Beagle temperment

I have now personally owned 2 beagles, both excellent hunters, both females and both acquired as pups. We're wondering whether to get a 3rd.

Our first beagle lived 12 years and was sweet as pie. Never showed the slightest bit of aggression towards anyone and put up with everything our young kids did with her. This dog came from unknown bloodlines, but the sire & dam both hunted for their owners who were typical casual/recreational hunters.

Our 2nd beagle showed "assertiveness" early on, sometimes growling during correction, but otherwise wonderful with us and our kids and others for about the first 2 years. Then she started gradually getting more aggressive particularly other peoples kids and later ours. Very friendly but a some unpredictable moment the dog would decide it no longer wanted the attention and would growl or bite. It eventually got to the point where she could no longer be fully trusted around anyone but me because I was the only one willing to handle her when she got out of line. We (mostly I) put up with it but by the age of 4.5 we decided the dog had to go. This dog came from competitive bloodlines (UKC). I've been around beagles most of my life and this dog had the most relentless hunting drive I've ever seen.

If considering another beagle, are we rolling the dice in terms of temperament?

It's always a roll of the dice with any new dog, but your chances of getting an aggressive beagle I believe are really slim, I've owned quite a few and never had any that were aggressive.....

I don't think you can ever "guarantee" how even a well bred dog will turn out. Source the best you can find and train it right and hopefully it works. I also owned a Beagle and many of my friends were seriously into them also and it certainly is not a breed I would call unsociable with people. Quite the opposite. Mine slept with my parents but didn't have an off switch in the woods. Most of the good ones don't. There are some excellent breeders locally and I can recommend one if you want. By the way winter Beagling is a blast and I miss it. I'll drive and buy the Timmy's :dog:

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Originally Posted by bdog

It's always a roll of the dice with any new dog, but your chances of getting an aggressive beagle I believe are really slim, I've owned quite a few and never had any that were aggressive.....

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X2

You just had an unlucky draw nine pointer. My Dad and I bred and trained beagles for many years; we never had an aggressive one.

((Thinking of getting one myself sometime over the next 3 years. Don`t tell my husband. :) )

Never heard of an aggressive beagle, I have only had one, but have known others with them and they were all great dogs around people. But like what been said above, don't try and stop them from hunting, it just doesn't happen. My would go on its own if I didn't take it at least once a week. Great dogs, have always wanted to get another, but I pretty much only water fowl hunt now using a dog.

Any breed has different temperaments I always think along the lines hounds were pack hunted so they had to be social with other dogs. They also tend to be social with people too. Some are miserable, but so can any dog. Also kids have to know better not to mess with one when its are eating that's most likely when it comes out. If you want another registered beagle for hunting check the kennel club events for trials and go.

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Originally Posted by bdog

It's always a roll of the dice with any new dog, but your chances of getting an aggressive beagle I believe are really slim, I've owned quite a few and never had any that were aggressive.....

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I'd disagree with that. Breeders should be breeding for temperament as well as hunting drive, nose etc. If they are, it's not a roll of the nice. If they are not - they are not doing their job and don't fall into the category of "reputable breeders".

NP - I did have one mean beagle - but I picked it up as a stray - no tag and couldn't find an owner. I suspect it was abused - it had a particular fear of men - woman and children it wasn't afraid of. But it would nip at anyone, the worst two scenarios were over a dead deer and when you had to get it up when it was sleeping.

Bad tempered beagles are pretty rare, I think. When you buy one, ask if you can see the parents - play with them and see what their nature is like. I'd think if you'd buy from a breeder that trials you should do okay - the trial guys seem to have very little tolerance for poorly socialised dogs - it just causes too many problems.

I grew up with beagles, I think we had 8 of them, 2 are still around.

I had never seen an aggressive beagle until I moved into our house, the neighbour had one and as I had been around them all my life I acted the same around them as my own dogs. This thing would snap at you if you grabbed at its collar to take it off a scent, it would snarl and bark at us and we were there every day, it was trying to get to us, it also had a look like it had gotten into something bad, doapy like a raccoon with distemper but the dog was not sick.

It was the oddest thing I have ever seen in a dog, our beagles were just sucks, they always wanted to cuddle up with you if there were not rabbits or deer to be had.

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Originally Posted by werner.reiche

Breeders should be breeding for temperament as well as hunting drive, nose etc.

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Absolutely. But in most cases (and although some breeds are known for aggression problems), mean dogs are made, not born.