I am currently researching beagles, with the intent to own one in a period of 4+ months.
(I want to be as informed as possible on this breed, however I am not new to owning dogs, as I already have 4 chihuahuas with my fiance.)

I first saw the breed in childhood films such as "Shiloh" and "Cats vs. Dogs" and have based my search (lookswise) on the dogs found in these films, however, most (99%) of the beagles i've found bare little to no resemblence to them.
(Markings, size and even general face/skull shape are totally different.)

Usual dog to dog differences aside, am I hoping for too much?
(I'm not expecting a carbon copy of these dogs, far from it.)

Were the dogs in these films a (slightly) false portrayal of the breed or am I being too fussy?

Obviously looks are barely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to dogs, not one of our chihuahuas are "perfect" and are much loved pets, I'm just curious

Jonny.

hello! fellow beagle fanatic here.

i havent seen shiloh (il google a pic in a minute) but i have seen cats and dogs, and id say thats a fairly typical beagle. there are a couple of different "types" of beagle. you can get harrier beagles for example, which are bigger, a bit leggier.
the beagle from shiloh looks much the same it would seem.

i have found in the beagles i have come across, that their head/jowl shape can vary depending on breeding lines. markings are obviously generally varied, though you can tell what lines certain beagles come from by markings and shapes sometimes.

my beagle has the squarer head shape and fuller jowls, as opposed to a more well sort of triangular shape and neater jowls. all my breeders dogs have the same shape, and its the shape i prefer.

some pics of my two beagles (both same breeder)
kody(hes 10months now) pics arent great sorry


bailey (up to 18months)

(much darker in this picture as a pup, their colour changes as they mature)


what sort of markings where you wanting?


of course, i should add, have you done your research on the lifestyle that a beagle requires? and their many traits and quirks. the most obvious one being their general lack of recall that can mean they require to be onlead unless in fully secure safe areas. they can also be very vocal, very destructive, prone to seperation anxiety. notorious grubbers and escape artists.

they are very beautiful dogs to look at, but i can assure you they arent the easiest of breeds to own.

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6th Jan 2008 - 22nd July 2009

Hey Ducky, thanks for the response!

I'm glad to hear that the image i have in my head is not unrealistic and will just be a matter of finding the look i like

Markings wise i'm looking for something pretty similar to both of yours (cuties btw)!

I've certainly begun research into their needs, and intend to learn a lot more, as far as exercise an hours walk morning and evening plus puppy agility classes should meet it's needs, but obviously i'll adjust more or less to suit the dog as it grows.

Unless in a secure area, it wont be walked off lead, if i want to run/train with it i shall use a long training lead

Vocalisation is not a massive issue, i will endevour to train it to keep it to a reasonable amount but there shouldnt be any problems, we live in a house not a flat etc

Training (both at home and puppy classes) will hopefully combat destructive behaviour, plus obviously interesting toys for the pup to play with.
(The walks and more advanvced agility as it gets older should help too, fingers crossed )

Seperation anxiety shouldnt be an issue, myself and my partner are home all day every day, bar a few short trips a week to the corner shop or town which is 10 minutes ar drive away, so it will only have to be comfortable with short absences and even then it will have (caged) company in our other dogs.
(We cage all our dogs when we leave them at home to ensure their safety.)

I'd be grateful of any tips or advice though, you can never know too much lol!

Thanks, Jonny.

sounds like you know what you are getting then definitely the fact that you have other dogs will be a big plus with a beagle. they are very much social dogs, and thrive on having company (or accomplices perhaps hehe)

the key with a beagle is definitely just to keep them occupied. a bored beagle is when you will have trouble. i have to say my little fella ive got just now is nowhere near as destructive as the last. but the big difference i think is because i have two now, whereas the other beagle was on his own.

my only other big thing is the onlead thing. i know plenty beagles where the owners feel confident to let them off, but i just cant. only because its what killed my first beagle, so in my opinion its not worth the risk to me. my boy is happy enough on his HUGE long line and i take him to a fully enclosed dog park as well. his scent instincts are high as well, so i just know he would take off after anything he saw/smelt.

gimme a PM if you want me to pass on any details about any breeders or anything.

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6th Jan 2008 - 22nd July 2009

Hey

My Beagle Zeus is 16 weeks old now and i love him to bits! Like you, I ad seen those films and fell in love with Beagles and liked them because they're a manageable size!!

Now being a proud beagle owner I have learnt that those dogs in the films are Wonder dogs and I want to employ their trainers because little Zeus can be stubborn when it comes to training but when it is made exciting enough he is very receptive and in the last couple of weeks he has come on leaps and bounds he can sit, stay, down, and we're getting to grips with roll over at the moment, but like Ducky said they are demanding dogs and, even all the research I did, didn't prepare me for the amount of work a little beagle puppy is - but you know what you get so much in return it's all worth it.

Zeus is our first dog aswell, and people were shocked that we picked a beagle as a first dog but I actually think that's a good thing because we have no previous dogs to compare him to so for us it's the norm!!

I will post some pics of Zeus, i need to down load them - I think he has the most gorgeous face and he is getting more and more handsome the bigger he gets!!

Good luck and keep us updated - Beagles are great :-)

Hello, i have a 2 1/2 year old beagle Shelby there are some pic's of her in my profile. Beagles are hard work and will need a LOT more exercise than your chi's , they are very stubborn and will only do something if they want to they know the rules, they are not stupid but will chose to brake them !! They love company and very loving dogs. I would get the beagle when you get one use to being left for periods of time in case you will need to in the future. They give everyone who walks through the door a ten minute sniffing interrogation , they can chew things and like digging ! For the first 18 months of Shelby's life she was a utter pain now shes grown into a lovely dog I can let Shelby off lead but a lot of beagles can't be trusted, she doesn't have a perfect recall but she never runs.

Hopefully we'll be able to keep them entertained!

Thank you for all the advice, I'll deffo give you a pm closer to the time for some breeder advice!

I loved the wonder dog bit :P Im hoping puppy classes and "homework" will teach it a few things, but as long as it's happy and healthy then i guess im happy!
I hear what you say about them being had work though haha, i'll no doubt post again before finally getting one, but either way i'll let everyone know!

Hey Im hoping to do basic agility with it as it grows, then once the pup is matured physically i'll try and move onto some more advanced stuff! Plan is that, coupled with 2 walks, will be right for it
Luckily we're surrounded by 'dog people' so hopefully no one will take offence to the sniffing

I think that's the way with most dogs lol, puppies are sweet but grown dogs have a much more solid personality, for me anyway!

Thanks to everyone for your replies!

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4 Chihuahuas;
Buffy
Rafferty
Monroe
Lily
&
1 SBT;
Rae
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