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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
 
Location: Oklahoma | Do they differ much by their sex? I got my husband a male beagle a few years ago for his birthday and we both loved him (I hadn't really been around them much, but my they're my husbands favorite breed). He went missing on Christmas Eve and never returned. I think I might have actually witnessed whoever took him while they were in the process of it, but didn't realize it until later on.
I loved that dog, but he did howl a lot at night and did his roaming. We live just off a busy & dangerous curve on a highway and how he never got hit I'll never know. His personality made up for his "typical" beagle antics, but it really bothered me that my (male) lab also would wander off with him. Since the beagle has left the lab has really calmed down and grew up some... and he stays home much more.
Last night I got a call from one of our good friends who said that someone has been dumping dogs on their road. They know all their neighbors and their animals, so they know that they don't belong there. Someone has dumped a female beagle and they called to see if we'd be interested in taking it since we lost ours. Our friend says that she's extremely sweet and she has had a litter of pups before (we don't breed, so I'd be having her spayed so that the lab doesn't breed her). I asked my husband if he'd be interested and he said that'd he just have to go take a look at her.
How much (if at all) different do females act vs. the males? I hate to get attached to another dog if it will also roam (and keep me up at night), but I'd also love for my lab to have an outdoor dog to buddy up with (right now he doesn't stray far from my gelding's side) and I'd feel safer with another outdoor dog when I'm home alone.
Thoughts?? |
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I keep my change in my pockets
Posts: 2985
  
Location: MN | I grew up with a female beagle. She would go off and hunt rabbits and squirrels, but at night in the summer best dog there was to keep the coon out of the sweet corn patch. But she would be howling most of the night at coons.
I got male beagle about 15 yrs ago and it was the worst mistake. He would put he nose to ground and was gone. We sold him after 9 months. I can't stand to have a dog tied up all the time to keep them home. We live in the country and I don't like other peoples dogs that can't stay home so we sold him. Went back to my aussie dogs and will never have a different breed of dog again. I have a mini aussie how is the best! |
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  Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | Years ago my in-laws had Aggie and Maggie. I really never noticed a difference in how one acted from the other. Male/Female seemed to be a lot alike. I love Beagles and these two were just the cutest. They would both put their noses to ground go off on a trail and be back a while later. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 357
Location: Colorful Colorado | It's a beagles nature to hunt. I don't think it matters what sex. We have a male now, and I have to watch him when he is turned out. He will also put his nose down and go. He does come back, but I have caught him going down the center of the highway several times. They are a fun dog, and I think you should consider rescuing the female that was dumped. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | Both females and males will wonder off and both will bark a lot at night. The female is more likely to be territorial. My grandmother had beagles for years and just invested in a really good backyard fence to keep them home. I think she was deaf to their howling. They are generally good dogs though, very sweet natured. |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | Thanks, everyone! Just wondering if the roaming was more a male driven thing, but I guess not. I hope my husband decides to take her... our male used to randomly jump up in your lap when you least expected it! He was quite the comedian. |
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 Dancing in my Mind
Posts: 3062
Location: Eastern OH but my heart is in WV | We have a female and she is one of the sweetest dog we have ever owned. Very protective of her family and loves, loves, loves kids. I got seriously hurt out in the field a few years ago and she stayed with me and even put herself between me and horses running down the road where I was laying. She wonders a little but has never taken off from her home area. She listens when she is called (make take a few calls but she comes on her own). No more of a barker than my other dogs. I don't know if all beagles are like her but I would get another one in a heartbeat. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 292
Location: Northeast Nebraska | We had a n/m beagle when I was a kid. Have known many. You couldn't pay me to have one. Both sexes are equally obnoxious and more trouble than they are worth. |
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Location: Georgia | I have a female beagle (she was a stray that was dumped out too), and I love her to death! She had serious issues, like jumping out of her skin at any noise, freaking out in small spaces, and trusting anyone to let her close enough to touch her. It took several years of nothing but positive reenforcement & earning her trust to get her acting like a normal dog. She still doesn't trust anyone new, and she runs & hides when strangers pull up in the yard (and pretty much everyone that she hasn't seen 30+ times is a stranger, lol). But even with all this, she still made me fall in love with beagles! She is super loyal, and doesn't roam, even when we go out of town for a few days (we live on a 60 acre farm & she is kept free in the yard, but never goes out of sight). The vet thought she was about 3 or 4 when we found her & she had had puppies too, so she was spayed late. Her bark is loud, and she will get the scent of something & stay fixated on it for hours. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | Females will put their nose to the ground and follow whatever you have taught them to hunt...
Males will hunt those and female dogs.. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | My sister has a female and she will have her nose down and be gone before you know it. She comes back though but she is mostly an indoor dog. She is the sweetest though! |
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