Beagles ?

[jcotton]

You can teach hounds to respect boundaries and to come back to you with an electric shock collar. My coonhound was trained with an electric shock collar and a sports whistle. Blow whistle, come Jo, if I didn’t hear her collar jingling back to me, then she gets a whistle, Come Jo and a little shock, still no response --a bigger shock, with whistle and call. She is now 6 yrs old, doesn’t need her electric collar very much but I always keep it charged for the exception of her not hearing very well.

Repetition is the key, and order. Hounds are trainable, you have to be patient and smarter than them.

[wireweiners]

I adopted an elderly beagle from the pound a year ago. I will ditto most of what everyone else said. Ginger is really very quiet in the house but when she is outside and gets on a scent she goes into “beagle mode” and wouldn’t notice if a bomb went off beside her. She has escaped the yard a time or two but fortunately she is rather chubby and slow and can’t help doing the beagle yowp when she’s hunting so she’s fairly easy to find. But a good fence and a leash are essential.

[danceronice]

My favorite beagle brain story is apparently my dad was walking Molly in the woods, and she was on a scent, and it was FASCINATING, and she flushed a rabbit…which she completely ignored, backtracking the scent to where the rabbit had come from. Smell interesting, actual rabbit, not so much. She’s also ignored baby fawns (to the point Dad nearly stepped on one following her because she didn’t even stop to look at where it was hiding.)

Though when one of our neighbor’s cows got out, came on our land, calved, and wandered back home (cows: not nature’s Einsteins) leaving the calf curled up in the high grass in our hayfield, when our neighbors and my parents couldn’t find it and were ready to to give up, they realized our old beagle mix, Oscar, was in point at something in the weeds. HE found the baby cow, even if the silly hoomans couldn’t.

[wireweiners]

If you ever get the chance, go to a brace beagle field trial. They are a hoot plus if you appreciate scent work by hounds you will get to see some awesome work. I used to field trial dachshunds and our trials were mostly held on beagle grounds. The beaglers would come and watch the dachsies run and would occasionally bring out a brace of beagles to show us dachshund folks how its supposed to be done. Dachshunds have excellent noses but they tend to run like blazed on a line. Dachshunds aren’t just following the scent line for the joy of tracking, deep down in their little hearts they believe that if they run hard enough and long enough on that track they will catch the rabbit and get to eat it. Beagles track for the pure joy on scent work and take it slow and steady. I do believe they sniff every inch the rabbit covered. So its step, yowp, step, yowp at a snail’s pace with those tails wagging a mile a minute.

[besttwtbever]

I’ve always had hounds and I personally love them and probably wouldn’t have anything else. Usually they’ve been dachshunds but the girl I have now is half beagle and half doxie. I rescued her shortly after by beloved dachshund crossed rainbow bridge.

I have never had major problems with the nose. I’ve taught all my hounds that come means come, NO exceptions. I am pretty confident I could call my current girl off of just about anything.

The great thing about Beagles (or half Beagles in my case) is their food drive. The dachshunds didn’t quite have this food drive, but in my experience their desire to please me is what their saving grace was. I’ve always had doxies on free feed and they’ve maintained a VERY healthy weight, my vet has always been astounded how I do it and also very, very impressed with my dogs weight/condition. My half Beagle has not been so lucky, she MUST be on meals and rather small weight control food meals at that. I have never met a dog this food driven in my life.

In any case the moral of the story in my book is with food, you can get them to do just about anything.

Just my two cents. Hope that helps.

[Outfxed]

I second what jcotton said about the e-collars and training beagles to come back. Since I rabbit hunt in dense covert where I can’t always see my girls, they are both outfitted with an e-collar and a GPS tracking collar. I wouldn’t let them loose without them.

As stated, beagles can be very food motivated. The e-collars that I have start with a tone beep to alert the dog that you want it. At 3 mths. old, I put the collars on, tap the tone beep and stuffed a piece of Puperoni in their yap. Kind of like clicker training. It doesn’t take long before they come flying over for their treat when they hear the beep on the collar. Having 6 gradually rising intensities of correction, you can suit the punishment to the crime and their range is 2 miles.

That being said, I don’t care how food motivated a beagle can be, out of the 25+ pack that my boyfriend and I hunt, when they are scenting and on a line, there isn’t a food treat in the world that will bring them back to you.

If you start a very young beagle correctly as a house pet, they can be delightfully fun companions. “Young” is the key to making a model citizen beagle, IMO. My two girls housebroke very easily, they don’t get into the trash, don’t chew and are lovely to live with. Some of the older ones that my BF has that weren’t serously worked with as house dogs are only pleasant under supervision. Turn your back and the trash is pilfered, anything chewable is chewed and puddles or worse are hidden behind furniture. As much as I have worked with the older ones, they can be stubbornly difficult to change.

You have had a lot of good information shared on what folks like and dislike about beagles. They take some work, but they are THE dog for the rest of my life.

[vacation1]

[QUOTE=libgrrl;5866588]
I love beagles – but this is a classic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnBjQDeZPag[/QUOTE]

:lol: I love it. We have neighbors who have a pack of Beagles they use for hunting, and their kennels are locked down like Fort Knox. The wire kennels are inside stockade fencing, etc. I never really thought about it, but it makes sense now.

[Whiz_Kid]

I have a beagle/JRT. Best dog ever! Georgia is smart, beautiful and is probably one of the most affectionate dogs I’ve ever met. I’d have a houseful if I could. I had never had a beagle before her… But I’m sold now:)

[MunchkinsMom]

[QUOTE=tradewind;5866364]
Beagles are great family dogs, great with kids, adults, the elderly. They get along well with other dogs and cats. They are long lived and generally healthy. They tend to get obese very easily, so excercise and a careful diet are in order. They are scent hounds, which means when they get on a scent they go and pay no attention to traffic, or how far they have gone. They also howl and vocalize a bit. A good fencing plan will be needed. Even though they have short hair they do shed a bit. A hound glove is very helpful for that. They were bred to be very persistent on the scent and stubborness is part of that trait. They are not known for lighting fast obedience to commands. Some are difficult to housebreak, not others. If you can accept the downside of the breed, I think beagles can be tons of fun.[/QUOTE]

I agree with all of the above. I have owned (or been owned by more likely) 3 beagles.

First was a male, and I was in high school, he was not a good fit for our family, as he was bred to hunt, and we were trying (and failing) to have him be a house dog, and we were not knowledgeable enough about puppy/dog training, so it was not entirely the dog’s fault. But after he bit me the second time, my mother took him to a pound in New Hampshire, where we pray he was adopted by a farm or family that wanted a hunting dog.

Next was a female, complete with a case of mange, that we cured, and she was a good dog, I lived in an apartment, and her only vice was howling when I left for work. And I didn’t know about it until one of my elderly neighbors brought it to my attention, because smart little beagle would wait for about 10 minutes. So I waited, caught her in the act, read her the riot act, and she stopped. Shortly after that I bought a house where she was much happier.

Then on a whim (while on vacation), I purchased another beagle pup from the mall pet store (I know, this was before the days that we were enlightened about puppy mills, don’t flame me here), because she matched the beagle at home. She turned out to be the best dog ever. I would take her to school with me one night per week, and she loved to roam around the painting studio, getting attention from the other students.

I will say that beagle pups are the cutest thing ever. They can be tricky to housebreak, and will chew things up if you don’t keep a close eye on them and give them appropriate chew toys.

[dani0303]

I have a 1/2 Beagle (other 1/2 Aussie) who is the best dog I’ve ever owned. She was raised in a farm/barn environment and I’ve never had any problems with her taking off. Sure, she’ll wander and explore but she ALWAYS comes back when I call her. Maybe it’s the Aussie in her but she rarely ever barks and I can easily call her off a scent. She is also WICKED smart and trainable.

[cutter99]

We have a Beago or a Golden Beagle depending on how you want to look at it- he is a Golden Retriever/ Beagle cross. He is an incredible companion. We have never had a problem with him running off and he gets along well with other animals. The giveaway that he has Beagle in him is his yowl, 100% Beagle. He is a thinker- you can see him process things before he reacts. He has been a 100% blessing in our lives!

[Beentheredonethat]

Don’t do it! I second what everyone said, and they are EVIL! It’s all about the nose and doing what THEY want. If they get to do everything they want, they are the world’s best dogs. They will do whatever they want and not care about the consequences.

They are VERY cute and great around kids, which is why I think so many people get them, and then they are up for adoption. You have to have a super escape proof yard, locks on all access to food, and never let them off leash and really tolerant neighbors for the biggest howl you’ve ever heard, or shock collars. If you can let them loose and wander the countryside to come back whenever they want, they’re great.

My evil, evil Beagle ripped out my kitchen window screen AGAIN after taking out the reinforced mesh wiring I added to it to get to the bread inside the kitchen. AHHH.

I now have an additional GOOD dog (Kelpie/Shepard mix) that is all about doing right. I let them go at the barn with her attached to the Evil Beagle, and she only lets him go so far, and then stops and drags him back. That way he can’t take off for hours or days at a time and not care, he gets more exercise, and she has a job.

Granted, I got mine as a rescue over a year, and I kept him because he was so bad no one else would take him, and he’d already been returned to the pound several times. Still, every single person I know with a Beagle has the exact same dog–they all do the SAME things. Besides the bad stuff, they all burrow under blankets, flip them over their heads and walk around, lay on their backs against walls and such and let their tongues hang out, etc.

[JSwan]

The thing is - if a person loves hounds this is all a normal part of having hounds. They are the BEST dogs in the whole world…they just often have an excess of personality.

It’s a feature, not a fault.

[bird4416]

Don’t forget Snoopy. The best beagle ever.

[libgrrl]

Don’t forget burying!

Most will try to bury their prized possessions. If they don’t have access to a yard, they will bury their “things” under blankets. Or in your couch.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

I don’t mind hound behavior and find most of it endearing when properly managed. I think they have the most universally good temperament of any breed out there. The problem with Beagles is they are just the right size, the right speed and have the right cuteness factor to get away with things no dog should.

My Basset was slow enough to be on top of as a youngster so he got caught red handed in most everything he tried to do. Those darn Beagles can stay one step ahead of anyone except the most most diligent owner and wreak havoc on the world if you don’t stop them! :lol:

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

OMG, I just sent the link to the Youtube video to my nieces. Who, along with my sister, spent hours tracking their first and second beagles after they’d escaped from the yard, which had both conventional and electric fencing.

Sadly, the first beagle escaped once too often and they found him dead after being HBC.

Their third beagle though was very atypical. Not only did he never even attempt to escape, he brought my sister a baby bunny. No, not like that - he carried it around like a mama cat with a kitten. They used to nap together on the deck. :lol:

[GoForAGallop]

We rescued a Beagle who had been severely abused and cowered if you so much as looked at him. Regardless of his past history, it took, oh, maybe four pieces of cheese before he decided he was in love with us? He was the happiest, most cheerful little dog ever. And yes, prone to obesity. And we once retrieved him from over 10 miles away…when he had just gotten loose an hour and a half before!! :lol:

He was a chewer when bored, and completely stripped a loveseat down to the bones in one short afternoon. They do best with other dogs to entertain them, or lots and lots of toys! (Particularly kongs stuffed with something and frozen, or marrow bones filled with peanut butter…something to work at!)

He was evil-genius smart, top of the class in his obedience class…but only when you had food. If he couldn’t smell or see a treat on you, good luck getting him to listen! He was always happy, friendly, and interested in meeting everyone, dog/person/cat/child. He never met a dog he didn’t like. (Although plenty thought he was a little too forward!)

He was fantastic, I still miss that little annoying destructive bugger! He lived with us 15 years, and was at least a year when I got him, so they do have a pretty long life span.

Mine was stubborn right until the very end. He was an old, grey man, and my vet put on her serious face when she talked to me about putting him on an even stricter diet than he was already on. So I started slowly reducing his feed, until he was down to just a meager 1/2 cup of food per feeding. One day he just looked down at his bowl, the kibble barely covering the bottom, and walked away. This, for those who know Beagles, was very concerning, but we figured he might have an upset stomach, and let it go. The next morning, same thing, although he would eat any table scraps that we offered to him. That evening he refused his food again, and I said enough and brought him to the emergency vet. They did a full blood panel and several full body x-rays, and found that he was in perfect health. (This in addition to the fact that he was being quite the flirt with anyone at the clinic willing to speak to him, making me look like the idiot when I was like “No, he’s off! Somethings wrong!”) They sent me home with him, in A+ health apart from being a little chunky.

The next morning, at breakfast time, I plunked the food in his dish. He looked at the dish, looked at me, looked at the dish, and walked away. Laid down on his bed, gave me the patented “I’m a beagle and I’m cute and angry and you should know it” look, and died. :lol: I’m not even kidding.

This was several years ago now, and I still get teased about forcing poor old Jasper to commit suicide because of the diet I forced him on. :lol: He clearly had just decided that he had lived 15 years eating essentially whatever he wanted, and he was not going to deal with any dieting BS as an old man. :lol:

So yes, they’re stubborn! To the death!

[apcohrs]

um … nobody has mentioned the Beagle sme … er scent.

[MunchkinsMom]

[QUOTE=apcohrs;5873674]
um … nobody has mentioned the Beagle sme … er scent.[/QUOTE]

Would you be referring to the flatulence issue? :lol:

The second female beagle I owned could clear a room in five seconds, and that started as a puppy. I even mentioned it to the vet when I took her in for her second round of puppy shots, and the vet was laughing, and I said, “no, this is a serious problem”, and the pup let one rip, and I tell you the vet stopped laughing immediately and I said “see, I told you this is a serious problem”. He recommended only a very high quality food (I found lamb and rice to work) and NO people food. That did help somewhat.

However, the day she ate the entire family size loaf of multi-grain bread. . . . oh boy!