Beagles?

[DogPaddle]

We are considering getting a second dog. We have a 1 year old male border collie. There are a few Beagles in shelters near us but we have been advised that Beagles are either thick or extremely stubborn. Does anyone have any experience with this breed?
Thanks.

[bk_blue]

Not much experience but I can't think of any current members with Beagles :oops: Good on you for thinking about rescue though!

My aunt had two Beagles, Bonnie and Clyde. Bonnie doesn't bark much at all, Clyde was very boisterous but suffered from epilepsy and had to be put to sleep when he was about 8. Bonnie is still alive, she's 15, deaf, and has her bad days (arthritis) but more good days than bad and still wolfs down her dinner. I think they'd have trained up ok, Clyde was terrible on the leash though and would pull like there was no tomorrow. Both of them went by their noses more than anything else and that could account for any tales of stubbornness and stupidity you may have heard. I don't think they'd come close to matching the intelligence of a Border Collie but you may be pleasantly surprised. :wink:

[alicat613]

They are pack dogs, more boisterous and loud than some other breeds. I wouldn't call them thick, they are actually very intelligent, but stubborn. They are more difficult to train as they are not eagar to please as much as a lab.

They bark. And bark and bark and roo roo and howl. A lot. Especially if you aren't there.

They are scent hounds so not very trustworthy off-leash and need a very secure yard. Also depending on prior home life, a rescue beagle MAY not be good with cats or other small critters, depending on whether or not they knew any in their previous home.

And oddly, they have the highest propensity among all breeds for umm...eating poop, all poop, theirs and that of others.

However, these are of course simple breed generalizations. I have met at a show a breeder who had a bunch of pups with her, and there among them was the sweetest, cuddliest, quietest little girl, who very well may have come home with us had she not been spoken for.

I think with all breeds you should research and be prepared, but also meet the dog and see for yourself, and especially with a rescue you may be able to find out a lot about the individual dog's personality and history.

Good luck!

[Guest roo]

Beagles
what a wonderful breed.
Yes they are hounds, they howl they bray,
if they get the chance they go walkabout :lol:
Their temperement is second to none that is why
(and it is awful) they are the most popular breed
that is used for experimenting :x
Search the web, go to shows, join a club.
Roo

[DogPaddle]

I thought this might have been a case of stubborn rather than thick. We have done some research into the breed and they sound very nice but we will have to discuss the braying, barking and wooing - doesn't bother me but we must take the neighbours into consideration. I had not heard of their propensity to run off but I guess it stands to reason as they are hounds. After the holidays we will go visit a couple of the little guys in the shelters around here. Thanks everyone for your help.

[ShadyLady]

Just a comment to back up the barking and howling comment we lived in town for a while and we got new neighbours who had a beagle .Before they moved in they fortified the backyard he was an escape artist , then they move in Oh my goodness !! Every time they left the house it howled non stop I wasnt too fussed at first got to give them time to settle in but after months of it I was going round the twist luckily we knew we were moving soon :lol:

[alicat613]

I would recommend finding out how and where you can spend some time with them. A reputable breeder should be open to having you and your family over so you can see their beagles, also look to see if you have a beagle rescue in your area. I meet many beagles at our local off-leash dog park (the beagles are always on leash though!).

My hubby really really wants a beagle, and if it weren't for the fact that I know I'd be stuck with all the training, we'd probably have one. For now, I'll stick with my Dane - much easier to train!

I admit though, as much as I say they are barkers, they usually make the cutest little roo roo barks. I love it. But then, I've never lived next door to one!

[DogPaddle]

Thanks for all your help everyone. There are no beagle rescues in the area but there is a beagle in nearly every shelter within 100km of me. Most of the shelters will not adopt dogs out over the holidays. Must be a very hard choice for them - they want to place the dogs but do not want people buying them as Xmas gifts. I think its a good choice. Also, it will give me a chance to see how the neighbours might feel about all that roo rooing etc.