Beagles?

[opalescent]

Can anyone tell me about their experience of beagles?
We are a family of four- myself and DH, and our 8 & 4 year old children.

We'd really like a compact and friendly dog. Prepared to walk daily, and have a decent large green space over the road.

Medium sized house, and a good sized garden.

I predominantly work from home, and will continue to do so. Occasional 1-2 trips outside of the home during the day, where our dog would be alone.

We really like the idea of a beagle, but would love to know more!

Ours is our first dog.

They can be challenging but they are also incredibly rewarding. Your set-up actually sounds perfect for a beagle but yes, they can be a challenge to train and they need a lot of supervision for the first few years

I don't regret getting him AT ALL and he's a fantastic fit for our family but he was a big adjustment!

If a beagle is the size you're after, another option could be a cocker spaniel?

We have a now 11 year old boy, he is greedy, wilful and cheeky but has the best temperament of any dog I have ever met (and I grew up with a few). I know you can’t trust any dog 100% but I can overlook his numerous vices because he adores our children, other pets and wouldn’t hurt a fly x

I wouldn't get one if you're a first time dog owner.
They are extremely challenging in terms of training, howling, eating anything and everything, on the scent constantly (my friend's Beagle went down a rabbit hole and refused to come out, she had to leave him over night), they moult A LOT, they're hounds and do what hounds do, smelly, escape artists.
Suggestions - cocker spaniel, tibetan terrier, soft-coated wheaten terrier, miniature poodle

There have been several threads on here in recent months on beagles, good and bad. Suggest doing a bit of a search and settling in with a cup of tea to read through.

In short, though, if you can give them what they need (and it sounds like you can) then they're the best dogs ever.

They are extremely challenging in terms of training, howling, eating anything and everything, on the scent constantly (my friend's Beagle went down a rabbit hole and refused to come out, she had to leave him over night), they moult A LOT, they're hounds and do what hounds do, smelly, escape artists.

Out of interest, have you ever owned a beagle, or are you just basing it on what your friends' was like?

Because mine is really nothing like you describe. He was incredibly easy to train as he LOVES food and will do anything to get a treat. He will get a scent sometimes but that just means I'm selective about when and where I let him off the lead.

He can be noisy, but he's certainly not smelly and he really doesn't moult all that much.

I actually don't think they're a particularly hard breed to own but you do need to treat them like hounds instead of expecting them to respond like a spaniel.

@Slavetoboys

We have a now 11 year old boy, he is greedy, wilful and cheeky but has the best temperament of any dog I have ever met (and I grew up with a few). I know you can’t trust any dog 100% but I can overlook his numerous vices because he adores our children, other pets and wouldn’t hurt a fly x

Totally agree, they have the BEST temperaments and are fantastic with children.

There's a reason they're used for testing in labs - because they're so good natured and trusting of people. You very, very rarely hear of an aggressive beagle.

Well all dogs are different, for example - I have a lazy spaniel! I didn't own one but did live with them for a while. Beagles are wonderful just not for the faint hearted - you see enough in rescues.

Our rescue beagle would regularly go walkabout if we went anywhere interesting and be gone for at least 24 hours. She was a nightmare to walk as she would just go. I'd say not for families.

Ours was/is our first dog too. He’s been an amazing family pet to the extent I don’t think we’ll ever get another dog because nothing could match up to him!

And we have three young kids (the beagle came before the children).

@anamazingfind

Our rescue beagle would regularly go walkabout if we went anywhere interesting and be gone for at least 24 hours. She was a nightmare to walk as she would just go. I'd say not for families.

On the contrary I would say they are excellent family dogs.

Great temperaments, tolerant, funny, don't shed a great deal, rarely aggressive, great with children and very affectionate.

How did yours manage get loose and disappear so often?

@sunflowersandbuttercups We've always owned dogs (mostly spaniels) and they have always been good off the lead. This one would just go. It was a rescue dog so would probably have been fine to train from a puppy. She was mad for food though but funnily enough, never barked. She did snap twice at toddler DS so had to be rehomed again, sadly.

DH had a beagle cross as a family dog when we first met and it was pure evil. It would bite everyone in the family and lurked at the bottom of the stairs barking at me and trapping me upstairs!

It would also escape out of the garden.

Oh, and if it didn't get two hour long walks a day would crap on the downstairs mat. Not my favourite dog im afraid

We had a beagle for over 10 years.
She was a really easy going dog, so good with our kids. Friendly, cuddly, didn't bark much (but this was a lot of training!!) and happy to walk or not.

However.....they are REALLY intelligent and stubborn and are quite resourceful when presented with a problem that will result in a food treat.

Prone to obesity. Prone to steroid responsive meningitis - often develops in puppyhood but ours developed it aged 6. She was on steroids for the rest of her life but most of the time, it was well controlled.
Meet a good dog proof bin and be prepared to spend hours searching in bushes/hedges if you let them off the lead...!!!!

My lovely girl, now sadly departed.

Oh yes, escapology! Make sure your garden is securer than you think it is! Our dog could squeeze through some ridiculous spaces!

I grew up with a beagle cross. They are lovely, friendly and gentle dogs, but their recall is terrible, and this can be quite stressful. They are also prone to epilepsy, I have known several beagles and hounds with this.
I would not have a beagle as a first dog, it is unkind to keep a dog on a lead, but their recall problems could be difficult to manage with children. You can’t go charging off after your dog if you have two small children in tow.

We have one she's nearly 11 I'd never have another, she's greedy, will jump and steal food off someone's plate at the table even if they are sat there she's an opportunist so has to be shut out in the hall while we eat, she can't be let off lead either unless in an enclosed field, she howls when she believes it's tea time, is really not snuggly other than when I was pregnant when she was really cuddly, enjoys a game of ball inside but just stares at you if you try it out on a walk, sheds all year round but I love her and can't imagine not having her, she's still a very pretty girl despite being older and still loves to go on long walks together, has never had any health issues other than a tooth removal when she was a pup, likes to sleep next to me despite not being cuddly during the day, has never damaged the house and always been fine being left for a couple of hours while we're working so isn't all bad but they definitely aren't for the faint hearted.

Hunting pack animals.
Lovely, affectionate, very likeable.
Till they want to run, then you'll struggle to keep them in, and if they're out and off the lead they're gone.
You may become familiar with whatever kennels the police/ dog warden take the runaways to.
Definitely not for beginners. Difficult to fit in to a family.

PS. Some of the difficulties, separation anxiety, destroying things, arise because these are not animals bred to live alone: they are pack dogs- please don't get one, two is the minimum.
But their pack will always be their first reference point, not you.
Great if you've got a country estate. Otherwise, probably not.

I would disagree with those who that they're not for families due to their poor recall and behaviour off lead.

They are excellent family pets imo. But they do need to be given plenty of exercise and company, and sadly too many households fail to provide either, and they end up with a dog who is bored, lonely and destructive and/or noisy.

Mine is three and gets at least ninety minutes of (mostly off-lead) exercise a day, normally more, and he's rarely, if ever, left alone. They love company and don't do well in homes where they're on their own for hours, or where exercise is just a walk around the block.

Yes they can catch scents but you need to teach yourself about hounds. Mine goes off lead at the beach because there's nowhere he can really get to. I know when he's starting to scent and put him back on his lead or use a longline. His recall is much better than many other dogs I walk (I'm a dog walker) as his obedience and attention span.

He's not perfect but I do think many people have no idea how to raise or train a beagle. They are not labradors or spaniels or terriers and too many people forget that and then wonder why their dog is frustrated doesn't listen.

Ours was very hard to house train. Also she's very greedy and no recall. She is however great with the kids and very sweet but definitely the hardest dog I've owned (previously lab/jack russell/parsons)