With their willingness to learn and their eagerness to please, their temperaments make them ideal pets for children and adults. Their lack of aggression makes them well suited to life on the farm or in apartments where small, quiet animals are more welcome than larger animals. It will also develop a loyalty to their owner, other members of its immediate human family and other pets in the household. The nature of the breed is to make friends with their owner as well as other humans and animals living in the same environment.
Finding the perfect pet for a family with small children can be a daunting task, with many small breeds that may be good with kids, the Beagle is about the most well rounded breed for children. Its even temper and eagerness to please their owners, makes the Beagle an ideal animal for indoor company.
Its use as a hunting dog dates back to the 18th century but its aggression with people it recognizes is rare. Strangers entering the home may be greeted by barking or jumping, making it a good watchdog, but typically a simple word from the owner will settle the animal down and quiet the barking. It may still want to sniff the stranger, but that is its way of forming recognition so they will be welcome on subsequent visits. This action should not be confused with aggression, as it will rarely attempt to harm a person.
Often confused with toy dogs, the breed ranges between 13 and 16-inches tall, standing well above the 12-inch standard for many breeds of toys. With a life span of about 14 years, Beagles have few inherited predisposition for illness or other medical problems although they do sometimes suffer from bone degeneration in the joints, steroid injections can usually help them deal adequately with the associated pain. One problem inherited by Beagles is hypothyroidism, giving them the penchant for excessive weight gain. They may also suffer from dwarfism, but this is a rare occurrence.
A beagle抯 diet is important, especially for the ones confined to a small space. Animals that are kept indoors and allowed outdoors only to use the bathroom have more of a chance of becoming overweight than those with room to run. They may prefer the opportunity to run wild in a large yard or field, possibly tracing back to their glory days as hunters. Beagles are equally happy in the home romping and playing with children or other small animals.
Their lack of aggression and small stature make them ideal playmates for other small animals and they seem to get along well with felines with similar personalities.
With the beagle hot on the trail, hunters on horseback could hang back and leisurely follow the sounds of the hunting beagles as they chased the rabbits into dense thickets and brush. Eventually, the dog would emerge carrying its quarry making it desired for hunters who enjoyed the art of hunt more than the taking of the game. As hunters began to shift their focus onto faster hunts, the beagles?use waned in place of faster hunting dogs.
