Anyone have a Beagle?

[NewJersey]

I can't believe how many people have beagles! (not BAGELS cantw8 )

We have a fenced in yard but I'm concerned about the digging, especially above the retaining wall b/c there is a dog in our neigbor's yard. I'll have to keep an eye on it because when we had our Scottie, she would push the fence when 'playing' with the dog through the fence so a Beagle could definitely find his way out of it. Other than that, our fence is 'double fenced' on the other sides as our neighbors also have fences so I'm not worried about that (or should I be? ).

I've been checking sites all day for puppies!

 

[NewJersey]

Oh, how are they when they are alone? Do they howl? Do you keep them in cages or give them reign around the house?

Thanks!

 

[Crankyshank]

Yep hercamore, that's the Dog Whisperer. Roswell gets very involved watching Cesar reprimand naughty dogs. She even "talks" to them

My beagles aren't diggers. Before we put in the fence, they would try to dig under the chicken wire fence my neighbor had. DH fixed them by putting a cement trench under the new fence. I've never had a problem with them digging up my landscaping or burying anything outside. Peabody scratches at the ground before rolling in the grass after I've mowed. That's the extent of his scratching.

Roswell is like joshsmom's dog. She will be outside in all elements all day long happily watching the animals in the yard. Peabody is not like that at all. He is very sensitive to the elements and prefers weather between 40 and 75 degrees.

As far as leaving them alone during the day, mine are alone quite a bit and only bark when someone is mowing the lawn, approaching the property, or if a stray cat or squirrel taunts them in the window. Mine are not crate trained because Roswell was kept too long in a crate before we got her and is now afraid, and Peabody howled because he felt it unfair he was crated and Roswell wasn't. They are normally very good when they are home alone and pretty much sleep and look out the window all day. They do have their naughty days though. I have to be very careful about beagle proofing because they do counter surf. Crating them really is a matter of personal preference. I would suggest only allowing the dog to roam a small area while you are gone initially. My parents' kept their pug in the kitchen until he learned to behave and now only upstairs and the front room is off limits.

Really most of the negatives can be eliminated with training. Even barking!

 

[MissBubbles]

My Molly howls but surprisingly only at real "things" - ie possum in a tree, squirrels, loose dogs, etc. She is a real snuggle bunny and will try to take over at least 3/4 of the bed. Very sweet and even tempered.

Her best trait is that she is a magnificant mouser - her kills for the winter are 7 mice and 1 rat (none of them Mickey or Minnie!). Awesome dog - much more laid back than my Schipperke and Schauzer mix.

Quirky thing she has is that I think either her tongue is too long for her mouth or she's lazy - okay on hindsight probably the latter - but her tongue sticks out of her mouth on a regular basis. Not a lot - just kind of the tip. When I first got her from the shelter and was over at my parents house, a family friend thought she was dead since she was snoozing on her back with the tongue out! Very funny!!

 

[mickeyfan2]

They are great pets but they do have an odor.

 

[Princess89]

Can you tell me the good and the bad? Thanks!

I have a beagle, and I love this breed. Mine is extremely over-protective of ME. Noone else, but me. He is extremely loyal and STUBBORN! Did I mention Stubborn? Since he is a hound, he smells EVERYTHING. If I go to my friends house, that has 2 Pit Bulls, when I get home, he will sniff me until I change and that includes socks and shoes. Mine does not howl or bark too much. He'll bark when he see's something, but not much. I try to keep his barking to a minimum, since I have rather unpleasant neighbors in the back. I have actually never heard him howl. My mother had a beagle, and she did howl, and was a cuddler. Not mine. He is my shadow, and will give me actual hugs on his hind legs, and a sniff, but will not cuddle up to me. Which is fine! But like I mentioned he is loyal and over-protective of me to the point where if my DS gives me a hard time and tries to yell back at me, my dog will run down the hallway barking at him to go to his room If he happens to get out of the yard, calling his name and expecting him to come back does NOT happen. That is the stubborn in him. Truly, I like this breed a lot. And I especially like how over-protective he is of me.

 

[NewJersey]

I have a beagle, and I love this breed. Mine is extremely over-protective of ME. Noone else, but me. He is extremely loyal and STUBBORN! Did I mention Stubborn? Since he is a hound, he smells EVERYTHING. If I go to my friends house, that has 2 Pit Bulls, when I get home, he will sniff me until I change and that includes socks and shoes. Mine does not howl or bark too much. He'll bark when he see's something, but not much. I try to keep his barking to a minimum, since I have rather unpleasant neighbors in the back. I have actually never heard him howl. My mother had a beagle, and she did howl, and was a cuddler. Not mine. He is my shadow, and will give me actual hugs on his hind legs, and a sniff, but will not cuddle up to me. Which is fine! But like I mentioned he is loyal and over-protective of me to the point where if my DS gives me a hard time and tries to yell back at me, my dog will run down the hallway barking at him to go to his room If he happens to get out of the yard, calling his name and expecting him to come back does NOT happen. That is the stubborn in him. Truly, I like this breed a lot. And I especially like how over-protective he is of me.

at the 'barking to go to your room!' Everything I have been reading on this thread is making me want to get one really badly! they sound like exactly what I am looking for; I just have to keep my eye out for the right one!

The dog and I might have some words since I'm very stubborn too.

 

[Princess89]

at the 'barking to go to your room!' Everything I have been reading on this thread is making me want to get one really badly! they sound like exactly what I am looking for; I just have to keep my eye out for the right one!

The dog and I might have some words since I'm very stubborn too.

Yeah my dog and I don't see eye to eye on that one either.

 

[NewJersey]

OT: Don't even THINK about passing me in post count.

 

[disneynutt1225]

Toby is crate trained because he's a trouble maker when left on his own for too long. When we first got him, we kept him gated in our kitchen (which was a VERY SMALL galley kitchen). He earned his nickname "Tobini" because after leaving him alone for an hour or so, he'd usually wind up figuring out how to get out of the kitchen.

Once he ate a 5 pound bag of potatoes from the kitchen cabinet -- kiddie locks are our new best friend.

In that same instance, he ate a bunch of sponges. Frankly, it was a miracle he was able to poop after all that! But he didn't have any ill affects, no matter how often I called the vet in those first few hours.

Anyway, Trouble, I mean Toby, is crate trained. He cries for a few minutes when we leave him but usually when we come home we have to wake him up because he sleeps so peacefully in his little den.

 

[NewJersey]

Toby is crate trained because he's a trouble maker when left on his own for too long. When we first got him, we kept him gated in our kitchen (which was a VERY SMALL galley kitchen). He earned his nickname "Tobini" because after leaving him alone for an hour or so, he'd usually wind up figuring out how to get out of the kitchen.

Once he ate a 5 pound bag of potatoes from the kitchen cabinet -- kiddie locks are our new best friend.

In that same instance, he ate a bunch of sponges. Frankly, it was a miracle he was able to poop after all that! But he didn't have any ill affects, no matter how often I called the vet in those first few hours.

Anyway, Trouble, I mean Toby, is crate trained. He cries for a few minutes when we leave him but usually when we come home we have to wake him up because he sleeps so peacefully in his little den.

Wow, beagles sound incredibly smart! I will have to keep my eye out, when I get one. I can't believe he ate 5 lbs of potatoes!

I love reading all these beagle stories.

I think I will crate train him and see how he handles that.

 

[disneynutt1225]

Wow, beagles sound incredibly smart! I will have to keep my eye out, when I get one.

Of course you know we expect pictures when you get one.

And yes, they are definitely smart! We are constantly amazed at how perceptive Toby is.

 

[NewJersey]

Of course you know we expect pictures when you get one.

And yes, they are definitely smart! We are constantly amazed at how perceptive Toby is.

Everyone will be so tired of all the pictures I will post, so don't worry!

 

[UrsulasShadow]

I had a beagle that I was raised alongside...we were puppies together, I guess! My dad hunted rabbits with him, and was of a mind that if he neutered him, he wouldn't be a good hunter anymore, so I think this was most of his problem.
He howled.
He ran away.
He got into people's garbage, and stole steaks right off their grills.
He ticked off so many neighbors they took out a hit on him...I can't tell you how many times he came home poisoned, shot, or with a wire coat hanger twisted around his neck.
He constantly got hit by cars (did I say he was incredibly stupid?).
He lived to be 16 years old.
I really loved that stupid dog.

10 years after his passing, my mother got an irate call from a woman down the street, about our dog digging in her trash again! She refused to believe that our dog had been dead for a decade, and called the dog officer on us to have the dog picked up! Did I mention he never had been neutered? Sporty's legacy lives on!

 

[ckay87]

I had a beagle that I was raised alongside...we were puppies together, I guess! My dad hunted rabbits with him, and was of a mind that if he neutered him, he wouldn't be a good hunter anymore, so I think this was most of his problem.
He howled.
He ran away.
He got into people's garbage, and stole steaks right off their grills.
He ticked off so many neighbors they took out a hit on him...I can't tell you how many times he came home poisoned, shot, or with a wire coat hanger twisted around his neck.
He constantly got hit by cars (did I say he was incredibly stupid?).
He lived to be 16 years old.
I really loved that stupid dog.

10 years after his passing, my mother got an irate call from a woman down the street, about our dog digging in her trash again! She refused to believe that our dog had been dead for a decade, and called the dog officer on us to have the dog picked up! Did I mention he never had been neutered? Sporty's legacy lives on!

OMG that was my childhood beagle! He chased cars and was regularly hit. Heck, even we hit him once. He used to go to the neighboring turkey farm and bring home turkeys. Wow, we were in trouble for that. He killed a rabbit or groundhog everyday. He came home with a hunter's trap on his legs one time. He had half an ear chewed off in a fight. He got another neighbor's purebred something "in a family way" (she was pretty, he was NOT.)

He walked us to the bus stop every morning and was there every afternoon. Considering he didn't spend all day there, I'm sure, he had one heck of an internal doggie clock!

He also lived to 16. We got him when I was 5, he died while I was in college. I still have dreams about him.

New Jersey- I'm sure you have already, but check Petfinder.com. I found a bunch of pure beagle puppies - they are a dime a dozen. Like I said earlier, those beagles get around if you know what I mean

 

[BethR]

We are newer to the Beagle (or Bagle) Brigade. In 2005, DD brought home Bailey from the Animal Rescue League. She was around a year old, looked like she had had a litter of pups, and had never been housebroken and she wormed her way right into our hearts. She loves to go on the car. She still is not perfect with the house training, but we love her to death.

When DD took Bailey with her when she went to graduate school, it was Bailey that I really missed. So I went on Petfinders and found a Bagle that looked a lot like Bailey, and that's how we got Parker. He is such a handsome boy. But he does like to run. And he does bark a LOT when he thinks that someone is coming to our house. He wants to protect us, but is shakes whenever someone DOES come to the door and backs away - barking the whole time. But as soon as someone gets down on his level, he is in their lap.

Now Bailey is back with us - too much alone time for her when DD was in school. So we have TWO Bagles. And they are double the fun. They have so much fun playing together, running through the house, wrestling each other, playing tug of war with toys. We never had boys, but I can imagine this is what it is like raising young boys.

I already am concerned about what will happen when Bailey goes back with her "mom." Maybe I will have to look on Petfinders again...

 

[BeagleBrats]

I have a beagle, and I love this breed. Mine is extremely over-protective of ME. Noone else, but me. He is extremely loyal and STUBBORN! Did I mention Stubborn? Since he is a hound, he smells EVERYTHING. If I go to my friends house, that has 2 Pit Bulls, when I get home, he will sniff me until I change and that includes socks and shoes. Mine does not howl or bark too much. He'll bark when he see's something, but not much. I try to keep his barking to a minimum, since I have rather unpleasant neighbors in the back. I have actually never heard him howl. My mother had a beagle, and she did howl, and was a cuddler. Not mine. He is my shadow, and will give me actual hugs on his hind legs, and a sniff, but will not cuddle up to me. Which is fine! But like I mentioned he is loyal and over-protective of me to the point where if my DS gives me a hard time and tries to yell back at me, my dog will run down the hallway barking at him to go to his room If he happens to get out of the yard, calling his name and expecting him to come back does NOT happen. That is the stubborn in him. Truly, I like this breed a lot. And I especially like how over-protective he is of me.

I have a question on why you would say you have to keep his barking to a minimum because of "rather unpleasant neighbors"?

Is it because they don't like the dog barking, or some other reason? If it is the dog barking, continuous dog barking is so annoying, my neighbors have a dog that barks day and night, I have spoken to them and nothing has been done, so I contacted animal control six months ago and they were threatened with a fine the next time they were contacted and still nothing has changed. So I’m going to talk to them one more time before I contact animal control again. I guess this makes me an unpleasant neighbor, but then so are they because I can’t sleep in, I can’t have my back door open, I can’t go into my own back yard, ever!

They were really surprised I had a problem with the barking since I have a beagle, (they have two basset hounds and one little yippy barking dog, one basset hound does the majority of the barking), thank goodness my beagle isn’t a barker, but when she does bark I call her in immediately.

I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I'm just wondering.

 

[CookieGVB]

We've had our beagle, Reilly, for the past 2 years. He is the sweetest (but at times the dumbest) dog. Part of him must always be touching part of you, especially at night.

He used to have separation anxiety, and bark and howl like crazy when we left him. He'll do that if one person leaves the car, even if there's another person sitting with him. Dopey dog. But he generally is not a barker, but will bay when we rev him up, since makes us laugh. At the dog park? Fuhgeddaboudit!! If the dog he's chosen does not run and play, he will bay obsessively at it to get it to play with him. Dopey dog.

 

[mommylicious]

Thank you for the replies everyone! I'm considering getting a dog (as ours passed away recently) and I'm looking at the Westies and the Beagles.

How funny! We had 2 dogs...a westie and a beagle. We had to give our Westie away when our first child started walking. When she was a puppy DH's nephew kicked her by accident and she did not like kids after that...loved them before that but not so much after. Very sad since it was an accident (he was almost 4 and was playing with her and running around. she stopped but he didn't and she got kicked pretty hard in the ribs) We hoped it would be different when she "raised one" of our own. She loved him when he was a baby but once he started to walk it was a different story. She finally nipped him on the cheek and we said that was enough. We hated to give her away but she would be happier with no kids and we would not have to worry about the kids with her. By that time I was pregnant with #2 so it was even more important to find her a new home. Westie Rescue found her a home with a 40something couple with no kids and no plans to have kids. We still get Christmas cards from them with pics of her. Normally Westies are pretty good with kids. I grew up with Westies and Cairns. LOVE those dogs.

We also had a beagle but we lost him last year. He was 17. Very good dog. GREAT with the kids, loyal, loving, not the calmest dog around but a good guy. He wasn't as bad with the howling as some others but he still did it. Lord help us if he heard an ambulance siren, he'd howl for 20 minutes. He also had a thing about wanting to be up high where he could see so it made it tough to keep him off the furniture. The vet said that was a common beagle trait (notice snoopy likes to be on top of his dog house...so do a lot of beagles ). I don't know if this is true of all of them but ours shed enough to build a new puppy every other day. That and the fact that it was always wet on the floor near his water bowl because his ears would dip into the water when he drank then drip everywhere were both annoying. Baxter was an eater too, he was about the same size as tink38's. Very true about that they are not the easiest dogs to walk and forget jogging with one. They are good dogs though.

We've said when we get another dog, we will probably go for another westie mostly because they are a lot smaller.

 

[ckay87]

Jersey, I don't want to hijack your thread, but it's very interesting to me also. I noticed another common theme with beagles - they tend to have a long life expectancy. A quick web search showed that they tend to live 13-18 or more years! Several of us just on this thread have had beagles live to be 16 plus. Anyway, just an observation....definitely not a temporary pet!