Beagle dog advice
Discussion
Hello all,
We are looking to get a dog and really considering to get a beagle! I have not had a dog for ages (used to have a massive anatolian shephard and later boxer when I was a kid).. In my early adulty-life, did loads of travelling and changing countries so never had a chance really. Would like to get some advice from the owners if possible?
- Are they o.k. in a flat? We are currently in a 2 bed flat in London(planning to move soon), but literally steps away from Victoria Park, so would not have a problem about daily runnings. I'm away at work all day but my wife works from home, and pretty flexible hours so I guess she might be o.k.
- Any specific health issues to worry about?
- Finally, how do I get a healthy puppy? seen loads of breeders info and etc.. but really not sure about their reliability.
Many thanks in advance!
We are looking to get a dog and really considering to get a beagle! I have not had a dog for ages (used to have a massive anatolian shephard and later boxer when I was a kid).. In my early adulty-life, did loads of travelling and changing countries so never had a chance really. Would like to get some advice from the owners if possible?
- Are they o.k. in a flat? We are currently in a 2 bed flat in London(planning to move soon), but literally steps away from Victoria Park, so would not have a problem about daily runnings. I'm away at work all day but my wife works from home, and pretty flexible hours so I guess she might be o.k.
- Any specific health issues to worry about?
- Finally, how do I get a healthy puppy? seen loads of breeders info and etc.. but really not sure about their reliability.
Many thanks in advance!
https://www.beaglewelfare.org.uk/
These people might be able to help. I cannot recommend them but my wife is making some pencil cases and pouches for them to sell
These people might be able to help. I cannot recommend them but my wife is making some pencil cases and pouches for them to sell
My freiends have a 9 month old begeale that loves to roll in cow s
t
It’s left alone in the house with plenty of toys between 8-3 but it still chews everything and anything
It’s chewed though 2 sofas and a lot of skirting board, they haven’t trained it very well so it jumps up a lot
It’s a nice dog though I love playing with it but it just doesn’t get tired, they live in a house with a 100ft garden and it will run up and down all day
tIt’s left alone in the house with plenty of toys between 8-3 but it still chews everything and anything
It’s chewed though 2 sofas and a lot of skirting board, they haven’t trained it very well so it jumps up a lot
It’s a nice dog though I love playing with it but it just doesn’t get tired, they live in a house with a 100ft garden and it will run up and down all day
Not sure they are really right for living in a flat.
Whilst all dogs can howl and bark some breeds are more prone to it. Beagles can be particularly impressive howlers!! (not all of them will be of course, but many are) how would your neighbours feel about that?
They are a fun breed but not the easiest breed. May be talk to beagle rescue groups they will know all their quirks and you can then be well informed.
Whilst all dogs can howl and bark some breeds are more prone to it. Beagles can be particularly impressive howlers!! (not all of them will be of course, but many are) how would your neighbours feel about that?
They are a fun breed but not the easiest breed. May be talk to beagle rescue groups they will know all their quirks and you can then be well informed.
ooid said:
my wife works from home, and pretty flexible hours so I guess she might be o.k.:
Excuse the tough questions but they are provoked by your seemingly lackadaisical approach to a pretty huge decision.Who 'might' be OK, your OH? Why do you 'guess' and why only 'might'? Have you not thoroughly talked this through?
What happens if after a period she's not OK - are you considering brining a dog into your home because you're keeping the option open of getting rid of it, if things don't work out?
Will your OH be happy cleaning the dog down when she takes it to the park through the winter, several times a day?
How about fostering dogs first to see if your schedules and home life work out?
Our previous dog was a Beagle, so I am happy to answer any questions you have.
We had him for 8 years, before we sadly lost him to illness.
Firstly, I would never ever have another beagle.
They are destructive dogs, he chewed everything. They have loads of energy, so if you dont get it out and tired every day, it just makes matters worse.
He would go through bins and figure out ways of opening kitchen cupboards that contained food
Ours was fine off the lead and quite fine on recall. They are very intelligent and will do anything for treats. Ours could do all the usual stuff plus a load of extras like bang, play dead etc. No treat, no tricks though.
Despite all this, he was a lovely dog and a well loved family pet.
That was the last dog I let my kids choose, I put my foot down and our next pup was a Springer Spaniel. I can honestly say that I have never had such an easy dog to train and one thats so well behaved.
We had him for 8 years, before we sadly lost him to illness.
Firstly, I would never ever have another beagle.
They are destructive dogs, he chewed everything. They have loads of energy, so if you dont get it out and tired every day, it just makes matters worse.
He would go through bins and figure out ways of opening kitchen cupboards that contained food
Ours was fine off the lead and quite fine on recall. They are very intelligent and will do anything for treats. Ours could do all the usual stuff plus a load of extras like bang, play dead etc. No treat, no tricks though.
Despite all this, he was a lovely dog and a well loved family pet.
That was the last dog I let my kids choose, I put my foot down and our next pup was a Springer Spaniel. I can honestly say that I have never had such an easy dog to train and one thats so well behaved.
ReverendCounter said:
Excuse the tough questions but they are provoked by your seemingly lackadaisical approach to a pretty huge decision.
I really laughed about it, after re-reading my post, you are right, it does sound quite relax!..
What I meant was, we could train and get out with the dog as much as we could, having one of us at least working from home. We love dogs, having owned both of us in the past.
andyb28 said:
I put my foot down and our next pup was a Springer Spaniel. I can honestly say that I have never had such an easy dog to train and one thats so well behaved.
Thats very interesting to hear. I love springer spaniels, one of my best mates had it for years when we were growing up. Always assumed beagle would have been a bit easy-going despite their hunting background.
We've just adopted a 2 year old beagle, his previous family said he was happy home alone and generally a well behaved dog (they had 4 kids and struggled with time to walk him). The move seems to have shocked him a little and he's rather clingy with my wife and I.
However, he doesn't seem to want to chew anything (including a peanut butter filled kong) and is good on the lead. How he settles is going to be the hard part as my wife and I work full time so he'll need to be alone.
He's quite cute though - taken on his first trip to the pub in the next village
However, he doesn't seem to want to chew anything (including a peanut butter filled kong) and is good on the lead. How he settles is going to be the hard part as my wife and I work full time so he'll need to be alone.
He's quite cute though - taken on his first trip to the pub in the next village
Gaz. said:
I read that as 'couldn't be bothered' as it's not hard to get the kids in wellies and take the dog for a walk.
Yeah, I didn;t want to be mean but we suspect that is the case. He's pretty anxious but behaving well to commands and bonding well. That puppy is brilliant! A deep sadness that I don't think I've ever been as happy as that pup was with some biscuits!
As others have said, noisy and naughty are common traits.
My Wife's friend has one and she was kicked out of dog school because it just barked/howled all the time and upset the class
There is a group of beagle owners who meet up at my local country park on Saturday mornings usually about 10 owners and more dogs. Its just an hour of noise that can be heard all around the park.
There is another family that have one that I see regularly and it always kicks off at my dog. Every single time the owner tells me "he doesn't like Alsatians"
Which may be true but I have a Belgian Shepherd so whats his problem
Of course you may get a perfectly nice quite one
My Wife's friend has one and she was kicked out of dog school because it just barked/howled all the time and upset the class
There is a group of beagle owners who meet up at my local country park on Saturday mornings usually about 10 owners and more dogs. Its just an hour of noise that can be heard all around the park.
There is another family that have one that I see regularly and it always kicks off at my dog. Every single time the owner tells me "he doesn't like Alsatians"
Which may be true but I have a Belgian Shepherd so whats his problem
Of course you may get a perfectly nice quite one
A good friend had one. Lots of hard work that never really paid off.
Took him to behaviorist's, never really helped.
Dog walkers would refuse to take him just purely because he was too rowdy.
If you visited their house it was a solid 2/3 min barking session when you ring the bell. They actually used to cancel nights out due to the fact it would upset the dog and then the neighbors etc.
A lovely dog. Never a vicious dog. Just very very vocal and boisterous. In the end they had to give him away to a farmer just so he could have total free reign.
Took him to behaviorist's, never really helped.
Dog walkers would refuse to take him just purely because he was too rowdy.
If you visited their house it was a solid 2/3 min barking session when you ring the bell. They actually used to cancel nights out due to the fact it would upset the dog and then the neighbors etc.
A lovely dog. Never a vicious dog. Just very very vocal and boisterous. In the end they had to give him away to a farmer just so he could have total free reign.
Edited by FoxtrotOscar1 on Monday 24th September 12:15
Words fail me......both at work, live in a flat and you want a hunting dog?!
I've had a number of dogs over 40 years and it never ceases to amaze me how people have no idea when it comes to looking after 'mans best friend'
As a hunting dog beagles need serious exercise......in their natural environment they are run over at least seven miles a day. Against my better judgement wife and son got one from a beagle breeder friend......she was never left alone and walked three times daily......that was not enough!
A wonderful companion; faithful (except in pursuit of a sniff), clever and fearless but I would not have another.....too much like hard work! Kate had a whale of a time with us until a stroke finished her aged 10......still miss her strangely enough.
In the OP's circumstances I would NOT recommend the beagle, especially as the dog will be left alone.......you'll come home to piles of s*it as well as a destroyed home! You have been warned!
Yes I know one of you home works but believe me Beagles are not happy being left alone (pack animals see) even for just an hour!
I've had a number of dogs over 40 years and it never ceases to amaze me how people have no idea when it comes to looking after 'mans best friend'
As a hunting dog beagles need serious exercise......in their natural environment they are run over at least seven miles a day. Against my better judgement wife and son got one from a beagle breeder friend......she was never left alone and walked three times daily......that was not enough!
A wonderful companion; faithful (except in pursuit of a sniff), clever and fearless but I would not have another.....too much like hard work! Kate had a whale of a time with us until a stroke finished her aged 10......still miss her strangely enough.
In the OP's circumstances I would NOT recommend the beagle, especially as the dog will be left alone.......you'll come home to piles of s*it as well as a destroyed home! You have been warned!
Yes I know one of you home works but believe me Beagles are not happy being left alone (pack animals see) even for just an hour!
Edited by Pugmitch on Monday 24th September 20:47
Beagles are hard work, there is no denying that, but with the right training and commitment then they aren't as difficult as everyone makes out. They will not work for you, you need to work with them, I once read that dogs such as Spaniels will see you as their master and will look up to you, Beagles see you as a partner, they will work with you for as long as it suits them.
When we first got our Beagle we lived in a small 2 bed house with no garden, she was walked for an hour each morning on a long lead, left for 4 hours, walked for 45 minutes at lunch time then left for another 3 hours where she would have another half an hour walk in the evening. 95% of the time she was good as gold, slept all day and hadn't moved from the sofa where she had been left. The other 5% of the time she would destroy anything that she could get her paws on including carpets and sofas! We have since moved to a larger house with a good sized garden and she is a different dog, much better at being left alone and (although we don't) she could easily be left all day without causing any trouble. She is quite happy to sit by the patio doors and look out at the garden all day. The one thing I would say about leaving them is not to give them too much freedom, they seem to respond better to being left in one room (we leave her in the kitchen whereas we used to let her have the whole house at our old place) where they have less temptations.
I have never known a dog that is so loving either, she is so submissive and soft with out 1 year old who is not always the most gentle with her! She also seems to love the elderly and disabled, often pulling towards groups who are out on day trips knowing that she will get a fuss from them!
Beagles are naughty when they are bored, generally you will never tire one out by exercise alone, the best thing to tire a beagle out is scent based training, hiding treats for them to hunt for or doing obedience training.
Work with them and they are loving companions, expect them to work for you and you are heading for trouble.
And always have treats in your pocket, they will do anything for treats.
When we first got our Beagle we lived in a small 2 bed house with no garden, she was walked for an hour each morning on a long lead, left for 4 hours, walked for 45 minutes at lunch time then left for another 3 hours where she would have another half an hour walk in the evening. 95% of the time she was good as gold, slept all day and hadn't moved from the sofa where she had been left. The other 5% of the time she would destroy anything that she could get her paws on including carpets and sofas! We have since moved to a larger house with a good sized garden and she is a different dog, much better at being left alone and (although we don't) she could easily be left all day without causing any trouble. She is quite happy to sit by the patio doors and look out at the garden all day. The one thing I would say about leaving them is not to give them too much freedom, they seem to respond better to being left in one room (we leave her in the kitchen whereas we used to let her have the whole house at our old place) where they have less temptations.
I have never known a dog that is so loving either, she is so submissive and soft with out 1 year old who is not always the most gentle with her! She also seems to love the elderly and disabled, often pulling towards groups who are out on day trips knowing that she will get a fuss from them!
Beagles are naughty when they are bored, generally you will never tire one out by exercise alone, the best thing to tire a beagle out is scent based training, hiding treats for them to hunt for or doing obedience training.
Work with them and they are loving companions, expect them to work for you and you are heading for trouble.
And always have treats in your pocket, they will do anything for treats.
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