Doggie Dilemma: Cavalier vs. Beagle

[specialmama]

We are looking at getting my dd her very own small-medium sized doggie. We've been researching like crazy and have it nailed down to two breeds. Let me preface this by saying we are only going to go with registered, reputable breeders who offer full papers, puppies raised in their home, parents on-hand, vet-check, etc. For us, training ease and temperment is of extreme importance because we have a special needs son (severe autism) who shrieks and rolls on the ground and has jerky movements, so we need a dog with excellent temperment so he will not snap at my son. Therefore, temperment of the parents and grandparents will be thoroughly investigated. We have a lot of experience training dogs as I grew up with them and have been through 2 seasons of training with service dog organizations and I am a handler of a guide dog and have been for 4 years. That said, we are looking at 2 breeds and wonder what you think, and what you would do.

 

1st choice: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Pros: very snuggly, excellent temperment with kids, trains very easily: very eager to please, does not need a lot of excercise, originally bred as companion dogs. Cons: half as sturdy as 2nd choice due to smaller bone structure, this breed is 20% more likely to develop heart conditions than any other breed.

 

2nd choice: Beagle. Pros: somewhat snuggly, excellent temperment with kids, trains a little less easily than a Cavalier but still considered easy, moderate excercise, sturdy build so can withstand more vigorous play with kids and other dog, excellent health in this breed. Cons: originally bred as hunting/tracking dogs, strong tracking instinct that once they smell a rabbit they're gone and expect you to follow them.

 

Here's the thing: the breeder we were speaking with has been raising champion show beagles and champion cavaliers for over 30 years and is very committed to breeding "the best to the best" and says that most breeders doing this for the betterment of the breed have really seen a decrease the beagles' tracking instinct through the generations; they are being bred for showring and companion qualities. Training is certainly a factor, but that we shouldn't be concerned a well trained dog would make a break for it through a door that is opened for 10 seconds just because a rabbit went by 20 minutes prior. I'm not concerned at all about a beagle getting away outside because we have a large fenced in backyard and it would be leashed on walks. It's inside the house that concerns me. ie: would a (well trained) beagle sit and stay inside the home when the door is open? The breeder says yes, that a well-bred beagle of champion stock would be more inclined to obey than to run with his instinct. Indoors, that is. LOL. *sigh* Is this making any sense? What am I asking? I guess, what do you think? Does anyone have experience with a well trained, well bred beagle?

[Journey]

I work in a kennel so I know a little about Beagles! They are really, really cute sweet dogs but EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM barks (if that's what you call it) incessently. They NEVER shut up! And they are the biggest PIGS in the kennel food wise I'm speaking about. They will eat their food and any other food they might find on the floor, in the cubbies, their roomate's food! We genearlly have to separate them so that one doesn't get all of the food. Having said all of that, if you can stand the barking and the piggishness...then I would definately get a Beagle. They are so sweet. We've never had a KCS in the kennel so I can't talk about their behavior but I do know a lady who has one and he is such a cutie...but I've heard they're very expensive.

[Kim in Appalachia]

because the type of dog you get is personal. We have a beagle, and he's a great dog. He does bark a lot. He has always been great with the kids, to the point that my babies could play in his kennel and in his food bowl and he didn't care.

 

But beagles bark, and since they are a hound dog, they always smell. You can wash them, put a good perfume on them, but in a few days they have that hound dog smell. They will follow their noses. If our dog got out and started to follow a scent, we would not be able to stop him. This also makes it hard to walk or run with him, since he will jerk you hard when he smells something.

 

Those are the negatives, but I will say we do love our dog. He does not bark at night. Unlike any of my children, this dog slept through the night right away. :D Once he's in his kennel at night, nothing will get him out. He barks a lot, which around us is a good thing. We are the only ones in our little area that has not had anything stolen out of the yard. We have a lot of petty theft due to drugs, so a barking dog is great. The dog was not hard to train, no harder than most. He learned to stay in our kitchen (where we have hardwood) and not to come into the rest of the house. For a long time he was well trained to not jump up at the table or get in the trash, but we started leaving him with someone when we go away who lets him do that. He didn't use to bark in the house either, until we left him at a kennel, there he learned to bark all the time.

 

Good luck deciding.

[OnTheBrink]

We've had beagles and I LOVE them. I've never had them smell bad, though. They do bark, and will bark more if left outside a lot. But as far as kids go? They're wonderful! Our first beagle would let dd crawl all over him, pull his hears, play with him and he would just let her. As for their eating, yeah, they'll eat a lot if you let them. They need a controlled diet because they can gain weight if left to eat whatever they want.

[MariannNOVA]

I voted Cav. We were ..this close to getting a cav - we were waiting for a litter to be born, and we decided to go with a rescue dog instead -- fwiw, the cost of the cav was really high. Anyway, we love our hound, but dd9 still pines for a cav.

[gaillardia]

Beagles are beagles, it will dig out under the fence and escape, most likely. He may not come back for a long time. Every beagle I've known had containment issues, it is in their blood.

Beagles are nice dogs and they do stink, and after a while you won't notice it, but your guests will.

I have been wanting to get a Cavalier, there is a local breeder here. In spite of health problems, they are much calmer.

Beagles are fun dogs for a farm or out in the country. Even with invisible fencing, when they see something they want to chase, they forget about the pain involved getting through to chase.

[caayenne]

Our last dog was a Cavalier, so I can tell you a little bit about them. My older son is an Aspie and Charlie was very sweet with him. He was also quite tolerant of my younger son, who would spend most of the day running, bouncing, and making lots of noise, but he didn't bond with him as much as the rest of us. Cavaliers do looooove to snuggle and be with you, (often on you!), and they are happy, happy all the time! They love to take walks, but they don't really care if you take one or not. They love to eat, maybe a little too much, so it's better not to free-feed them if you don't want them to get fat! They adore everyone they meet, and they want to meet everyone, so be prepared for this when you take walks, because they will want to stop and greet everyone (including people across busy streets). Cavaliers do want to be with their people all the time, so if you are home a lot, this is the dog for you. If you tend to be in-and-out, take them with you as much as possible. We did crate-train Charlie, and were somewhat successful. It worked for housebreaking, but he never really liked getting in it, and would howl whenever we left the house!

 

The health problems are a concern that you have to consider, though. Cavaliers are very likely to develop a heart murmur, often by age 5 or 6. There is also another health problem that many Cavaliers get, called Syringomyelia, which can cause them a lot of pain. It is really important to find a breeder that is specifically trying to breed for health rather than temperment in Cavaliers. Just about every Cavalier has a great personality, but it's not easy to find one free of health issues. It can be done, though.

 

There is an awesome forum with really nice people who know a lot more about Cavaliers than I do! When Charlie got sick, (he had an autoimmune disease, which is not breed-related), these people were a huge source of help and support for us. cavaliertalk.com

 

Hope that helps a little!

[ChrisB]

Our neighbor has a Cavalier. She is very cute and well tempered. My kids love Sophia and they don't take to many dogs. She doesn't bark, chase, or jump on the kids and is very tolerant with their attention. When friends talk about getting a small dog that is good with children, I always mention the Cav.

[coffeegal]

Know someone with a Cavalier. The dog is a sweetheart, and they love him dearly. :001_smile:

[gingersmom]

I would go for a large/medium sized dog. I think it would be better able to handle any of your sons behavior. Your daughter will at some point be able to walk the dog on her own. She can still brush/feed/train it.

[Impish]

No beagle. Nooooooooooooo beagle!

 

Seriously, Hon...the dog will literally climb your fence to get out at a rabbit, or as another suggested, dig under. They also can have issues with needing their anal glands oils expressed. Wolf had a buddy in the west end with one, they'd had him for years, and every.single.time. the door was open and he wasn't in a crate, he was gone like the wind, after a rabbit or other scent. Once they're scenting, they're gone.

 

And they not only bark, they bay. As in howl. I came thisclose to getting a beagle at one point, because they can be so awesome with kids. We ended up with a pug.

[Whereneverever]

I would go for a large/medium sized dog. I think it would be better able to handle any of your sons behavior. Your daughter will at some point be able to walk the dog on her own. She can still brush/feed/train it.

:iagree: Ultimately, though, dog choice is so personal it's hard to give advice.

[Karen in CO]

There are dozens of beagles in my neighborhood and everyone of them gets out eventually. They all also bark - a lot. I have returned many very sweet beagles to their yards only to see them out again an hour later. I have seen then climb fences to get out and wander around the neighborhood following scent trails. They seem happiest when they are trailing something. Most of the families love their beagles, but they are beagles. The only dog I've seen escape more is huskies.

[Kim in Appalachia]

Beagles are beagles, it will dig out under the fence and escape, most likely. He may not come back for a long time. Every beagle I've known had containment issues, it is in their blood.

 

 

Our dog has never tried to dig under the fence, or climb over (there is only one spot where that is possible). I would not trust an electic fence. I think the dog would follow his nose, no matter the shock.

[mjpeter]

Regarding the size of the dog. We have a little Papillon (between 6.5 and 7.5 lbs) and she's done fine with my three sons.

 

She knows when to get out of the way, and they know to respect the dog. They certainly play with her, but don't "rough-house."

[KellyGirl]

Our beagle isn't super mouthy... she barks whenever someone comes to the door - or if she's outside, whenever someone walks past the house. We did get her to the point where she doesn't usually bark at the neighbors anymore (but it took a couple of years).

 

And she ran. And ran. And ran some more. Every time one of my littles would open the door she would bolt. But around age 4 she stopped running. I don't really know why (we did yell at her and crate her every time she ran away). She does get stinky, too. Although I would say it comes and goes. I don't think she ran because she was tracking. I think she ran because she likes to be free.

 

A cavalier was another breed I was looking at too... I would probably go with a cavalier. But beagles are WONDERFUL with kids and they are ver affectionate dogs.

[ma23peas]

I work in a kennel so I know a little about Beagles! They are really, really cute sweet dogs but EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM barks (if that's what you call it) incessently. They NEVER shut up! And they are the biggest PIGS in the kennel food wise I'm speaking about. They will eat their food and any other food they might find on the floor, in the cubbies, their roomate's food! We genearlly have to separate them so that one doesn't get all of the food. Having said all of that, if you can stand the barking and the piggishness...then I would definately get a Beagle. They are so sweet. We've never had a KCS in the kennel so I can't talk about their behavior but I do know a lady who has one and he is such a cutie...but I've heard they're very expensive.

 

 

In a kennel, can't argue, they're a pack breed, one barks it starts the others barking...but in a home, our dog almost never barks unless the bigger dog barks first...we can go weeks and never hear barks...

 

But I would be wary of either breed...King Charles Spaniels (due to aggressive breeding) have horrible health issues...I know 4 families that have 6 between them and 4 of them have had major skin/organ issues...one's a diabetic and is only 2 years old, they've only fed him $$ dog food and no treats...go figure...my cousin spent thousands already on a 4 year old b/c he has some 'condition' known in King Charles spaniels (she spent over 1k on this dog just to buy him)...

 

I would love to recommend a beagle to you but they MUST have another pet with them...they go nuts if they are all alone...if you had another dog for company, you'd be fine, but if not that dog will be very stressed if you leave it alone, (stressed shows by peeing everywhere and throwing up) and when you're home it must be right next to you...we LOVE LOVE our beagle, she's pedigreed and has an amazing hunt instinct, evidenced by all the rabbits she's brought us...but she is a high need dog...there's not a day that goes by that she does not climb on the table and SIT on the kids school work demanding attention...our other dogs never do this! :) We think it's cute and so we keep her...ours get loads of exercise but they're hunting dogs and need loads...

 

I would suggest a mixed breed that has some Benji qualities :) Cockapoos or terrier mixes...they are so sweet and not so demanding....I just hate for someone to pay a lot for a purebreed and get problems....our family had Old English Sheep dogs and I hated seeing them suffer from skin and eye conditions...breeders are not responsible in my book, it's all about the $$ for the majority of them...:(

 

(We have a purebreed beagle b/c we saved her from an abusive owner...we gave her a safe home and ended up keeping her...love her but soo glad we have dogs to keep her company)

 

Tara

[TheApprentice]

My Cavalier is the absolute best dog. I have been around dogs all my life, and the Cav has the most easy-going demeanor, loves people as well as other dogs, and mine actually does not bark, even when we first get home. They are very easy to train, as a matter of fact, I actually do agility trials with mine and he really enjoys it. My Cav is 4 years old, and I did buy him from a reputable breeder, and we have had no health issues thus far. I vote Cavalier for the :). That is of course you are willing to pay $$$$. Mother owned a beagle. Two words: Barks, ALOT!! and digs holes. OK 5 words.;)

[smrtmama]

My beagle is not a barker or bayer. He alerts if someone comes to the door or if he scents a rabbit (but not other animal) trail, but that's it.

 

A rescue beagle, vetted for temperament, will be the best, most loving companion you'll ever have.

[AmeliaBinMO]

I voted "other." I agree w/ whoever said that this is a personal choice, so please take whatever I say with a grain of salt.

 

I had a beagle as a child, so I am somewhat familiar with them (or at least the one we had!). When choosing a dog for my own kids, we narrowed it down to a few, and a Cavalier was in the running. The few that I've seen have been very sweet. We did not go with them due to the health issues. We went with a Havanese -- super sweet, companion dog, fairly small but sturdy, and a non-shedder. We have now had our Havanese for over 5 years, and I'd choose another in a heartbeat! She is a perfect dog for our kids and family!

 

Adding a pet to the family is always fun! Although breeds have certain traits, of course you'll never know what exact personality you'll get. I hope that you find one that is a great fit for your family! Good luck to you!

[astrid]

Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

Super smart, super sweet, and SO much fun to have around!

 

astrid

[annlaura]

I currently have a half beagle. She is sweet and wonderful with the kids. She wrestles with the older one, plays ball with both, follows the leader, doesn't mind if the little one steps on her, etc. Boys in crate, food dish, toys, treats, everything is good with her. Today she and my 1yo spent some time panting and tongue lolling at each other. (She's one day older than he is.) And she is convinced she's a lap dog. She barks and bays and howls, which is what I expected but can still be annoying. She got out for the first time the other day, but I was right there (since I'd opened the gate) and she followed me right home. She's a compulsive counter cruiser, and will eat anything left out. She's as much of a pain as any pup, but very good natured and just what we wanted/expected. I did know an amazingly well trained beagle once who could be walked off leash, stopped at curbs and corners, came when called. He was great. Still barked/bayed/howled though. Maybe spend some more time with both breeds and go with your gut. Good luck deciding!

[Sugarfoot]

We have 2 Cavaliers. You can see them on my blog.

 

Luke and Leia are fantastic pets!

[specialmama]

Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

Super smart, super sweet, and SO much fun to have around!

 

astrid

 

Too funny, Astrid! That was the breed we originally looked at because there is a stunning corgi in our area. He's just the most beautiful, smart dog I've ever met (and that's saying something because I'm always around guide dogs!) However, after much research I didn't like that Corgis tended to playfully nip at feet, like they would with cattle. My son would not like that at all, and to have to get rid of a dog because of that just is not fair for us or the pooch. Too bad though, because they don't all nip at feet, but it's a risk I can't take.

[specialmama]

Thank you everyone for your insight and your vote!

The hunt is ON! :D