There isn’t a person on the planet that can resist the cuteness of a beagle. They just give a whole new meaning to the term puppy dog eyes, with their big hazel peepers, that make their pleading faces absolutely irresistible. But this isn’t the only thing that makes the beagle so darn beautiful. It is also the fact they are so happy, so bouncy and energetic and living. They just have so much love to give. However, there are two sides of every coin, and for the angelic look you see up front, the devil lurks just behind, albeit in the cutest possible way.
Turbulent Training
Beagles are known to be one of the hardest breeds to housetrain. We’re not talking a few weeks or a matter of months either. We’re talking about you having the patience of debut author because Beagles can easily push the year mark, which is why so many owners say crate training is absolutely vital.
Need Entertaining
Beagles have the attention-span of a tired toddler. There are no two ways about it. Leave them alone and they will get so incredibly bored they will find ways to entertain themselves. Not good. Indoors, we’re talking featherless sofas and outdoors we’re talking digging, howling and attempted escape.
Stupid Short Hair
You may be thinking this is a good thing. But it isn’t. Not really. First off, you’ll have to go and get a flea collar for dogs because that short hair is a haven for fleas. Secondly, they shed. Yup. They may have short hair, but they are nothing like Labradors. The silver lining is that they only tend to shed in spring, and their hairs are so fine you barely notice them.
Super Scent Hounds
Their curiosity is absolutely adorable. It is. But there is a point when it becomes annoying and that is because they will wander off every time they catch a scent in the air, which is a lot. It is like their nose has a direct link to their brain, as well as an override button because when they smell something, that’s it, nothing else in the world matters.
Obedience Training
There are very few breeds that are as loving and adorable and caring and gentle as a Beagle. However, they are also stubborn and independent and, for anyone who has teenage kids, you’ll know how challenging this can be. That’s why owners recommend obedience training. As a little piece of advice, hounds have different behavior trends to other breeds, but if there is one thing they can’t resist it is food as a reward.
Food Fanatics
Oh, boy, can beagles eat! This isn’t a bad thing. After all, they burn it off with all that energy. However, you do need to be cautious of a few things. The first is overeating. If the food is there they will eat it, so don’t confuse this with hunger. Also, make sure they can’t get into any cupboards or into the trash can either. The other thing to relay to your kids is the fact Beagles take their food super-seriously. That means not interrupting their meal times and not teasing them with food either, as kids tend to do.