Comments on: Off-lead Control – The Saga Continues… http://www.fourleggedpal.com/2009/07/29/off-lead-control-the-saga-continues/ Life with Beanie the Beagle & Biggles Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:28:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Susan http://www.fourleggedpal.com/2009/07/29/off-lead-control-the-saga-continues/comment-page-1/#comment-5862 Susan Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:39:15 +0000 http://www.fourleggedpal.com/?p=1775#comment-5862 Hi Amy, For me there is no other breed - I love Beagles. However, I will be very honest with you, based upon my short experience with the breed. 1. If you like to walk with a dog off-lead then *maybe* a Beagle isn't the best breed for you. They do have a strong tendency to go off sniffing and you have to work VERY hard to keep their attention on you. Although they need lots of exercise they could cramp your style. As you've seen from our blog, ours do run off-lead, but it's hard work. We can't just stroll along - we have to work to keep the dogs with us. 2. If when you say you want the dog to spend a day at the stables you mean you want it to just 'hang-out' while you work with the horses then you *might* have problems. Left to it's own devices it'll probably work hard to find ways to get into open countryside for great adventures. That's the kind of habit you don't want it to learn! I'm not trying to put you off. But these are the things that have surprised us most. We're quite active, but we've found that there's a lot we can't do with our Beagles simply because if you want to have good control of them you must keep them well contained....while they are young at least. On a positive note, if you have a secure field they can run in while you're training them then you've got it made. We'd love that and we've been trying very hard to buy or rent one (without success). And yes, they most definitely can be trained very well. We've made mistakes but we're new to dogs. As you say, if you've trained a horse.... But my feeling is that if you want a well controlled Beagle you mustn't make the mistake of letting them run wild. Teach them to run off-lead from day one, but train, train, train so that by the time the 'independence' kicks in along with the desire to wander (around 5 months!!!) they already think you are the center of the universe and want nothing more than to be close to you. We let our oldest make her own decisions too much at this stage and that's why we're struggling a bit now! As for where to buy. Make sure you pick one of the breeders here: http://www.scottishbeagleclub.org.uk/html/beagle_breeders.html Good luck! Hi Amy,

For me there is no other breed – I love Beagles. However, I will be very honest with you, based upon my short experience with the breed.

1. If you like to walk with a dog off-lead then *maybe* a Beagle isn’t the best breed for you. They do have a strong tendency to go off sniffing and you have to work VERY hard to keep their attention on you. Although they need lots of exercise they could cramp your style. As you’ve seen from our blog, ours do run off-lead, but it’s hard work. We can’t just stroll along – we have to work to keep the dogs with us.

2. If when you say you want the dog to spend a day at the stables you mean you want it to just ‘hang-out’ while you work with the horses then you *might* have problems. Left to it’s own devices it’ll probably work hard to find ways to get into open countryside for great adventures. That’s the kind of habit you don’t want it to learn!

I’m not trying to put you off. But these are the things that have surprised us most. We’re quite active, but we’ve found that there’s a lot we can’t do with our Beagles simply because if you want to have good control of them you must keep them well contained….while they are young at least.

On a positive note, if you have a secure field they can run in while you’re training them then you’ve got it made. We’d love that and we’ve been trying very hard to buy or rent one (without success).

And yes, they most definitely can be trained very well. We’ve made mistakes but we’re new to dogs. As you say, if you’ve trained a horse….

But my feeling is that if you want a well controlled Beagle you mustn’t make the mistake of letting them run wild. Teach them to run off-lead from day one, but train, train, train so that by the time the ‘independence’ kicks in along with the desire to wander (around 5 months!!!) they already think you are the center of the universe and want nothing more than to be close to you. We let our oldest make her own decisions too much at this stage and that’s why we’re struggling a bit now!

As for where to buy. Make sure you pick one of the breeders here:

http://www.scottishbeagleclub.org.uk/html/beagle_breeders.html

Good luck!

]]> By: Amy http://www.fourleggedpal.com/2009/07/29/off-lead-control-the-saga-continues/comment-page-1/#comment-5860 Amy Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:46:46 +0000 http://www.fourleggedpal.com/?p=1775#comment-5860 Hello! I've just read through a lot of your posts and have enojyed reading about Beanie and Biggles so much! I live in Troon and have been saving and hoping and wishing for a beagle for about 10 years. The time has finally come! I've finally gotten a job that will allow me to have the time to spend with a dog. Yahoo!! It was really interesting to hear what you've been doing in an effort to gain some 'off the lead control'. This was something I was a bit concerned about, everyone keeps telling me how difficult beagles are and trying to put me off them. I do a lot of walking and want a breed that will be able to do all the walking with me. I also have a horse so am looking for something sturdy that will withstand a day at the stables too. And I figure, if I'd managed to train a huge unruly beast of a horse into the wonderful patient girl she is today - surely I can manage a beagle??! I'm hoping so! I'm trying to find a local, family breeder but not having much luck. I need all the advice I can get, I want to get it right! Hope to meet you on the beach some day!! Amy x Hello! I’ve just read through a lot of your posts and have enojyed reading about Beanie and Biggles so much! I live in Troon and have been saving and hoping and wishing for a beagle for about 10 years. The time has finally come! I’ve finally gotten a job that will allow me to have the time to spend with a dog. Yahoo!!
It was really interesting to hear what you’ve been doing in an effort to gain some ‘off the lead control’. This was something I was a bit concerned about, everyone keeps telling me how difficult beagles are and trying to put me off them. I do a lot of walking and want a breed that will be able to do all the walking with me. I also have a horse so am looking for something sturdy that will withstand a day at the stables too. And I figure, if I’d managed to train a huge unruly beast of a horse into the wonderful patient girl she is today – surely I can manage a beagle??! I’m hoping so! I’m trying to find a local, family breeder but not having much luck. I need all the advice I can get, I want to get it right!
Hope to meet you on the beach some day!!
Amy x

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