Questions for beagle owners

[HunnyPots]

We adopted this sweet guy from our local shelter last week.

The vet that examined him and gave him his shots at the shelter listed him as a beagle, aprox. two years old, neutered, a little overweight but in good health. The thing that surprises me the most is his energy level, or lack thereof. I always thought beagles were high energy dogs but this dog would sleep about 23 hours a day of you let him! He's very quiet; we've only heard him bark a couple of times. I'm not complaining about that, but it does surprise me. He is also super affecionate and will lay in your lap and let you pet him for hours - a real sweetheart!

I thought he might actually be a basset/beagle mix and that would explain some things, like his low energy and very wrinkly (but adorable!) face.

He'll be seeing our vet after the holidays for a thorough check up but I just thought I'd see what other beagle owners thought. Our only experience with the breed is our doxie/beagle mix, who is the complete polar opposite to this dog!

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[dngnb8]

The thing that sticks out is beagles (and bassets) are a barking breed. They bark at everything, and if you leave them outside all day, and you have neighbors, it could be an issue.

 

[StephMK]

Oh he is a CUTIE!!! We have a rescue beagle mix too. She has a beagle face but long, skinny legs. Ours is 11 now and we've had her since she was 5. She has never been high energy either but she came from an apt owner. I'm guessing they had to give her up because she barked at anything - still does if someone is outside. The rescue told us to expect beagles to howl & be runners if they can get out. She does neither of those.

She is a chowhound though so we have to watch what she can get into. We call her the princess because she acts so dainty & entitled. Later on, we have since adopted a lab mix too- it was love at first sight for him because he follows her everywhere from the moment we got him. I think she has learned to like it but still acts like she doesn't. But if we ever walk him w/o her, she whines & cries at the door.

Have fun w/your new family member!!

 

[tlbwriter]

Oddly enough, when I first saw his face, I thought "that's not a purebred beagle face," so I wouldn't be surprised if he's part basset or something else (basset/beagle mixes often look VERY beagle-like).

 

[TEENEE]

We had a beagle that was the exception to the rule when it came to barking. He only barked if there was a reason but boy when he did you knew it. Baxter was lazy in the house but if he was outside he was either running or sniffing.

You may be in the honeymoon phase with your new pup.

 

[ckay87]

We adopted this sweet guy from our local shelter last week.

The vet that examined him and gave him his shots at the shelter listed him as a beagle, aprox. two years old, neutered, a little overweight but in good health. The thing that surprises me the most is his energy level, or lack thereof. I always thought beagles were high energy dogs but this dog would sleep about 23 hours a day of you let him! He's very quiet; we've only heard him bark a couple of times. I'm not complaining about that, but it does surprise me. He is also super affecionate and will lay in your lap and let you pet him for hours - a real sweetheart!

I thought he might actually be a basset/beagle mix and that would explain some things, like his low energy and very wrinkly (but adorable!) face.

He'll be seeing our vet after the holidays for a thorough check up but I just thought I'd see what other beagle owners thought. Our only experience with the breed is our doxie/beagle mix, who is the complete polar opposite to this dog!

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Slightly OT, but I would LOVE to see a pic of your beagle/doxie mix. We had that exact mutt as my childhood dog. Lived for 16 years, I loved him so much!

 

[Jennasis]

Cute! He could have some other type of hound mixed in there, but he sure looks like a chubby beagle to me. While Beagles are known for their high energy and prolific "voices" there are always exceptions to every breed. You may just have a rare laid back one.

We have a Blue Tick Coonhound who would also sleep all day if allowed. She'll curl up in your lap, ON you, around you, and burrow into you for some snuggles too. But when she is on a tear it 's all baying and running.

 

[KathyTX]

My beagle is very quiet (she can bark and howl, but very rarely does.) And she's extremely laid-back. Her favorite hobby is napping. So your pup's behavior isn't too abnormal.

He does look a bit chunky. I'll bet that getting him slimmed down would increase his energy!

I love that little wrinkle between his eyes, but other than that he looks like like he's all beagle to me.

 

[Stumpy]

We have two beagles and they are definitely noisy little things, but yes, they are very lazy. Ours were both at least 5 when adopted, but they were quite content sleeping, moving to another bed, sleeping some more, eating, sleeping some more, and taking a nap in between all that.

They're great dogs, but can be lazy and easily pack on some pounds, hence why we call ours chowhounds.

As far as the noise level, ours tend to howl, but I don't mind it that much, I've heard much louder and more obnoxious animals.

By the way, great decision to adopt from your local shelter!!!

 

[puffkin]

I've had beagles my whole life. They are generally pretty lazy once out of the puppy stage. None of our beagles were big barkers/howlers except for my current one. He NEVER shuts up and it does grate on our nerves.

All our beagles were great, family friendly dogs. All had very different personalities though. Jack (when I was a baby/kid) thought he was a parent. Very protective. Boomer (what I consider my childhood dog) loved to play and just be a part of the family. He was a bit nuts but an awesome dog. Snooper (HS/college, parents last dog) thought he was a person, literally. Extremely intelligent. Murphy is now my family dog and he is dumb as a rock, but just wants to be loved. He also adores my 5 year old to the point of worshipping him.

They are a great breed and I think you will enjoy your little buddy immensely. If you can start walking him now to lose a bit of the weight, he may pick up a bit more energy but don't be alamred if he doesn't.

 

[laurafergie]

We had a beagle for 18! years. He died last year, bless his heart. He was a full blood beagle, that I bought from an old man that breed them for hunting. We wanted a dog that would grow with the kids and would be very tolerant of the kids and he certainly was - can't ask for a better family dog.

But the thing is, beagle are very much "pack" dogs, even more so than other dogs. You have to establish early on who the alpha is, no exception or your beagle will run over you.

Our beagle was VERY smart, and a real escape artist. He taught himself how to open gates, latches, screen doors, door knobs. Everything had to be kept locked. He was a glutton, and his food (and ours!) had to be controlled and was probably the most hard headed dog I have ever been around - and I have had multiple dogs at a time my whole life. He also really had a the beagle voice, but we trained him to use it when appropriate. (That was a job)

Beagles are great family dogs, very affectionate - I love how they "smile" when they are having fun. You'll love yours!

 

[twinboysmom]

I do not own beagles but am on my third basset. Beagles are very popular here and I have friends and neighbors who own them. He looks like a beagle to me. Bassets and beagles are very closely related and have similar traits. My 3 bassets have totally different personalities. Only one is a barker where as the other two only bark when the doorbell rings, etc. Neither of the 3 are lazy. My oldest is 10 and of course, not as active any more (and she has terrible arthritis). So again, to me, he looks like a cute, chubby beagle.

 

[AndreaDM]

We have a beagle pug mix and yes, he's a barker. Annoying when we can't have him outside without the neighbors getting mad, however, I don't think anyone will ever dare break into our house! And if they do, heaven help them, he is very loyal to his family. He's quite the digger too, we always joke he's trying to get to China, so our backyard is often a mess.

Enjoy your new pet!

 

[gillep]

I have a 2.5 year old beagle and he does not bay/howl at all he barks maybe once every two months or so and that is only if he is really overworked about something and usually only he comes home from playing with all of his friends at daycare. He also is mostly very lazy with bursts of energy he will be insanely rambunctious for about 30min bursts then nap for a few hours.

He hates being away from the family and will whimper for us if we go behind a closed door or if he feels like it is dinner time, but is otherwise mostly silent and couldn't care less if other people/dogs are outside when he is in the yard (he has business to get to after all)

he is part billy-goat though and you really have to watch it with the treats, but don't worry he will never let us forget to feed him his meals.

mostly he is just sweet and cuddly with a bit of mischief mixed in (we call it snarkyness)

 

[Pea-n-Me]

He is beautiful and sounds like an absolute sweetheart. (It's sad to think someone had to give him up.)

I think he looks like a purebred beagle, also.

As a pp mentioned, he may just be tuckered out from the stress of the whole situation and his behavior could change as he gets more comfortable with his routine and your home, etc.

His weight may play a factor in his energy level, too.

If not, and this is his true personality, then consider yourself fortunate. You may just have a great example of variations of personality even within the same breed.

Give him a big hug for me!

 

[klacey1]

We had a basset-- most wonderful dog in the world! She was a howler though-- when we came home, when someone was at the door, when she wanted to go out.
I do have to say the only thing that looks basset-particular to me are those paws! At least in the picture, they look chubby and slightly turned out (although not as extreme as a basset's).
His wrinkle/freckles remind me so much of my pup!

 

[BCV513]

I have a sheltie not a beagle, but I actually mentioned at her first vet appointment that I was worried because I hadn't heard her bark yet. The vet actually laughed at me. He said dogs, especially older dogs, take time to settle into a new home and can be very quiet until they get used to the environment. He was right. Within a week, I was wishing my dog would lose her barker!

 

[minkydog]

We adopted this sweet guy from our local shelter last week.

The vet that examined him and gave him his shots at the shelter listed him as a beagle, aprox. two years old, neutered, a little overweight but in good health. The thing that surprises me the most is his energy level, or lack thereof. I always thought beagles were high energy dogs but this dog would sleep about 23 hours a day of you let him! He's very quiet; we've only heard him bark a couple of times. I'm not complaining about that, but it does surprise me. He is also super affecionate and will lay in your lap and let you pet him for hours - a real sweetheart!

I thought he might actually be a basset/beagle mix and that would explain some things, like his low energy and very wrinkly (but adorable!) face.

He'll be seeing our vet after the holidays for a thorough check up but I just thought I'd see what other beagle owners thought. Our only experience with the breed is our doxie/beagle mix, who is the complete polar opposite to this dog!

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Your doggy looks VERY much like a dog my sister had. Her name was Fred and she lived to be about 17. As i recall, Fred was 1/2 beagle, 1/2 basset. She wasn't much of a barker and she was lazy as mud.

 

[HunnyPots]

Thanks so much for sharing all your beagle stories! It sounds like Gus may not be not be too far outside the norm afterall. Hopefully, with a good diet and some exercise, he'll slim down a bit and have a little more energy. Honestly, this dog runs in slow motion - it's hilarious to watch!

I'm still amazed that his owners never claimed him from the shelter. He was obviously well cared for. He was neutered, house broken, and leash trained. He was picked up as a stray and kept at the shelter for 8 days and no one ever inqured about him. So sad to think someone just didn't want him anymore.

And for ckay87, here is Annabelle, my doxie/beagle mix. She is bossy, stubborn, and somewhat obnoxious and I love her to pieces! She has a definite beagle voice and is not afraid to use it!

 

[Jex]

I just wanted to say that the second picture is awesome, and made me smile.