Of course you want a Beagle – they are small enough for living inside your home, they are merry little hounds that make you laugh. They are kind and most love children and even other animals if acclimated properly. They do need some grooming but not as much hair as say, a German Shepherd.
But – here are some things you need to know. Beagles are bred to hunt all day long, thus, endurance is built in to their genetic code. They do not do well in apartments or small living quarters where they don’t get all-day exercise for their bodies and minds. Beagles are notorious chewers and in my decade of owning and breeding, I have not found any toy that they cannot destroy. Deer antlers are nice because they don’t splinter (do not give them bones!). In addition, Beagles WILL follow their nose – they don’t stay right by you when you are outside and cannot be expected to stay with you like a herding dog would. They go hunt.
As a responsible breeder, I am held to a standard by other responsible Beagle breeders, and have had some bad experiences with dogs getting hit in the road and running off and not being found, therefore we require a secure, fenced yard for your Beagle (no electric or underground fence). If you don’t have one currently, you need to put one in if you are getting a Beagle from Chance 2 Ranch. The yard does not have to be large – maybe half acre or so. The fence can be as simple as a 4-foot tall farm fence and heavy T-posts and if you have the funds, buried chicken wire around the perimeter keep them from digging out. This gives your Beagle space to run and play on their own, as much as they want.
Be prepared to put some effort into training as well. Beagles are NOT adults until they are 3 years old. Their bones don’t even stop growing until 18 months. When you take a dog or puppy home from us, we expect you will spend 15 minutes to 30 minutes EVERY day with some structured training for your dog. Every day, for the first 3 years. They do not come trained from the womb. They need you to train them. They will follow you everywhere in the house and will be annoyingly clingy – be prepared! We recommend the training course by www.puppyculture.com streaming video for new puppy owners.
We spend some time getting to know you and your family so we can pick out the best dog for you, by the dog’s personality and by yours. After a decade of breeding dogs, we are pretty good at it. We stand behind the dogs we sell – we do everything possible to ensure our bloodlines never end up in a rescue or puppy mill situation, so any questions you have you can contact us at any time during your Beagle’s life, and we will always take them back. If you are willing to wait for just the right one.