Are beagles howlers?

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