Beagle Temperament
What's Good About 'Em,
What's Bad About 'Em

Beagle Temperament, Personality, Behavior, Traits, and Characteristics, by Michele Welton. Copyright © 2000-2010

Enjoy our site? You'll love our books. Everything you need to know about finding, training, and caring for a Beagle, by Michele Welton

Beagles are conveniently-sized, handsome and easy-to-groom, friendly with people, peaceful with other pets, and with their appealing soulful expression, it's perfectly natural that many people consider them as potentially wonderful pets.

However, Beagles were developed as hunting dogs and they have many hunting dog behaviors "hardwired" into their genes.

Beagles need much more exercise than most people give them, which is why you see so many fat Beagles with health problems. Though they're often kept in city apartments or condos, they should not be. Beagles require long frequent walks and a fenced yard where they can stretch their legs off-leash -- FENCED because Beagles are explorers and chasers who will follow their nose wherever that fascinating sight or smell takes them, and since Beagles are endowed with selective deafness, they seldom come back when you call them.

In addition, you can't leave them outside unmonitored, for Beagles are prone to wanderlust and can be adept climbers and diggers. Also, Beagles left outside become bored and then they bay and howl and dig holes.

The Beagle's vast stubbornness and distractability call for early, consistent obedience training. Use food rewards to motivate him, but don't indulge too much or you'll end up with that portly Beagle I mentioned earlier. A Beagle is often found with his head buried in the garbage and he will cheerfully filch whatever morsels you leave within reach!

If you want a dog who...

More traits and characteristics of Beagles

If I was considering a Beagle, I would be most concerned about...

1. Unstable temperaments. Obedience instructors and behavioral consultants see plenty of Beagles who are aggressive, fearful, or dysfunctionally neurotic. If you're considering a Beagle puppy, you need to look carefully at the temperament of BOTH parents, and if you're considering a Beagle adult dog, you need to temperament-test him before bringing him home (unless you're deliberately choosing a dog with an unstable temperament because you want to try to rehabilitate him).
2. Providing enough exercise. Beagles don't need to run for miles, but they do need more exercise than the typical amble around the block that many owners give them. Beagles who don't get enough exercise not only become bored, destructive, and noisy, but also obese, which puts stress on their joints and causes more health problems. Beagles MUST have regular opportunities to stretch their legs and vent their energy, if you want them to remain healthy and fit.

   Beagles are scenthounds, which means they will follow their nose wherever it leads them. You cannot trust these dogs off-leash. They will take off -- oblivious to your frantic shouts -- after anything that emits an odor or runs.

3. Fence security. Many Beagles are clever escape artists who will go over or under fences in search of adventure. You may need higher fences than you might imagine for their small size. They can climb chain link. You may also need to sink wire into the ground along the fence line to thwart digging. Gates should have the highest quality locks, as some of these dogs can open flimsy latches.
4. Housebreaking. Beagles are slow about this. Expect four to six months of consistent crate training. Read more on housebreaking your Beagle
5. Noise. Beagles should never be left outside in your yard, unsupervised. Their mournful baying and howling will have your neighbors calling the cops to report the nuisance, or quietly letting your Beagle out of his yard so he'll wander away and stop disturbing them.
6. Stubbornness. Beagles are independent thinkers who don't particularly care about pleasing you. Most Beagles are stubborn and can be manipulative. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say. Food is a great motivator with Beagles, but if you give too much, you'll end up with a fat Beagle...and a dog who doesn't do what you tell him unless you have a cookie in your hand.
   
   

   You must teach your Beagle to respect you. A dog who respects you will do what you say and will stop what he's doing when you tell him "No." My book Teach Your Dog 100 English Words, gives you a unique vocabulary to use with your dog AND teaches my Respect Training Program. Your dog will look at you when you speak and do what you say. Not just when he's hungry for a treat or feels like it. But all the time. Because he respects you.

7. Shedding and doggy odor. For such a shorthaired dog, Beagles shed MUCH more than you might think – definitely on the high side of average. Just be ready for this. If you really think your dog is shedding excessively, changing his diet will probably help. Like all scenthounds, Beagles have a distinct doggy odor.
8. Finding a healthy one and keeping him healthy. Many Beagles live a good long life, but unfortunately they are very prone to health problems, including itchy skin conditions and allergies, ear infections, a long list of eye disease, joint problems, hypothyroidism, epilepsy, heart disease, and more. To avoid these problems, you need to buy your Beagle from a person who can pass the "14 Family Companion Guidelines" in my book, Dog Quest: Find The Dog Of Your Dreams. If they're not following these guidelines, it's a big risk to buy a puppy from them.

   Once you have your puppy home, you need to keep him healthy by following the 11-Step Health Care Program in 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy.
   
   If you want your dog to live a long, healthy life and seldom need to visit the vet, this is the book for you. How to prepare healthy meals, getting only the right vaccinations (not the ones that are either useless or risky), preventing fleas, ticks, and heartworm safely, getting dangerous (to dogs) products out of your home, healing or improving current health issues, and much more. This is my best book, and bargain priced, too!

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