What About a Couple Beagles for the Kids?

[M.D. Holloway]

Just exploring the idea of a dog(s) for the kids. Beagles seem to have a bunch going for them:
1) great with the kids
2) short hair
3) small
4) full of energy
5) yappy enough to be a good watch dog

Anyone with Beagles out there?

[SXSMAN]

What is the age of your kids ?

Very little kids do better with big dogs ( they can take the abuse a small child can dish out ).

[ChrisBennet]

Reminds me of that joke:
(Guy) "I got a boat for my wife."
(Guy's friend) "Good trade!"

[BlueSideUp]

I had a beagle growing up and now we have two pug beagle mixes (people call them puggles). Any beagle or beagle mix is going to need to "inspect" every room in your house, they love to sniff everything and will find all spilled food (probably good if your kids are small).

They are good dogs and like any dog make sure you spend a lot of time training them. We dog sat a husky puppy over the holidays, the owner said she destroys things at home and is generally crazy. We walked her twice a day and took her to the dog park, just doing those simple things resulted in a very relaxed and non destructive husky.

[968rz]

I have a purebred beagle and it's great with all ages of kids (and other dogs). Be fore warned, most are as you said "yappy" to the point of being annoying but my kids love this thing so I have to keep it.

[BlueSideUp]

One of ours is yappy and the other is not. Well OK he does howl but that's just funny.

[M.D. Holloway]

8 (some to be 9) year old Boy and 5 year old Girl - they adore all animals

[notfarnow]

Originally Posted by LubeMaster77

Just exploring the idea of a dog(s) for the kids. Beagles seem to have a bunch going for them:
1) great with the kids
2) short hair
3) small
4) full of energy
5) yappy enough to be a good watch dog

Anyone with Beagles out there?

We've got two purebreds, 7 yrs and 13 (or so... rescue dog)



In fact, right now we have a third, while my father in law is in China.

All your points above are true. They have a gentle temperament and are great with kids. Having said that, I don't think they're the best choice for kids. They tend to be a LOT of work. Even my wife, who is fanatical about beagles, is concerned about having 2 beagles when we have kids.

The biggest issue is their nose... it's stronger than their brain. You can spend all the time and money you want trying to train them, but they will be in your garbage, your laundry (mmm...socks and undies) and your pockets.

In our case, it also meant baby-proofing the kitchen so they can't open cupboards, etc. They even learned to open the fridge.

And you generally can't let a beagle off its lead... if they get a scent, they are gone. They will be oblivious to your yells, to traffic, whatever. They may never come back, because they get so distracted they just run till they're lost. My wife lost a beagle she had for 4 years like that. One morning, someone opened a door and it caught a scent.... never seen again.

That means being really CAREFUL that kids, neighbors or guests don't accidently let them out the door.

They are really nice dogs, but they aren't easy dogs like labs etc.

All that aside, Chance is my best friend... the dumb old bastard

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by LubeMaster77

Just exploring the idea of a dog(s) for the kids. Beagles seem to have a bunch going for them:
1) great with the kids
2) short hair
3) small
4) full of energy
5) yappy enough to be a good watch dog

Anyone with Beagles out there?

a boxer is all of the above except #3. We had a beagle when I was a kid...miserable dog. Love to bay. Constantly. Ymmv.

[slodave]

Yum, bagels and cream cheese!

[notfarnow]

Most beags don't swim, but Daisy will swim as far as you can throw a treat



As for baying, yapping etc... if they don't get enough excercise they will just make you bonkers. That can be a good thing, gets us out for walks year-round.




Miss a day or two and they start going nuts

[aigel]

They tend to run off too. We rescued one and fostered it for a while. It was constantly looking for food even though we fed it plenty. It tried to run away every chance it could get and got away from me once, even though we are extremely careful with the dogs. I recommend a larger breed that is not a hound and a single dog to start. There are plenty of large breed pups at the pound that need a good home.

George

[Paul K]

Originally Posted by nostatic

We had a beagle when I was a kid...miserable dog. Love to bay. Constantly. Ymmv.

There's a guy with 2 of them just around the corner. Without doubt, the most annoying dogs ever- howling/barking constantly. They drive me nuts. The only way to make them to stop is by teaching them the 'lie down' command. Beagles can't howl when they're laying down. Unless you are prepared for a lot of intensive training (which many beagles fail, according to the two obedience class teachers I know) then I suggest another type of dog. YMMV!

Cheers,

Paul.

[notfarnow]

Originally Posted by Paul K

Unless you are prepared for a lot of intensive training (which many beagles fail, according to the two obedience class teachers I know) then I suggest another type of dog. YMMV!

When my wife got her first dog, she called to make an appointment for obedience training.

"I'd like to sign up for the obedience classes on tuesday evenings"
"What breed of dog is it?"
"A beagle"
"Oh listen dear, why don't you save your money and buy yourself a nice sweater instead."

[Mo_Gearhead]

QUOTE: "Without doubt, the most annoying dogs ever- howling/barking constantly."
___________________

I never like to paint with a broad brush, as I'm sure some owners will tell you theirs NEVER make ANY noise ...but ...I would seek out another breed. JMO

QUOTE :5) yappy enough to be a good watch dog
_____________

Yaps when: sun comes up, wind blows a leaf past nose, sees a bird, smells anything ...(understand?)

[t951]

We have 2 beagles (Bailey 11.5yrs old and Ginger 9years old) and 2 labs.

All 4 dogs are awesome.

Here is the deal with beagles:

They will bark (but tend to do that dramatically less if they are given lots of attention.
They are convinced that they are human.
They will eat. They need to have their food monitored, otherwise they will eat everything. They tend to have obesity and diabetes from this.
They are SUPER SWEET.
They are like Toyota Tacomas. Small, durable, resilient.
They shed. Don't be fooled by the length of their hair.
They like to roam, follow their noses, etc. (When we take them to the dog park, they tend to smell where the dogs were, as opposed to the actual dogs).
They rule.
They are not water dogs. (Labs, on the other hand are practically fish).
When they get their attention and exercise they are so mellow.
They are very instinctual, ie hard to train. Be patient. Use food.
They never bite, are good with kids and are quite silly.
They rule.
I would HEARTILY recommend them. Until I die, I will always have Beagles and Labs.
Oh, and your floors will never have food on them, so thats a nice benny.

[peppy]

Everything I have read above is true, and they will also chew up everything in the house. They love to be outside and remember they are hound dogs.

They are probably one of my favorite breed. I like the bench leg beagles.

[t951]

Oh, beagles, like all dogs are a pack animal. They do better when not alone. Get a pair of beagles and they can keep each other company.

Or a beagle and a lab.

Or 2 beagles and 2 labs....now you're cookin!

[notfarnow]

Originally Posted by t951

When they get their attention and exercise they are so mellow.

Good point. Our beagles aren't yappy at all, but they get a ton of excercise and attention. Same with our neighbor's 3 beagles (3!! must be a nuthouse)

They really are sweet dogs. I'd love to see pics of your guys' beagles.

TK is right, two is easier than one. When we just had Daisy, she'd go nuts if left alone all day. When we got Chance she mellowed down a lot. They spend the day together on the couch, and plot together to get at the dog food or open the fridge.

Originally Posted by peppy

They are probably one of my favorite breed. I like the bench leg beagles.

What's a bench leg beagle?

[vash]

refer to:

golden retriever thread. oh, and just get one. back home, my neighbor had two beagles...i had to move to california to get away from the noise.