've found the perfect family dog for a reasonably active family, especially with older kids who want a canine best mate!

We have a rescue beagle, shes loyal, beautiful rather fat (part historic and part age now) and lazy until she spots a morsel of food and than my god she goes. Weve never had a problem with her off lead as she will not leave my side bless her. She`ll nick food if she can so you have to watch her. She snores and farts like no ones business and is a complete grand old lady. She suffers terribly if I leave her for too long, so needs a lot of attention, which we can give her. So not suitable for all people. Shes wonderful and patient with the little one.

I wouldnt be without her, shes had terrible first part of life but has wonderful loving one now.