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Beagles/Are beagles howlers?

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Expert: - 4/21/2002


Question
I've always been facinated by this breed and have been thinking of keeping a beagle. I currently have a lab and a golden, both of them 4 and both females. I thought a beagle will be a nice option as my third baby but have been told that being a pack breed are constant howlers! is that true?
warm regards
niki

Answer
Hi Niki, thanks for writing!

Beagles to begin with have a different kind of bark, they "bay" instead. Depending on where the dog came from, unfortunately, some breeders will mess with their voiceboxes in an attempt to mellow this out which is just plain cruel in my book! My male has a high pitched warbly one because they messed with his. My female on the other hand has a very deep and steady one.

They ARE a fairly vocal dog however, this can be curbed somewhat with good training (keeping in mind that you cannot eliminate instinct and genetics). If they see or smell a squirrel or something else in the back yard you can be sure they will go running out the door with their "sirens" on. My experience has been that while other dogs in the neighborhood can be barking nonstop, my 2 beagles can bark less often and still seem to irritate the neighbors more because of their bay. I love the sound however my neighbors haven't always agreed!

I personally think a beagle would a great addition to the two breeds you already have (but of course I am a beagleholic!) and if you are willing to be dedicated with training you can have a very well behaved dog. They are NOT stupid, stubborn or hard to train as people often suggest, they are just ruled by their extra sensitive noses which lead their concentration in other places sometimes! They are very smart dogs with good reasoning ability however because of the nose thing they do require a strong human ALPHA to lead the pack.

Hope this helps and good luck to you!
Have4Paws

Beagles

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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.

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