Beagle and 3Yo ?

I wouldn't...I have a 2 yr old beagle and a 9 yr old daughter. They are truly like siblings. My beagle is super smart, mischievous, a big ball of love, energetic, hardheaded, has anxiety and can be destructive. While I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world, he can be a pain. We live in a townhouse and have a bit of a yard that he can play in, but I would NOT recommend a beagle in an apartment. He wouldn't get enough exercise, unless you are prepared to take him on several long walks a day and you have a dog park available.

Prob not a good idea. A puppy is like an infant. A beagle puppy is like a colicky infant.

Once you get out of the puppy phase, the beagle turns into a headstrong defiant teen with boundaries issues, the kind that plays tackle football in your formal dining room, then borrows the keys to your car, goes off somewhere without telling you where, returns in the wee hours of the morning (or is brought home by the police), with an empty gas tank, and asks what's for dinner.

I recommend against it.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

I wouldn't bring a puppy into the mix with your husband, really and truly. I think it would make things harder for you.

That's my honest advice.

I am FLOORED.

I've been thinking about you M.. I've been concerned about you and your son. When you post questions like your last few some people on here will be worried for your safety and your son's future. People have been offering you heartfelt advice concerning your controlling, abusive, gambling husband and now you want to get a.....PUPPY!?

Why in the world would you consider getting any type of pet right now? It might be fun for about 15 minutes and then your husband will come home and kick it. You'll be right back where you started from, only now on top of everything else you'll have a puppy to care for too.

Beagles are smart, active, somewhat high strung dogs. They need lots of attention, space and activity. Being left alone in an apartment all day is a terrible idea. You will likely come home to a big mess every day, I'm sure the dog would dig and chew on everything, plus puppies need to be potty trained so you'd be dealing with that too.
If I were you I'd get a kitten, MUCH easier (and cheaper) to take care of, sweet and cuddly and they can easily be left alone for hours, even overnight.
ETA: with all the problems in your marriage a puppy is the LAST thing you need! Animals need a LOT of care and attention, it would be so unfair to take on a pet just because it "makes you smile." It's a 12 to 15 year physical, emotional and financial responsibility not a toy :-(

If you are a dog person then go for it. You'll want to consider limiting the dog's access to the apartment during the day so they won't poop on the carpet.

I'm a long time dog owner and used to really be into dog training and agility classes, etc. I strongly believe if you own a dog you need to get it out for exercise EVERY single day. It's also a really good thing to do training classes with your dog when it is young. I highly recommend this. If you cannot commit to this then I would say get a cat instead. Or a turtle. Or some lesser maintenance pet. If you get a beagle this is a 15 year commitment. Don't forget that puppies are a little like having a baby and it's hard at first....they cry at night and need to be let out. My neighbor got a beagle puppy and it was hard for them at first (Her daughter is 7) bc she was up 3x a night each night for a while. She was pretty sleep deprived. Your puppy will need to be in a kennel for 8 hours a day while you are at work. Maybe you can hire a neighborhood kid to come let him out to pee and take him on a walk every day when they get home from school? This is a long time for a puppy to be kenneled. You will also need to work daily on housebreaking the puppy and training him. If you live in an apartment it is even more important this puppy gets walks...more than once a day. Are you up for this? Added: I forgot to say...our old neighbors had 4 beagles. We had many beagle talks with them. Beagles are known for being VERY hard headed. They also are escape artists and RUN. They just take off. They also love to howl. They had to make their backyard like fort knox but still beagles were always digging out or getting out some way. As far as breeds go, I would never get a beagle. They are cute to look at but they sound like a pain in the rear to me!

I own a beagle. We got Daisy as a puppy. If I could go back, I would absolutely change dog breeds. Not kidding. But, alas, she found a couple of suckers and we're stuck with her. She's one of the family.

I would not recommend a beagle for a small child. Each day, around bedtime, my 6 and 9 year old kids know NOT to hang around Daisy. She's partitioned off from them, because she's just too bitey. She doesn't bite for real, but she's still mouthing like crazy. The kids call it "Daisy Crazy Time" and they stay away. It's kind of like having a toddler that's overly tired each night. Until she settles down to sleep for the evening, the kids know to stay away.

As others have said, beagles are extremely stubborn (like ours) and she will run away whenever she gets the chance (like ours). Beagles don't mind the space - they would be comfortable in a one room or a whole mansion. But they definitely need lots and lots of exercise. Our Daisy is 1 1/2 now, but when she was about 8 months old, we were walking her four times a day. FOUR. It was out of necessity. Otherwise, she'd tear apart the rugs, coffee table, couches.

So, I strongly urge you to think of a different breed. Better yet, no dog at all until you are able to care for it more than just when you get home from work.

Good luck.

The thought of having a beagle might make you smile but how do you feel about all the work that goes into having a puppy? You need to train the puppy to behave and follow your rules, you'll need to allot time for walking, grooming, feeding, and playing. There's money involved in vet bills, flea/tic and heart worm treatment monthly, food, treats, formal training classes and toys. Also dogs are pack animals so it'll be like taking him/her away from the pack of their siblings and mom and giving them a part time pack (because you are away all day).

I'd say to pass on this puppy and let him/her go to a more settled home. You should get an animal because you have the time and resources to give it a good life not because you are going through a difficult time and it might make you feel better. Those pets are the ones that end up in shelters.

You can't raise a puppy and leave it alone for 8 hours. You just can't. It cannot go that long without messing in its crate. If you don't want it peeing and pooping on your carpets, you have absolutely got to take it outside on a regular basis all the time for months and months until it gets the idea that it's supposed to "eliminate" outside. It's difficult enough to leave a mature dog for 8 hours in a crate - they get lonely and of course they can get destructive if left uncrated. Some dogs can do this but usually the owner works up to it. It's easier if both adults in the house work different hours so the total length of time the dog is alone is much reduced. But puppies need to be walked every 2 hours and fed several times a day. You can't leave them in a crate with most toys - they can actually choke on things. So you need to provide some form of "entertainment" that is completely safe. That's not easy.

I know that loving a dog would make you smile but it's not the dog's job. It's going to be YOUR job to train it, walk it (in all kinds of weather and at all hours of the day), teach it not to chew the toys a 3 year old leaves on the floor, and more. So, are you prepared to bundle up your 3 year old and take both the child and the dog outside together if the other adult isn't home at the moment? That means, rain or snow or dark - out you all go.

Beagles are howlers too - they can howl at the moon and they like to be outside a lot. That can be a problem in an apartment with neighbors on the other side of the wall or the hall who don't want to listen to barking. All dogs are pack animals - they become part of the family and they need the family. You have to be the "alpha dog" and establish yourself as the head of the pack, so the dog knows its place. That's even more important when you have a young child who doesn't always behave properly with a dog - kids can tease or accidentally hurt the dog, and that's never good. All in all, pet ownership is a labor-intensive job.

My husband and I are dog lovers but we never got one unless one or both of us could be at home for a good chunk of time. We got a puppy about 18 years ago and raised her until she was almost 14. We got a rescue dog (adult) a few years ago but she's just as intensive because she'd been abandoned (by someone who wasn't prepared for the realities of dog ownership) and she was very insecure. So she's been labor-intensive in a different way and for a different reason. Both dogs became full members of our family, and while we do/did crate them and leave the house, it's not for longer than 4 hours.

You also have to have a plan for vacations - what will you do with the dog? Boarding dogs is expensive and can be stressful. Lots of people do it but you have to plan for it, emotionally and financially. You need a budget for veterinary care, licensing, food, accessories & equipment and more - be absolutely sure your budget can manage that. It's more money than you think! The worst worst worst thing is to take on a dog before you're fully prepared, and then give the dog up when it doesn't work out. That's not fair to anyone, but especially to the dog because it won't understand why you gave it up. The shelters are absolutely full of dogs who are sad and lonely and stressed because they've been given up.

Please don't make an emotional decision because the puppies are cute and they make you smile. Of course they do - they are adorable and sweet. But they don't stay that way. They have to be raised to stay happy and healthy and loved and trained.

No. Beagles need room to run. IMO dogs never belong in apartments

You must know NOTHING about dogs.
And I can't believe your aunt would even consider giving you one of her puppies. She must be a VERY irresponsible breeder.
DON'T DO IT.
For all the reasons everyone else said!!!

Beagles are hunting dogs and need to be outside. Not in an apartment. So the answer is NO.

few things more charming than a beagle, are there? and a beagle puppy? omg, the cute overload!
i'm not a dog person, but for some reason beagles have followed me around my entire life. my childhood dog was a beagle, then a stray beagle mutt found my older son when he was about 6 and stayed for 10 years, and my younger son's birthday pound puppy is another beagle mix. my older son just adopted another one, so i've got a grand-beagle. my SIL who lives just down the road has a spoiled purebred beagle.
they are charming indeed, but not the best family dogs. first off, they are nose-dogs, and once a scent gets into their schnozz, all training and common sense go out the window. do not expect your beagle to come when called. you'll need a fenced yard, and lots and lots of walking time on a good leash (which will need to be replaced frequently.) oops, i see you're in an apartment. that means even more walking time. will you have that to give?
i've found that once they're house-trained they're really good about it, but you might lose your mind trying to get them there. i'm not sure it's a stupid thing- they just seem to think that charm will carry them through all manner of accidents. be prepared for a long road full of pee spots.
and they're not the best nor the worst with kids. both of ours have been super, fortunately, but my SIL's is not. (doesn't help that her kid gets away with being mean to him. but that's another post.)
a 3 year old and a lot of time alone isn't the best formula for ANY puppy. on the other hand, people do manage it. if you crate-train your puppy and are prepared to devote an awful lot of your scant free time to it, it could work. it's certainly true that beagles bring smiles with them. but you're going to have really commit to make this work, KWIM?
khairete
S.

I strongly agree with posters who state that beagles need to be outside and running. It's really unfair to expect an animal like this to stay indoors all day as they are scent hounds and need to exercise/run twice a day... and they tend to run if off leash, so you will be running right alongside it.

Everything I have read about beagles and kids is that the kids must be carefully taught how to be with the dog or suffer nips and bites. Little kids are not usually known for their self-regulation when it comes to pets.

If there is any chaos in your life, it's important not to add more. Can you 100% rely on your husband to help with the dog? Can you imagine yourself and your three year old walking the dog twice a day in the rain? Just some things to consider. Personally, I would never have a dog in an apartment unless I knew I would be home to take it out several times a day to run. My girlfriend was an apartment manager and did this with her lab; she lived near a large field and took her out at least 5 times a day or so. It's a commitment. Now they have a house and the dog still gets run twice daily and goes to doggie daycare a few days a week. Like I said, it's a commitment.