subject: Is a Beagle the right dog for me? [print this page] Is a Beagle the right dog for me? Is a Beagle the right dog for me?
Deciding if you want a dog as a pet can be a timely process. Odds are you will go through days of inner personal debating leading up to your decision. Finally, you decide to make your life a bit more complicated and choose to purchase a dog. Now the real decision making begins, which dog do you get? You quickly narrow down your search by choosing small dogs as opposed to larger breeds, but not too small. After conducting some research into the various types of small dogs you stumble upon the beagle. The question now remains; is the beagle the right dog for me?
In order to answer your question you begin to analyze the beagle starting with appearance. You quickly take a liking to the breed's physical demeanor with regards to their muscular body type. At 13 to 16 inches in height (at the shoulders) and weight ranging between 18 and 35 pounds depending on gender (males tend to be heavier) you are getting the size you desire. In addition, the beagle's smooth short haired coat also meets your requirements pertaining to moderate grooming maintenance. Their long hanging ears and 2 coat color variation of white, black, tan, and red intrigue you as well. Thus, the beagle has passed your appearance evaluation but what about their temperament?
After reading various articles and books regarding this breed you learn how friendly and loyal of a dog the beagle is. More specifically, the notion of how well these dogs act when in the presence of children is appealing. You also like how alert these dogs can be when hearing unfamiliar sounds. Seemingly, a beagle will not hesitate to bark when they sense an intruder is near. After all of your reading pertaining to their personality and temperament, you decide they pass this test as well. So far, the beagle is meeting your expectations of a loyal and loving dog. But you are a relatively active person and you desire a dog that is active as well. So does the beagle meet this requirement too?
As you continue to research the activeness of this breed you discover how playfully outgoing these dogs can be. Apparently, beagles require daily walks as well as an entertaining romp around in a safe open area. This information is reassuring due to how much you yourself enjoy being outdoors. But when being outside and possibly off a leash, do these dogs have the tendency to listen and remain obedient?
You read that these dogs are intelligent and respond very well to positive reinforcement training methods. This is pleasing because you are not an overly aggressive person and do not enjoy physically reprimanding anyone, especially animals. The only characteristic that has you a little uneasy about the breed is their hound blood-line.
Regardless of how intelligent and obedient this dog is depicted to be in the many articles you have read, they are a hound through and through. This means that it is in their nature to "pick up" and track a sent when they come across one. When this occurs, you read that these dogs can become quite difficult to control. Due to this instinctive characteristic, you note that these types of dogs may be better suited for a more rural environment as opposed to city living. Because you currently reside in the suburbs and parks, open fields and wooded areas are close by, you decide that a beagle would be happy in these surroundings as long as you expose him to these areas regularly.
So you come to the conclusion that the beagle is the right dog for you. As a result, you become aware of the specific health issues related to this breed such as glaucoma, progressive retinal atrophy, epilepsy, and hypothyroidism. Understanding these diseases makes you more knowledgeable of the breed's standards and helps you make the right decision when searching for a reputable breeder.
The day finally arrives and you bring home your beagle. As your puppy beagle plays in his new surroundings you notice him urinating in excitement on your kitchen floor. At that moment you realize that you really have just made your life a bit more complicated. As you pick him up to take him outside he begins to lick your face in a loving manner. At that moment you also realize that you have made your life much more fulfilling as well.
