Beagle or West Highland Terrier?

[doggiedecisions]

We're looking to get a dog soon and really like Beagles and Westie's. Can anyone help please on which would be a good family dog. We have young dc ages 4 and 6, a fairly large home and garden, couple of cats. We love the countryside and nice walks. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Get a westie and call him Kanye

They are quite different dogs! What has made you settle on that shortlist?

Beagles are very definitely not first-time dogs. They are wilful and stubborn, and need owners who know what they are doing, and know how to work with their hunting drive.
Inexperienced owners and/or not enough training would be a total disaster - they are very prone to roaming

Westies also need training to prevent yappiness, and are still a terrier, but are generally more laid back most terrier breeds

Thanks for responding. DH has had dogs most of his life so has a lot of experience. We know people who have West Highland terriers and can't praise them enough. When we've been around them they've been great with DC and I'm told they are adaptable and good with kids. I've read and heard lots of differing info on Beagles. Most seem to really really love these dogs, we are tops they are great family dogs, good with DC and we've read and been told they are difficult to train, can't let them off the lead etc etc but then we've heard from others that they have had no problems letting them off lead and they are great dogs! So hard to know with such varying opinions.

It's a rare beagle that would be safe offlead in the open countryside . I know a few and only one that goes offlead as an adult dog . I also know a pug x beagle and he goes offlead if he's out with other reliable dogs and even then if he catches a scent he's off.

I find westies temperamental and difficult to handle, I think it's the terrier in them as they don't give up very easily (I am a vet nurse and handle a lot of them!) They are also prone to skin disease, diabeties and a few other health issues. I would choose your breeder very carefully.
I don't know whether they are better in the home as I've never owned one, but there's a reason your vets face may sink when he has to touch that does not want to be messed with

Beagles generally are more even tempered and seem to be less likely to be argumentative but again are not easy to train for a first time owner. Out of the two this would be my choice though.

There are so many breeds out there, what requirements do you have?

Fucky I really need to get a westie and call it Kanye

Kanye Westie 😂😂👏

Haven't had a Westie so I can't compare how easy they are to train. Can tell you all about beagles.

They are great family pets, bomb proof temperaments if well bred. Easy to train in some ways - very food motivated and pick up commands quickly. But also stubborn, self-interested and will test the rules every day of their lives. No instinct to please you, they just do the maths on what will please themselves most. You have to understand the mentality and use positive reinforcement to tip the scale in your favour. For example I will never persuade our beagle that trying to snatch food off the table is bad behaviour. So I have taught him that if he sits in his bed while we eat, odd bits of food will come to him. He's done the maths and realised his chances of success are better in the bed.

Ours was my first dog and it was a hell of a learning curve. But he is now well trained, and absolutely can go off the lead as long as there isn't a picnic within 500 yards. He's currently curled up on the sofa with me, snoring.

Beagles are very definitely not first-time dogs. They are wilful and stubborn, and need owners who know what they are doing, and know how to work with their hunting drive. Inexperienced owners and/or not enough training would be a total disaster - they are very prone to roaming

THIS ^ Beagles are lovely dogs, but very hard work, incredibly energetic and with a very, very strong prey drive (re: their energy levels - they are described as a dog which can run at full pelt all day while yodelling - and this isn't much of an exaggeration). They are also hard to train, wilful and disobedient (but are usually very sweet-natured).

They are short-coated, so easy to keep clean, but shed a lot - you will find little spikes hairs like hedgehog prickles in the weave of your jumpers, carpets etc. They are also greedy, thieving, little buggers, so you will have to watch them for food left lying about.

Wastes are just wonderful! We've had four - yes, they are stubborn sometimes, but they are bright, intelligent, charming, full of fun and just the BEST! (You may notice a slight bias in my opinion . . . ).

All of ours have been fabulous with children of all ages, ad very trustworthy with our cats. They do tend to be happy - but that's terriers for you - and require a clip every two/three months and thorough grooming daily and after every walk. If you clip your dog yourself, make sure you clear a "landing strip" under his/her tail - necessary with any long-haired dog. They have a double coat, so will get very tangled if you don't groom them properly, but they shed very little hair. They aren't usually greedy, but are interested enough in treats to train with them. They are also nice and portable if you ever need to carry them anywhere (e.g. escalators).

They are the BEST!!!

*westies , not wastes

I don't know what autocorrect is thinking of.

*yappy - not happy, but they are cheerful little souls

I LOVE beagles - I used to live with 3 of them. Full of affection and cuddles, were of no danger whatsoever to the 2 guinea pigs and 3 chickens they shared the garden with and generally good on the lead. But I must concur with pp's - they're bloody bonkers, have no social graces whatsoever, no sense of personal space and have very very selective hearing. Cannot be left alone (they will let the whole of your postcode know if they've been left). No personal experience of westies but a friend has 3 and they're pretty sweet of a bit yappy. Out of the 2, I'd say go for the westie. But then I'm not mad keen on terrier types around young children either (and I say that as a someone who happily grew up with jack russells and Bedlington Xs). Any reason for those 2 breeds?

If my name wasn't a dead giveaway, my beagle is the absolute best dog I have ever had. My heart feels physically sore with how much I love him. He's a gem.

They're sweet as can be, fantastic with children, typically very social with other dogs etc. Ours is now 6.5 and he's no longer full of energy, but still looks forward to his two walks a day and his dog park trips (where he does what we call the "butt tuck and run" - he tucks his tail and lowers his whole body to the ground so that he can be as aerodynamic as possible when shooting around the park). Most of the day he's snoozing happily in his beds or in the sun. Very food oriented, so somewhat easy to train. But they are scent hounds, so can be impossible to let off the lead, though I do know a couple of beagles who are able to be off the lead (mine is not one of them!) We have four DCs, ranging from almost 8 years old to almost 8 months old. I could not have asked for a better family dog than him. He adores them, plays with them, runs with them, lets them pester him, sit on him, dress him up etc.

I would say that PPs are correct to say that they can be challenging though. He was a naughty puppy. Took 6 months to housetrain, and would steal and destroy any small object within reach for the first 18 months/2 years. But a total character. He never destroyed anything big - just had a real affinity for pegs and lip balms etc.

And they are notorious for separation anxiety. This is the reason we have a second (non-beagle) dog. If you can't be home with them 24/7 or take them with you everywhere, they may struggle without a friend. Ours would howl the house down if we left him on his own for even 5 minutes and they do not relent.

I have no experience with Westies, but from my distanced perspective, they seem very different to beagles, so I'm not sure that much good will come from comparing the two breeds!

Mum's got a Westie, she's a nightmare. She's done everything right from day one yet she can't let her off lead, she doesn't like anyone coming in/going out. Barks constantly at everytjing and nothing, is scared of the dark, noises everything. She's had group training, one to one training, psychologists at great expense. Nothing works, she's 5 now and still a nightmare...has mum in tears of frustration most days

Mum's got a Westie, she's a nightmare. She's done everything right from day one yet she can't let her off lead, she doesn't like anyone coming in/going out. Barks constantly at everytjing and nothing, is scared of the dark, noises everything. She's had group training, one to one training, psychologists at great expense. Nothing works, she's 5 now and still a nightmare...has mum in tears of frustration most days

I wouldn't want to take on a beagle. Major recall issues and hard to train. High energy. And I have a wolfhound!
Westies are terriers. Often full of attitude! They are very prone to some health problems like skin issues.
Maybe better starting with what you want. Eg. How long do you want to walk each day? Would you like a high energy dog that needs a job like agility or a bit of a couch potato? How much shedding/groom in can you tolerate? How big is your house/garden? Would you mind something that needed regular baths or trips to the groomers?

I don't have a Beagle, but I walk a ten year old one for my neighbour sometimes. Unless she's with the owner she'll be off the second you take off her lead. She hates Staffies and pulls forwards or backwards alternately depending on which intriguing smell there is to sniff. That said, she's a lovely, well-trained and gorgeous dog without an aggressive bone in her body.

West Highlands and Beagles are two VERY different breeds - the ideal owner for one wouldn't necessarily be the ideal owner for the other, and neither are breeds I would typically catergorise as being generally cat friendly.

I have a Westie, I adore the bones of him but I wouldn't have the breed again. They're fun little dogs and great characters, but are very typical in their terrier nature and very strong willed. Mine hates cats, is not fond of dogs unless they're ones he knows well and intolerant of children too. He's 14 now and I adore him, but my next dog would definitely be different breed.

I have two working cocker spaniels. They are absolutely lovely family dogs, loving children and the countryside. They were rehomes. They are, surprisingly, much easier than our Labrador who we sadly lost around 18 months ago. They tend to stay in the garden and don't roam. They are very good with children.

My experience of westies, in particular, is that they are unreliable around children. Our ndn's bit my youngest dd for no reason whatsoever and apparently it was not the first time.

No experience of beagles other than I understand they are howlers, so I hope you are in most of the time!

Have to admit that though i am terrier girl to the marrow (and westies especially) our present two dogs are a springer and a cocker (after 34 years of constant yapping, DH insisted on something that didn't bark at al and sundry).

And they are much easier - especially the cocker, who is an absolute delight! (I would still have a westie as well though, if he would let me . . . )