We're (hopefully) getting a beagle!

[smrtmama]

We're getting our first dog soon, hopefully one of two beagles we're going to be "interviewing" over the next week or so. Right now, it looks like we'll either be bringing home Apache or Iris. I'm excited and a little nervous, because while we grew up with dogs, I've never been the primary "mama" to one!

 

I've read a lot about beagles. They're definitely going to be the right dogs for us. Any other beagle owners on this forum?

[Renee in NC]

*WHY* on earth would you WANT a beagle?!?!?!?!:lol:

 

We had one years ago that dh rescued from someone who couldn't take care of it. I have never been so glad to see an animal leave my house. He had a crate and he would sit in there and bay all night.:glare: Add to that all the beagle-like things he did and it was rough!:tongue_smilie: I'll keep my labs anyday.:D

 

Having said that, he was a puppy, so YMMV.

[Whereneverever]

I'm so mad at you that you told the Hive before me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

;)

[smrtmama]

Beagles are a great match for our family. I don't like very large or small dogs. I want a small-ISH to small-medium dog, but one that's sturdy and not hyper like a Jack Russell. Beagles are a healthy breed and live around 15 years, which is nice, because I don't want a dog that will die while my kids are still young (it's just TOO hard to lose a beloved pet when you're little). They are also excellent with kids. Definitely all of that sells me on a beagle!

 

We're going through a rescue/foster organization, so these dogs have all been vetted for temperament. Apache's nice and quiet, not a bayer!

[Joker]

We've had a beagle for two years and the girls love him!! He's great with the kids and we've all (pretty much) gotten used to his baying/barking. He's been a great addition to our family. Congrats and good luck!

[smrtmama]

I'm so mad at you that you told the Hive before me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

;)

 

 

Sorry. Next time, I'll run it through you first. ;) *smooch*

[meet me in paris]

congratulations!

 

We had a beagle for several years - a rescue as well. Be aware that they will EAT anything and everything that isn't nailed down (and some stuff that is). They also need nice, long walks every day because they are scent driven and need new smells all the time - if they don't get that they get destructive from boredom.

 

We're getting a puppy soon, so I share in your excitement! Good luck!

[WishboneDawn]

I consider them the blondes of the dog world.

 

Of course I have a Rottie mix and a Pit Bull mix so who am I to be tossing around doggy stereotypes? :D

 

Congrats!

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I consider them the blondes of the dog world.

 

 

Hmm, no.. that would be the Shih Tzu. Never seen one as dumb as my puppy...

 

Congrats to the OP on getting a beagle though. I love that dog, but it's just not a match for us. Beagles are always smiling.

[smrtmama]

Hmm, no.. that would be the Shih Tzu. Never seen one as dumb as my puppy...

 

Congrats to the OP on getting a beagle though. I love that dog, but it's just not a match for us. Beagles are always smiling.

 

No, I'm pretty sure the blonde of the dog world is my BIL and SIL's black lab.

[dani3boys]

He is so good with our boys. He is a very social dog and hates it when we're not home, but he just naps while we're not around. We have had him for two years, and I am glad we chose a beagle.

[Nakia]

I like Beagles. We have a Beagle mix, and she is super sweet and calm. The only thing that makes me nuts is that once she gets on a trail, it's near impossible to get her to let it go. She has her nose to the ground all.the.time. She is really smart and great with my girls! Have fun!!!

[LauraGB]

Awww! Are you going to be able to control yourself from bringing them both home?

 

Be prepared to deal with the most ridiculously ear numbing "Rooooo" of a bark imaginable. Our dog is part hound-of-some-sort and her bark is insane. But once you get over that, they are lovable and loyal and wonderful!

[WishboneDawn]

Can I just put in a plug for crate training?

 

We're doing that with our lab/pitt bull puppy and it's been fantastic. It makes housebreaking much easier, gives her and us breaks when we need them and makes it much easier to leave her alone when we need to make a short trip out without her.

[LauraGB]

The only thing that makes me nuts is that once she gets on a trail, it's near impossible to get her to let it go. She has her nose to the ground all.the.time.

 

Oh yeah. And That :lol:. There is very little competing with That. But, they are good at That, so, unless they are going to smell their way into trouble, you learn to appreciate the beauty of the Talent :lol:.

[SonshineLearner]

Very Good!! I'm excited for you; a dog is a WONDERFUL thing! My advise it to get seriously good training from someone who is a "professional".... and work on recall!! A long orange rope is your best friend... "come" and then sitting before you! Especially with a beagle... and... with me... I'd end up training with a "shock collar" just as a preventative for running away.... not for everything... (just to use as an emergency back up) Anyway, good recall is so important!! The training that I did with my dog 3 years ago is still evident. I didn't use a shock collar, but I've always thought it'd be good to "have an imaginary leash" on him when I'm taking him out without a leash... (like from the house to the car)... He's good... but not totally perfect.... I keep saying I need to do some more training with him!!

 

Yay!! A dog!!

:)

[jenL]

We love beagles. Dh had one when he was little and it still remains his favorite dog breed. They're both adorable! Enjoy!

[kokotg]

yay! Can't wait to meet him/her! We had a beagle mix when I was a kid. His name was Bandit. He was nice. That's all I know about beagles. Except that they're cute. And that Snoopy is one.

[lvbnhome]

hellllllppppp meeeee heeelllllllp meeeeee....

our neighbor has a beagle and the constant yelling bark is a nuisance to everyone!!!! ALL the time...I will not tell you the bad thoughts that have gone thru my mind about that dog getting into my yard and how i would.....(oops)...it almost came out!:sneaky2::banghead:

[WishboneDawn]

hellllllppppp meeeee heeelllllllp meeeeee....

our neighbor has a beagle and the constant yelling bark is a nuisance to everyone!!!! ALL the time...I will not tell you the bad thoughts that have gone thru my mind about that dog getting into my yard and how i would.....(oops)...it almost came out!:sneaky2::banghead:

 

Yeeeesssss. I had a neighbour with a beagle once. They never confined it and it would come and bark at my dog when she was on her chain or get into my compost (found it eating a burn chocolate cake one day). It didn't take long before it was dead after being hit by a car.

 

I really, really hated that dog although really, it was the neighbour's fault. They had no business having a dog.

 

(just snuck a peak at the beagles - Iris is adorable!!! :D)

Edited August 7, 2010 by WishboneDawn

[sparrow]

I like Beagles. We have a Beagle mix, and she is super sweet and calm. The only thing that makes me nuts is that once she gets on a trail, it's near impossible to get her to let it go. She has her nose to the ground all.the.time. She is really smart and great with my girls! Have fun!!!

 

 

:iagree: Beagles are GREAT dogs....but, man, do they wander! I counted no fewer than 15 beagles at our tiny town's shelter. Many were waiting for their owner's to pick them up after they'd followed their nose too far. I think the baying is cute, but I've never lived with, or next to, one :001_smile::001_smile:.

 

That all said, they are some of the cutest, happiest dogs I've ever met! Have fun with your new family member!

 

And WE own the blond of the dog world, our poodle/spaniel mix looks like a shrunk down black lab with wavy hair. She's quite dopey, but sweet as they come. Duh, duh.

[smrtmama]

Can I just put in a plug for crate training?

 

We're doing that with our lab/pitt bull puppy and it's been fantastic. It makes housebreaking much easier, gives her and us breaks when we need them and makes it much easier to leave her alone when we need to make a short trip out without her.

 

Both dogs are already crate trained! They're also both housebroken. :)

[lswatson111304]

I've never owned a beagle, but I have owned a lot of Basset hounds. I LOVE them!! The trailing and baying doesn't bother me at all. Though...we live in the country! We no longer have our basset hounds, but we are getting a blood hound next week and I'm super excited!

I hope you love your pup and that he is a wonderful addition to your family!

[smrtmama]

Our two year plan also involves moving to the Asheville, NC area and getting a 3-8 acre piece of property.

 

Luckily for my current neighbors, we're already on a half-acre and if they can't hear my kids shriek, they can't hear a dog.

[kalanamak]

Beagles are a great match for our family. I don't like very large or small dogs. I want a small-ISH to small-medium dog, but one that's sturdy and not hyper like a Jack Russell. Beagles are a healthy breed and live around 15 years, which is nice, because I don't want a dog that will die while my kids are still young (it's just TOO hard to lose a beloved pet when you're little). They are also excellent with kids. Definitely all of that sells me on a beagle!

 

 

My sister said all those things, and later wondered what she had done in a past life to deserve all that torture. The animal HAD to eat. It ate wet cement, it gorged on cow flop and barfed in the car, it raided the cat box and the kid's potty chair, it was kicked out of summer camp after it destroyed a veggie garden (it nosed up all the earth worms and ate them), it chewed the crotches out of clean,washed undies, it ate buttons off sweaters and swallowed socks whole. If my sister had a party, and there was special food being cooked, she had to board it in a kennel, because it would scream and hurl itself against the back door for 4+ hours straight. No other animal was allowed ANYTHING, or she went wild with rage and attacked. Once, she had to dope the little dog for a flight. She tied the beagle with a stout leather leash to the radiator, mixed the meds in a bit of burger and dropped it on the floor for the terrier. The beagle SNAPPED the pipe off the wall, hot water went everywhere, a screaming dog-fight ensued and half an hour later the beagle was asleep. Keep in mind the beagle didn't move until the burger was dropped, so the terrier had only 5 inches to travel, and the beagle had 10 feet and metal pipe to break loose.

 

It was stupid. TWICE it got up on the roof and jumped off and broke a leg. I could go on.....but I won't. It also lived to be 17.

 

Half my childhood was filled with long letters my sister wrote my mother about life with that beagle.

 

P.S. It had human-like B.O.

[lollie010]

We have had two beagles. Our first was raised in a small apartment in houston and was kennel trained and we walked him on a leash. He was an amazing dog. Of course the puppy stage was a little tough, but he trained quickly. His worst habit was chewing things left in the floor. That lasted about a year or so. We just learned to put everything up.

 

He was a very quite dog--never barked or howled. He did jump up on the kitchen island and consume an entire box of malted milk balls. It was a mess!!! When we had kiddos later, the beagle adjusted very well. He was sweet and gentle with the kids. He did get out of the house a couple of times and scared us to death. But, that was after a move and I think he was just trying to figure things out. One of those times, he actually walked straight into the vets/animal control office and sat down.

 

Oh the memories. We lost him a few years ago and are still crying about it. He was about 7-8 years old and died suddenly and mysteriously.

 

We now have a new beagle and she is a precious puppy. She is being raised in the country and is a little more vocal, but not bad at all. She also doesn't run away as much and has learned to return promptly when called. She is so sweet to the kiddos. I can already see a longterm bond developing between her and my ds. WE LOVE BEAGLES!!!!

[Whereneverever]

My sister said all those things, and later wondered what she had done in a past life to deserve all that torture. The animal HAD to eat. It ate wet cement, it gorged on cow flop and barfed in the car, it raided the cat box and the kid's potty chair, it was kicked out of summer camp after it destroyed a veggie garden (it nosed up all the earth worms and ate them), it chewed the crotches out of clean,washed undies, it ate buttons off sweaters and swallowed socks whole. If my sister had a party, and there was special food being cooked, she had to board it in a kennel, because it would scream and hurl itself against the back door for 4+ hours straight. No other animal was allowed ANYTHING, or she went wild with rage and attacked. Once, she had to dope the little dog for a flight. She tied the beagle with a stout leather leash to the radiator, mixed the meds in a bit of burger and dropped it on the floor for the terrier. The beagle SNAPPED the pipe off the wall, hot water went everywhere, a screaming dog-fight ensued and half an hour later the beagle was asleep. Keep in mind the beagle didn't move until the burger was dropped, so the terrier had only 5 inches to travel, and the beagle had 10 feet and metal pipe to break loose.

 

It was stupid. TWICE it got up on the roof and jumped off and broke a leg. I could go on.....but I won't. It also lived to be 17.

 

Half my childhood was filled with long letters my sister wrote my mother about life with that beagle.

 

P.S. It had human-like B.O.

 

 

O.o Are you sure it was a beagle and not some sort of space creature?

[PrincessAriel]

Awwww...we had one for almost ten years and she died this spring. She was the sweetest dog ever and we really miss her a lot! Enjoy your new dog!

[celticmom]

I can relate to the baying and the desire to follow a scent. One of our dogs is (we think) a bloodhound/golden retriever mix. She weighs about 100lbs. Fortunately we live in a clearing in woods so her noise does not carry far. The nearest neighbors like her too. If I am walking her and I need to redirect her off of a scent (I do not want to go through thick underbrush) I first lift her head so her nose is off the scent then try to steer her in another direction.

[NancyNellen]

We had a beagle and he was the best family dog we have ever had. Sweet, loving, and low-maintenance.

[Julie in MO]

Our beagle has been a fabulous dog - good with children, wants very much to please people, only barks at squirrels and big trucks, and is very "laid back." She was also easy to train to do fun tricks. Plus she knows several human words (walk, treat, kennel up, squirrel...). Sometimes we have to spell around her (anyone want to go for a W-A-L-K?).

 

Enjoy your bundle of beagle joy!

 

Blessings,

Julie

[hornblower]

awwww - beagle joy!

 

My dd is a big beagle fan so I imagine one will be part of our pack at some time in the future. I saw a beagle running agility this summer. Of course they're great at tracking & if you can get into a recreational tracking class, it's a lot of fun for them & you.

 

I love how they sound & I like the temperaments of hounds a lot.

 

Hope you get your sweetie home soon!

[NorthwestMom]

We had a beagle mix that was kind of a "Marley" dog but we loved the heck out of him until he died at age 14. He never learned a reliable off-leash recall, but he had just a fantastic personality and now I'm really missing my Riley-Dog.

 

Getting a new dog is going to be wonderful for your family. Congratulations and watch for digging in the yard. Riley escaped more than once as a result of his own hard work, LOL.

[gingersmom]

Enjoy your new pet!

 

But do not believe everything the rescue group tells you. I learned this the hard way.

[Renee in NC]

No, I'm pretty sure the blonde of the dog world is my BIL and SIL's black lab.

 

No, my mom's chocolate lab is the dumbest dog I have ever met.

[Renee in NC]

O.o Are you sure it was a beagle and not some sort of space creature?

 

Mine was that way, but I promise I didn't give it to her sister!:lol:

[kokotg]

Enjoy your new pet!

 

But do not believe everything the rescue group tells you. I learned this the hard way.

 

Ha! yes. My mom fosters cocker spaniels, and I've read her write-ups. Watch out for phrases like, "housebreaking is coming along great!" ;)

[staceyobu]

We have a beagle and he is very sweet and great with our kids. Especially with the toddlers as they unpredictably pull his tail, jab him in the eyes, etc.

 

He is food crazy, but well trained. My one year old can walk around with a snack and he won't take it from her. If she drops it, it's gone in a flash, though. I know my MIL finds it odd that we have to limit his food because otherwise, he would eat until he explodes. He is a better crumb cleaner upper than any vacuum.

 

I do think he's a bit stinky.

 

He bays at the trash truck once a day, but that's it. I wonder if others who have neighbors with loud beagles if the dogs are being left outside unattended? We keep our beagle in the house if we leave. If he goes outside and bays, I make him come in. Unless it's trash truck time... gotta let him have some fun. ;)

 

Overall, he is a very low maintenance, sweet dog. We did invest in some good obedience training when we got him and that helped me a lot. I'm surprised at the people that don't think they are fabulous!

[daffodil]

We adopted a 7 year old beagle earlier this year. She is LOUD, food obsessed, and ridiculously stubborn. Luckily for her, she's also a total sweetheart. :)

[kwickimom]

I have a Beagle named Toby. Hes a 2 year old fixed male and we LOVE him. He rarely barks. He is good with our kids, labs, and cats. He is a super sweet loveable cute little guy!!!

[6packofun]

LOL I was going to say that same thing! Enjoy the hound dog baying and howling! :P They are sweet, too, though, so if you're OK with a dog that IS going to bark a lot and your neighbors are very understanding, a beagle *can* be a nice family pet. (Our last neighbors had 2 and they were very cute, fun and friendly--just loud! lol)

[Lolly]

No, my mom's chocolate lab is the dumbest dog I have ever met.

 

Nope. The dumbest dog has to be my sil's. It is a mutt. Not sure how it can possibly be as dumb as it is. Who knows, maybe it is the smartest dog in the world. She treats it like a princess daughter.;)

[Joker]

She was also easy to train to do fun tricks. Plus she knows several human words (walk, treat, kennel up, squirrel...). Sometimes we have to spell around her (anyone want to go for a W-A-L-K?).

 

Enjoy your bundle of beagle joy!

 

Blessings,

Julie

 

Our beagle seems to have learned to spell as well. We were spelling carrot, bone, food and walk so much so he wouldn't get overly excited but he picked up those words spelled out. He seems to know which is which because he will go to where they are kept or to the front door. :tongue_smilie:

[WishboneDawn]

I'm surprised at the people that don't think they are fabulous!

 

We had experience with the owners that didn't invest in obedience training. :)

[Tonia]

We love our beagle. Had her about a year and a half now. STILL working on the 'come' command. When she's got a scent there is no hope with that one! She's an escape artist too - we have to keep her in a secured backyard area because she'll just take off after any smell she's caught.

[smrtmama]

Enjoy your new pet!

 

But do not believe everything the rescue group tells you. I learned this the hard way.

 

This lady seemed very on the level about Apache's personality "quirks" and his level of housebreaking, etc. She also says we can take him as a foster for a week, no commitment, and return him if it doesn't feel like a fit. *fingers crossed*

[ma23peas]

 

Yes! We have a beagle!

 

She's precious, she's sweet, we call her the 'love me, love me' dog b/c she needs to be touching a warm body most the day...if you move, she moves with you...

I will say that you might strongly consider getting a second dog. Beagles are pack dogs..they almost HAVE to have another pet around to help them cope...they're a great dog for homeschooling families b/c they would suffer if left alone for any period of time.

They are also hard to potty train, our dog goes out 10x or more a day and although we've raised 2 other dogs over the past 15 years and NEVER had an accident in the house...this beagle LIKES to make her presence known, lucky for us she chooses my son's bathroom mat..we leave his door open for this purpose so she won't choose the floor rugs (we have hard woods throughout the areas we let her roam while we're gone)...it only happens now about once a month, but at least we can throw the bath rug in the washer..we actually have 3 dogs inside (had to add my grandmother's maltese b/c she could not take care of it anymore) and neither of those ever have accidents but that beagle...

 

:) Enjoy! Ours is a 13"..the other thing to look out for is eating, we can NEVER leave her food down..so our dogs are on a set schedule..they will eat themselves into obesity very quickly...ours stays trim b/c she has acreage to roam and chases the deer in the woods occasionally, she always comes back with a few ticks...but she gets a good run in every day...we left for 2 weeks while friends house sit and they just left the food out, in just 2 weeks she had put on 5 pounds!! She is only 14 pounds to begin with!! It took us 2 months to get her back in shape...just be careful on the food...

 

Oh, ours only barks when she's on the trail of a rabbit/deer or hears an ambulance....people are amazed at how quiet she is...but I truly believe that's b/c she has other dogs here to calm her..she feeds off their confidence, if you have a lone beagle, they're likely to be hypersensitive and bark more.

 

Enjoy!

Tara

Edited August 8, 2010 by ma23peas