Beagles/:)

Advertisement

Expert: - 9/13/2009


Question
Are Beagles good fir Agility?
and will this breed bark all the time if left alone?
Thank you!

love,
Maria

Answer
Hi Maria, thanks for writing to me.

A beagle could be good for agility if it has the right personality and temperament and is dog that wants to please, as a group I wouldn't say they would be the most desired as they are scent hounds and are easily distracted by smells, sounds, etc. and often are said to have amind of their own. They are very smart dogs but their genetic wiring takes over when they are out and about and their nose is the bigger brain ! That is not to say that you couldnt work very hard to get a beagle to do well, it would just have to be something you were extremely dedicated to because it would require more work than other breeds.

As far as barking, beagles can be howlers but they can definatley  be trained not to and only to do so at appropriate times. Once again it would require extra work as they are genetically predisposed to using their voices when they chase prey or to alert....

Anything is possible if you want it bad enough and are willing to work at it a lot.... if you want a dog that would be more predisposed to never barking or doing agility beagles wouldnt be at the top of the list for those things. They are more about being laid back family dogs, good natured and easy going but also highly active.

Hope this helps!

Beagles

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Have4Paws

Expertise

I am happy to answer BEAGLE BREED SPECIFIC behavioral questions. Please DO NOT ask CRATE TRAINING OR MEDICAL questions! I am not a vet nor an expert in the use of crates.

Experience

I currently have one beagle, a male age 5, an 12 month old Pit Bull, and a 8 year old min. poodle. I have had to let go of three of my dogs, 2 beagles and 1 whippet/rat terrier mix in the past 5 years, most recently my whippet mix. The two beagles lived to 15 and the whippet mix to 13.5, it has been hard to say goodbye to them. I have done rescue work on and off for years as well as fund-raising for the local animal shelter. I worked for a dog magazine in the past (Southern California Dog Magazine). Being a psychotherapist has encouraged me to do in depth studying of animal behavior as well. I have worked with many people to help curb undesirable behaviors in their dogs (or them!) or to form good behaviors. My life is devoted to and surrounded by my dogs........The picture you see here is Zeppelin but we also call him the "miracle dog". He was hit by a car April 2010 while out with the dog walker and had very serious injuries... 4 surgeries and $17,000 later my boy is whole again and back to loving life. He is so special to me and he weathered a lot of pain and trauma yet is still the sweet boy he always was! I also work to stop Breed Specific Legislation and help to get pit bulls adopted.

Organizations
HSUS, PETA, SPCA DONT SHOP...ADOPT!!

Publications
Dog Fancy

Education/Credentials
I am a Marriage and Family Therapist licensed in the state of CA and am also credentialed as a Certified Addiction Treatment Specialist

Awards and Honors
Honored by the Agoura Animal Shelter for my volunteer work.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.