Anyone have a Beagle?

[NewJersey]

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

 

[DMickey28]

My parents have a beagel. He is about 3.5 now.

Good:
He is loving and he is calm.
He is a cuddler.
He is very mellow.
He's smart and listens decent 90% of the time.
He was easy to housetrain minus a bit of excitment "leaking" when he was younger.
He has a very apparent personality and is very outgoing.

Bad:
They are barkers and howlers. He barks up a storm at EVERYTHING ... he goes ballistic when he sees another dog outside or smells another dog.
They can't be trained to stay off a leash, too much hunter in them.
He blows through the electric fence b/c his instinct to hunt and track smell is stronger than the electric fence!!

I would get a beagel. Once we get a house and have room for a second dog we will probably get a beagel.

 

[tink38]

I have one! As you can see, they like to eat.

She is very sweet and loving and very good with children. The bark is a bit annoying, at time, though.

 

[Christine]

They are good dogs.

But...the beagle "HOWL" is incredible. I have a hound mix who is very similar to a beagle. Her howl is not as bad, and she actually just plain barks most of the time. My cousin has a beagle. He is probably one of the most loyal, loving, and smart dogs I've ever seen. He does howl when he is left alone in a strange place--and it isn't pretty.

 

[swanmom]

The good side first. As far as their personality is concerned, they make wonderful family pets - loving, loyal, even-tempered, not too difficult to train - very sweet personalities. The bad side - they howl.....and howl. They don't really bark but let out these loud, long cries. They can be trained to curb it but they never stop 'barking' entirely and those yowling barks can be annoying. Also, they follow their nose - perod! When walking them, they dart off, chase under trees etc. even when they're on leash. It used to take forever to walk our dog! She would root through everything on the route. This 'follow their nose' characteristic also makes them more likely to roam off property and to go far. If you get one, be sure that they can't get out of the house or your yard unless you want them to. That being said, our beagle was a much beloved family member and I miss her even today.

 

[ducklite]

I have one! As you can see, they like to eat.

Anne

 

[LadyyRedd]

I agree with everything everyone has said! My sister has one and she has to be kept on a diet or she gains weight very easily. And boy, do they like to make noise!

Kimya

 

[NewJersey]

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. I love the beagles, but this howl/bark thing might be too much!

Also, do they shed? If they do, is it all over? My sister has a jack russel and the shedding is unbearable! It's all over the house, all over your clothes when you visit, and all over the car.

Thanks again.

 

[Christine]

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. I love the beagles, but this howl/bark thing might be too much!

Also, do they shed? If they do, is it all over? My sister has a jack russel and the shedding is unbearable! It's all over the house, all over your clothes when you visit, and all over the car.

Thanks again.

My beagle/hound didn't shed nearly as much as my JRT. I find the shedding to be minimal.

 

[TerriP]

Our Beagle sheds a bit, but it's nothing CLOSE to what our Labrador does! And as for the baying that most people think of when they think of Beagles ~ not ALL Beagles do that. Our Beags didn't bark/bay AT ALL until I taught him to bark to be let outside to go potty. Now he barks when someone is at the door or when he has to go potty...that's it. He does not bark/bay incessantly like everyone said he would.

One more thing, Beagles are hunters and are often times ruled by their nose. But, with lots of consistant training (Beagles are VERY trainable and love to please) and positive reinforcement, we have trained Beags to be off leash with no troubles. He responds to voice commands and returns when called ~ in spite of all those delicious scents in the woods!

You can't go wrong with a Beagle. If you're interested in a recue, check out BREW, they are a terrific Beagle rescue organization. Just google "BREW" and you'll find 'em!

 

[acadia1960]

My parents have a beagle, her name is Bridget, she is almost 3. She is never allowed off leash outside, because off she goes full speed ahead following that nose. My parents are elderly so it would be difficult to catch her She is a sweet dog, hardly ever barks or howls, races around the house 2 times a day at top speed and piddles a tiny bit when she sees us. She needs alot more exercise then they can give her, but they adore her, and she them. She needed a new home & their last dog had died a few months before.

 

[Crankyshank]

Not all beagles howl. I have 2 and only one howls. the other has never howled in her life

Bear in mind that they are extremely smart dogs. They are supposedly the #1 problem solving breed. Usually the problem they feel needs to be solved is how to get food, or in my case how to get out of the yard and get food.

 

[Crankyshank]

I would never recommend it to inexperienced hound owners, but I do have a beagle that is trained off leash. Thank goodness because he's a champion escape artist that routinely scales a 4.5ft retaining wall in my yard.

He's a Momma's boy and doesn't like to be far from his pack, even when there's an interesting scent. We put him out and he climbs up the wall and barks at the door when he's ready to come in. If he needs to go to the bathroom, I will open the side door and he runs outside, does his business, does some sniffing up and down the driveway, the upper back yard, next door's shed, and then comes right back in the house when called.

I could never ever let my other beagle do that. she'd be gone in seconds flat. you would never know such a fat lazy thing could move so quickly

 

[Toby'sFriend]

no I wouldn't say I have a beagle.

I think that maybe a beagle has me.

He howls at leaves that blow past our window and birds that fly. He snores worse than my husband. He eats, preferrably human food but he is not all that picky. When the preschooler was a baby he liked dirty diapers too. Last week he broke into my pantry and got a can of chicken noodle soup and managed to puncture it open with his teeth and suck the soup out. He can slip out of any harness or collar that Petsmart sells and go running into the woods faster than you can say "Mikey Piazza get your beagle butt back here!"

At night, he won't come inside for anybody but me. I have to go out into our backyard and scream "Beagle Hug!!! I want a Beagle Hug!!!" and then he comes barrelling along and jumps on me. The neighbors think it is hilarious.

Any other questions?

 

[KathyTX]

Our Beagle sheds a bit, but it's nothing CLOSE to what our Labrador does! And as for the baying that most people think of when they think of Beagles ~ not ALL Beagles do that. Our Beags didn't bark/bay AT ALL until I taught him to bark to be let outside to go potty. Now he barks when someone is at the door or when he has to go potty...that's it. He does not bark/bay incessantly like everyone said he would.

My Beagle sounds like Terri's. She's not a howler, and only barks to let us know that she needs to go outside or that dinner's 5 minutes late. We had her for several months before we ever heard her howl at all!

And she does shed some, but it's not too bad. The only problem is that she's black, white and tan, and there's no color in the universe you can wear that will hide all three!

 

[disneynutt1225]

I wish I could say that Toby doesn't bark or howl, but I think it's more our fault than it is his. We used to live in an apartment, and DH and I "trained" him to bark when he heard a noise outside. BOY DID THIS BACKFIRE!!! So, now we are trying to break the "training" that we did -- so far so good. He's been much quieter these last few weeks.

He's very much a snuggler. Loves to be on a lap/leaning on a hip/laying at someone's feet.

He's a people person. Always following us around from room to room; and he's my mother's best friend (much to her dismay when she's using the bathroom!).

We all love him so much, and he's enriched our lives so much that we can't imagine being without him. (Remind me I said this when we have a bad day with him, LOL).

Being owned by a Beagle is GREAT!

 

[NewJersey]

I wish I could say that Toby doesn't bark or howl, but I think it's more our fault than it is his. We used to live in an apartment, and DH and I "trained" him to bark when he heard a noise outside. BOY DID THIS BACKFIRE!!! So, now we are trying to break the "training" that we did -- so far so good. He's been much quieter these last few weeks.

He's very much a snuggler. Loves to be on a lap/leaning on a hip/laying at someone's feet.

He's a people person. Always following us around from room to room; and he's my mother's best friend (much to her dismay when she's using the bathroom!).

We all love him so much, and he's enriched our lives so much that we can't imagine being without him. (Remind me I said this when we have a bad day with him, LOL).

Being owned by a Beagle is GREAT!

Yeah, I love dogs that snuggle/lay at your feet. I've been looking up adoption but I'm trying to find a puppy instead of one that is a few years old.

 

[WilmaBud]

Ooooh...a beagle thread!! How did I miss it??

I have 5 beagles: Lucy, Desi, Thurston, Lovey, and Stewie. I think they're God's perfect creatures. We've had 3 other beagles before this pack. The original 3 all passed on at ripe old ages.

My 5 are all rescues. I have 3 adult rescues and 2 puppies. My 2 puppies are 3 months old, and I got them from BREW in Feb. Check it out; it's a great organization. I believe they even have some puppies available now, but if not, keep checking back. They come up every so often. Meanwhile, you can put an application in and go through the preliminaries.

I've only had 2 beagles who have barked and/or howled much, and they were/are boys. Even so, they've all been "indoor" dogs, so it's not a problem because it doesn't happen that often. My Thurston howls at the phone ringing, but that just makes me laugh - it's music to my ears!

Beagles are loving, affectionate, funny, and smart. They're almost always good with other animals, especially cats. They're sturdy enough to roughhouse with, but compact enough to pick up and cuddle. They're truly gentle souls. They're very friendly, but they also know when to leave you alone (like if you have company, they'll say their hellos and then go lie back down instead of constantly seeking attention). Their bark is actually a good thing because they're great watch dogs. They have a nice deep bark that would be a deterrent for an intruder. They are fiercely devoted and loyal to their pack (ie. you and your family).

Some concerns might be that they generally can't be "off-lead" because they will take off. They also can dig out and generally will try to in order to chase rabbits, chipmunks, etc., so you have to keep a close eye on them even when they're fenced in. We actually have a padlock on our fence gate to stop them from jimmying it open. My previous beagles were worse about that than these guys.

They love to eat almost anything - food, leather, trash, their own feces (no, not kidding ). Two of mine also sometimes roll in their own poop, too. Gross, I know, but they were former hunting dogs, and it's apparently a "hunting/scent" thing. None of my others have done it, but it's certainly not unheard of for beagles. Just lettin' ya know!

So, the upshot is, beagles can be kind of gross. BUT...they are the BEST dogs ever! They're always cheerful and delighted to see you, and they give great kisses!! I'll always have beagles in my heart and home.

 

[magicmato]

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

My neighbor has one. He is cute as a button, but erm... let's just say that I always know when she is home because whenever she puts him outside he HOWLS. It is ok, does not bother me, but I am glad I do not own him, as others may not be as unbothered.

 

[Miller1412]

We have Emmadog...she's a beagle that thinks she's a person. She's extremely cuddley, affectionate, and basically my shadow. She is NOT a wanderer, as a matter of fact, she barely leaves the back deck because she wants to be close to me all the time. She's great with the kids and our other dog, a yellow lab. She was very easy to housetrain and she is really dependable in the house (she has free reign all day while we're at work).
She does shed like a fiend, but I'm partly to blame because I'm not faithful about brushing her. The barking is the worst part, she does have a very loud bray from everything like another dog in the yard to hearing the wind blow...we have learned to tune it out though. When we have visitors, you can see them jump out of their skin when she goes off. She's a great dog and I'd definitely have another.