17 Top Beagle Pros and Cons You Should Know

Looking for beagle pros and cons? Then you’re in the right place because in this post we will outline all the necessary things to know about beagles before getting one, both the pros and cons.

Beagles were selectively bred to hunt small birds, foxes, rabbits, and hares.

There were also bred to follow their sense of smell in other to track down prey during hunting.

As time goes on, due to their intelligence and affection towards their owners, beagles were now bred as human loyal companions and these traits in them made them so popular.

In modern-day, beagles are now seen as the most popular breeds of dogs most families can have as loyal companions.

There are many things to consider before getting a dog as a family pet, these are as follows;

• Family members
• Family needs
• Financial involvement
• Size of the house
• Purpose of getting the dog
• Age of kids around the house
• Temperaments or personality of the dog
• History of the dog
• Neighbors around
• Time

So, now we are through with what to know before getting a dog, let’s go into the beagle pros and cons.

It is important to point out that beagles are one of the best family dogs, irrespective of what you hear about them.

Read more about: Is The Beagle a Good Family Dog? A Look at Their Personality & More.

Beagle Pros and Cons

To understand this topic better we will break it down into two parts, which includes discussing the pros and then the cons.

So, let’s start with the beagle pros or what people say are the advantages of owning a beagle.

Pros of Owning a Beagle

Here are the common pros of owning a beagle that you need to know before considering a beagle;

Beagles Are Very Affectionate Towards Their Families

When it comes to affection levels in dogs there are very few dogs if any that can beat the beagle, most times beagles beg their owners for affection.

Cuddles are one of the popular acts a beagle displays to show its level of affection towards its owners, when a beagle loves you the beagle will always want to be around you.

Most times beagles go crazy when they find out their loved one is on his way out to work, and they can immediately start barking unnecessarily trying to get your attention.

Beagles Are Low-Maintenance Dogs

Beagles are known to be healthy, and they don’t have long coat that requires a complicated or expensive trip to the groomer.

You need to make sure that your dog’s ears are clean, that their nails are trimmed, and that they bathe regularly.

You should check their ears weekly to make sure they are clean and infection-free.

You also have to brush your beagle teeth regularly. Most puppies don’t need an annual spa visit until their pup has been vaccinated.

You can always ask your vet about your dog’s medical needs and follow all appointments and recommended vaccines.

Beagles Are Very Good in Apartments

Beagles can thrive in a variety of living conditions and are very adaptable too, but apartments and large properties.

Starting from living in the countryside to a very big city.

Although Beagles prefer to have a large yard for playing, dog parks can be an acceptable alternative for many beagles, all they need is a small space, and they will adjust.

Beagles are very sensitive to their environment and can easily adjust to the space provided since they are just medium-sized dogs.

Beagles Get Along With Other Dogs

Beagles were selectively bred to hunt in packs and this selectively bred feature has not left the beagle, this makes beagles one of the best if not the best dog that gets along with other dogs.

Beagles love to play a lot and having a second dog around them makes life a lot easy for them.

Beagles Get Along With Cats

Because beagles were selectively bred to hunt in packs, they actually need all the companions they can get from other animals, and a cat is one of their preferred options.

Cat owners have a nice opinion about adding beagles to their families, and most of them confess that adding beagles to their families made it more fun.

However, before adding a beagle to your family with a cat be sure to properly train the beagle, mostly obedience training.

This is to ensure that your beagle won’t see the cat as a play toy.

To read more about beagles and cats visit this article: Are Beagles Good With Cats? All You Should Know.

Beagles Get Along With Kids

Beagles are madly in love with kids and get along with kids for one simple reason.

Beagles are a very energetic and active breed that needs exercise, kids also love to play and this makes them bound together.

A healthy beagle can stay and play all day long with a kid that is willing to run around the backyard.

In some cases you can get home and see your kids lying down with your beagle and sleeping, this is because both of them have exhausted their energy by playing.

It is very normal to get a beagle if you have kids that are willing to play, as beagles get more bounded to kids that play with them a lot than those who do not play with them.

Beagles Can Thrive in a Variety of Living Conditions

Not only do beagles do well with people who live in an apartment, but beagles also enjoy it more when you have a large compound for them to explore.

If you live in a busy city you can get beagle, and they will do very well because they love meeting and making friends.

In fact, making new friends is one of the reasons why beagles are not good guard dogs because a beagle can go ahead and play with a person who broke into your house with a single offer of treats.

The main point is that beagles are medium-sized dogs that can fit into an apartment because of their size and also fit into large properties because of their exercise needs.

Beagles Are Very Sociable

If you are looking for a social breed of dog that can easily adjust to people’s way of life or help you make friends with people then beagles got you covered.

Beagles love adventures a lot the only problem you will have with a beagle hanging out with you is that beagles hardly control their nose, thereby sniffing around a lot.

Beagles love going to parks and recreation area if you’re the type that loves hanging out a lot, then get a beagle, but you should always have a way of distracting your beagle when you are in public.

Socializing a beagle is 5 times easier than most breeds of dogs, forget the fact that beagles bark a lot this is because of some reasons which we will outline in the cons section.

Beagles Will Help You Make More Friends

When it comes to making friends there are very few dogs if any that can help you make more friends faster than beagles.

Again this comes down to the way they sniff around people and their facial looks when they see new faces.

A beagle can leave you to go and play with a stranger who is willing to run around with them.

Sometimes beagles end up making friends with people you never imagined being around you, this is because beagles love adventures and making new friends.

Beagles Are Not Very Picky With Food

Most breeds of dogs are very picky with food, but that is not the case for beagles as their nose guide them a lot, beagles do well with human foods too.

Because beagles are not too picky with the food they might want to come to join you at the dinner table if you are serving something that smells delicious.

Beagles are stubborn, but you can get them to do what you want just because you reward them, be careful how you reward a beagle before it turns into something else.

Beagles Are A Companion Dogs

Beagles are actually one of the most loyal breeds of dogs, even when they are sick or in pain.

They are just loyal to a fault when properly trained.

Most dog breeds sometimes fight back at their owners, but this is what actually makes beagles stand out from the rest.

Most breed of dogs like the Rottweilers will show you their teeth in anger.

Beagle turns every opportunity to playtime, however, they can be stubborn from their puppy stages and would need you to work on them, this is because they were selectively bred to hunt and not to be home dogs.

Beagles Are Not Too Territorial or Possessive

Most breeds of dogs like Dogo Argentino and German Shepherd are very territorial and possessive this is not the case with beagles.

You can say no to these because beagles bark a lot, but I tell you that beagles were selectively bred to be vocal to allow their owners to locate them during hunting.

If you actually have a beagle you will notice that they can bark unnecessarily when nothing is absolutely wrong with them, they can bark at you when you are back from work just a way to tell you welcome.

Beagles are not like other breeds of dogs that can not allow other dogs or cats to come close to their territory.

This is good for dog owners because at least your dog won’t always get into fighting.

Beagles Are Always Happy

If you are looking for a dog that is very cheerful and always excited then you really need a beagle.

Because beagles are packed with high energy they always want to play, and when you give them playing time they are excited, and they stay happy.

Beagles Are Extremely Intelligent

Beagles are very intelligent, this is why they carry out simple home tricks.

Even though they are stubborn and sometimes difficult to train.

But when you finally get them to do what they to do, that is when you can actually observe how intelligent they are.

When it comes to playing mind games and dictating their owners’ mood, beagles stand out.

Beagles easily learn more tricks than most dogs, just that they tend to play a lot, but that makes them more fun to be with.

Beagles Are Easy to Get Going

Most breeds of dogs are difficult to get going when they go through a separate anxiety or trauma, but that is not the case for beagles, they are cheerful and always easygoing.

When you offend your beagle they easily let go as opposed to most breeds of dogs that will try to fight back.

It is much easier to say sorry to a beagle than most other breeds.

Since they are scent hounds, a simple offer of a good treat can get your beagle to get going, as opposed to other breeds that would want cuddles.

Beagles Are Much Easier to Groom

Beagles have a short coats, which makes it easier for their owners to groom, unlike other breeds that have long fur that may need the services of a professional groomer.

You must not be a good groomer to take care of a beagle, here is a simple and cheap pack of grooming tools to get you going in terms of grooming.

Beagles are fine with just brushing them once a week or even once in 10 days in the off-season.

Beagles Are Excellent Trackers

When it comes to tracking and retrieving there are very few dogs of any that can beat a beagle in this field.

If you actually want to test how good beagles are in tracking abilities then hide treats in places of their reach, you will still see them sniffing around even though they can’t get to it, but they know it’s there.

Back in the hunting era, there are no better trackers than a beagle.

This is because it was what they were selectively bred to do.

Cons Of Owning a Beagle

Here are the common cons of having a beagle that you should know before getting one;

Beagles Are Stubborn

Beagles are seen as stubborn breeds of dogs because they tend to follow their nose scent instead of listening to their owners.

This means a beagle rather follow a toasted beef smell than sit and listen to you.

To get the best out of training a beagle be sure to remove all sorts of distractions especially strong smells, near or far away from your training area.

However, this stubborn nature goes away with time, because they become calmer as they get older, so be patient with your beagle.

Beagles Are Very Unnecessarily Vocal

The primary reason why beagles are very vocal is that they were selectively bred to hunt small birds, foxes, rabbits, and hares.

By carrying out their task they drift away from their owners during hunting, and their owners get them back through their loud barking.

This trait of barking a lot has not left a purebred beagle except for some cross-breeds, there are ways to identify purebred beagles.

Even with proper training beagles can still be vocal, it’s in their blood to bark.

Beagles are loud for nothing, barking gives them joy, may because they have lots of energy to bark, the last time I checked a beagle can still bark at its owners just a way of telling them to welcome.

Beagles Can’t Be Left Alone For Too Long

Separate anxiety is one of the challenges beagles face, which can slowly progress to aggressiveness if left untreated.

Beagles can surprise you with the amount of destruction they will make in your house when you leave them alone for too long, but the most interesting thing is that beagles are less destructive when they have a companion.

You can always get a second pet to keep them busy while you are away, and also provide interactive toys for them.

You can read more about leaving beagles alone here; Can Beagles Be Left Alone: Things You Should Know.

Beagles Can Cause Allergic Reactions

Beagles have short coat that sheds often and most people are allergic to seeing hair on their clothes or sits, so if you are allergic to hair beagles are not for you.

Even though grooming and high-quality food can be used to control shedding in beagles, that does not take away the fact that they shed and can cause allergic reactions.

Beagles Shed Much During The Spring

Because beagles have a small coats, their shedding is not noticeable like other breeds of dogs with long fur.

Beagle’s coat is thicker in the winter, and they tend to shed less, but during the spring so many changes and reactions occur that trigger off shedding.

To most beagle owners shedding is no longer an issue, but to a person who wants to get a beagle be ready to see more shedding in the spring.

For more about beagle shedding see this article: How to Keep Beagle From Shedding: 13 Easy Ways.

Beagles Love to Dig

When it comes to digging the backyard fence, beagles are very good at it.

They can dig all day and never get tired of digging, maybe because they are hunting dogs.

If you have a beagle or want to get a beagle just be sure the base of your fence is made of solid concrete floors, this is to avoid unnecessary digging as they will have nowhere to dig.

Beagle Noise Can Distract Neighbors

Honestly, if you leave where people hate dogs barking then beagles are not for you because you will end up having unnecessary issues with your neighbors because of your beagle bark.

Beagles are loud and can wake neighbors up early morning, which may not be acceptable if you live where it is compact.

If beagles bark unnecessarily, it is not ideal to get one if you live in an area people hate dogs to bark.

Beagles Will Always Want to Run Away Following an Unnecessary Scent

Beagles will always want to escape or run away from home this is because they are hunting dogs, and again they are scent hounds that can follow up a scent to the end.

I know they are bred to track their prey till the end, but this is now a problem.

That is why it is very wise to beagle-proof your home.

Part of why your beagle is trying to run away is also poor socialization.

You can’t have a beagle if you live in an open compound unless you will train it to be on a leash or put a tracker on it.

Beagles are generally known as dogs who no matter what will try to run outside.

Read more about How to train a beagle not to Run Away From Home: 11 Basic Tips.

Beagle Can Stink When Left Wet for Long

Beagles are none to stink when left wet for long, this can easily be corrected if you notice it, so always make sure you dry your beagle’s body properly.

Beagles can also stink when you do not bathe them for long, so be sure to bathe them once in a while.

Read more about How to take good care of a Beagle: Best 14 Ways.

Beagles Are Born Sniffers That Can be Worrying to Most People

Beagles sniff a lot and this can be a problem because it is actually one of the reasons why Beagles eat poop.

So always keep your environment clean, because beagles don’t have control over what they sniff or not.

Beagles Are Prone To Some Health Challenges

Beagle comes with their own health challenges associated with them, however, these health challenges can be addressed with regular medical check-ups.

Here are some common health challenges associated with beagles;

• Diabetes
• Distichiasis
• Glaucoma
• Obesity
• Epilepsy
• Cherry eye
• Hypothyroidism

Final Verdict

What a long post right? You don’t even know if you still want a beagle or not after reading this.

Here is the thing, most of the cons can be controlled by you, so this makes things easier.

Getting a dog comes with lots of things that you should be ready to face before getting one.

My take on this is that beagles are a fantastic breed of dog that will show you all the affection you are missing.

One or two cons that are out of your control should not make you not get a beagle, because everything that has advantages will always have disadvantages along the line.

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