About to get a Beagle pup
Discussion
We have been looking for a dog for a while, after talking about the type of dog suited to our lifestyle we set upon a Beagle.
At the weekend we went to see a pup that stole our hearts.
This is Basil.
As this is our first dog in our home, (both had dogs as kids growing up) we have done all the research we can about crate training and the trials of bringing on a puppy into a well-mannered dog, however there are some areas that I am unsure of.
Insurance, there seems to be 2 tiers, Cheap, and not-so-cheap. Cheap, equates to the amount our home insurance is each month, and covers vets bills up to a grand,
Notsocheap, well it is about what my missus pays each month to insure her car, and covers bills up to 6k.
I am undecided and could do with some advice.
On the subject of vets. What is the ball park cost of having a dog Neutered? and the first course of inoculations? our breeder said that in their experience inoculations are different from Vet to Vet, depending what they use, so if they start a course of inoculations, our vet will more than likely want to start a fresh course.
I am sure there will be plenty more questions, but if anyone has any advice, It will be gratefully accepted.
At the weekend we went to see a pup that stole our hearts.
This is Basil.
As this is our first dog in our home, (both had dogs as kids growing up) we have done all the research we can about crate training and the trials of bringing on a puppy into a well-mannered dog, however there are some areas that I am unsure of.
Insurance, there seems to be 2 tiers, Cheap, and not-so-cheap. Cheap, equates to the amount our home insurance is each month, and covers vets bills up to a grand,
Notsocheap, well it is about what my missus pays each month to insure her car, and covers bills up to 6k.
I am undecided and could do with some advice.
On the subject of vets. What is the ball park cost of having a dog Neutered? and the first course of inoculations? our breeder said that in their experience inoculations are different from Vet to Vet, depending what they use, so if they start a course of inoculations, our vet will more than likely want to start a fresh course.
I am sure there will be plenty more questions, but if anyone has any advice, It will be gratefully accepted.
Basil is gorgeous!
Best of luck! I have to say that a beagle would not be my first choice for someone without a lot of experience. They can be difficult to train due to their hunting instints (it's their job after all). I would suggest some good training classes that use modern, up to date methods. See the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) for someone in your area
Insurance I find a bit of a minefield, to be honest. Some pay a max amount per year, others per condition. Some offer cover for life. Some accident only. Vet treatment can be enormously expensive. A few thou for something like a spinal injury maybe. I guess you pays your money and you takes your choice...
There is no ball (ha!) park figure for having him neutered. We get ours done in South Wales for £30. Where I live it depends on the weight of the dog, but say around £180.
Different vets can use different protocols for vaccinations, but I have never had any problem with a 1st vax given by one vet and the 2nd by mine.
Hope it all goes OK Keep us updated and with plenty of pics.
Best of luck! I have to say that a beagle would not be my first choice for someone without a lot of experience. They can be difficult to train due to their hunting instints (it's their job after all). I would suggest some good training classes that use modern, up to date methods. See the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) for someone in your area
Insurance I find a bit of a minefield, to be honest. Some pay a max amount per year, others per condition. Some offer cover for life. Some accident only. Vet treatment can be enormously expensive. A few thou for something like a spinal injury maybe. I guess you pays your money and you takes your choice...
There is no ball (ha!) park figure for having him neutered. We get ours done in South Wales for £30. Where I live it depends on the weight of the dog, but say around £180.
Different vets can use different protocols for vaccinations, but I have never had any problem with a 1st vax given by one vet and the 2nd by mine.
Hope it all goes OK
Keep us updated and with plenty of pics.
Beagles are accomplished escape artists! Start dog proofing your garden now. Block any holes, move anything he can stand on away from the edge. Get him chipped and a collar with a name/home tag.
6 ft fences will not really slow him down! Look at films of the hunt crossing country - hedge jumping is in their blood.
He's lovely. Gorgeous dogs!
6 ft fences will not really slow him down! Look at films of the hunt crossing country - hedge jumping is in their blood.
He's lovely. Gorgeous dogs!
Mrs Grumpy said:
I have to say that a beagle would not be my first choice for someone without a lot of experience. They can be difficult to train due to their hunting instints (it's their job after all). I would suggest some good training classes that use modern, up to date methods.
Totally agree here - they are stubborn, have a high prey drive, f-off if they get the tiniest whiff of something and have high energy levels. However, saying that, I'm sure you have fully researched the breed already so it's pointless me giving my twopenneth - they are amazing dogs, very pretty, and wonderful temperaments (with the right handler).
Onto the actual question at hand, a lot of vets actually give a price list on their website. Here's the list from my own vet:
VACCINATIONS
Puppy vaccination course £54.00
Dog booster £44.00
Kennel cough £22.00
NEUTERING
b
h spay small (<10Kg) £160.00b
h spay medium (10-20Kg) £170.00b
h spay large (20-40Kg) £210.00b
h spay large (over 40Kg) £240.00Dog castrate small (<10Kg) £115.00
Dog castrate medium (10-20Kg) £135.00
Dog castrate large (20-40Kg) £160.00
Dog castrate large (over 40Kg) £180.00
Microchip implant £15.00
Well pet screen £24.00
Thank you for all of your responses.
Yep, we are well aware of what we are taking on, but are prepred for stress, sleepless nights and a steep learning curve.
On the other hand, Beagle is what fitted our profile, and why get a dog that you didn't want as a first dog, to "learn the ropes" with. and the journey of bringing on a pup is part of the joy of ownership.
Thank you for the advice on insurance, and vets, that tallys with what we have learned from friends, and local vets, also.
Some people have mentioned that the best chip to get is one that has a thermometor inside, so his temp can be taken without the need to have things shoved up his bum, every time he goes to the vet. That seemed like a great idea.
Dogproofing the Garden seems to mean that the veg patch that we use is out of the question, as potatoes, rhubarb, and most herbs are damaging to him.
Yep, we are well aware of what we are taking on, but are prepred for stress, sleepless nights and a steep learning curve.
On the other hand, Beagle is what fitted our profile, and why get a dog that you didn't want as a first dog, to "learn the ropes" with. and the journey of bringing on a pup is part of the joy of ownership.
Thank you for the advice on insurance, and vets, that tallys with what we have learned from friends, and local vets, also.
Some people have mentioned that the best chip to get is one that has a thermometor inside, so his temp can be taken without the need to have things shoved up his bum, every time he goes to the vet. That seemed like a great idea.
Dogproofing the Garden seems to mean that the veg patch that we use is out of the question, as potatoes, rhubarb, and most herbs are damaging to him.
Edited by VR6time on Friday 21st January 10:56
Wow, good luck with everything, i think you will need it... I say that in the best possible way, i have two beagles, both bhes, one is 4 and the other is 3..
They are really good fun dogs, always doing stupid things which make you laugh but they are very stubborn and do take A LOT of training.. Like has been mentioned already, make sure your garden has been upgraded to maximum security status as they can escape from almost anything! We had to pick one of ours up from the cop shop on christmas day as it had climbed up a wall and jumped the 8ft down to the other side with no problems what so ever..
Above all, enjoy it as they have great character and ours have proven to be a good addition to the house!
Cheers
hes, one is 4 and the other is 3.. They are really good fun dogs, always doing stupid things which make you laugh but they are very stubborn and do take A LOT of training.. Like has been mentioned already, make sure your garden has been upgraded to maximum security status as they can escape from almost anything! We had to pick one of ours up from the cop shop on christmas day as it had climbed up a wall and jumped the 8ft down to the other side with no problems what so ever..
Above all, enjoy it as they have great character and ours have proven to be a good addition to the house!
Cheers
Our Beagle is now 14. Would recommend one. Certainly can be rather noisy, and although has never escaped from any of the gardens that we have had, seems to find the smallest hole when at the inlaws and goes visiting neighbours! He is micro chipped, insured and only wears a tag when out walking. Good training is certainly recommend, as they can be very will-full. He does heel work, recall but doesn't fetch anything, well not more than a couple of times anyway - he will let you throw it and then look the other way and wander off. All of this is on his own terms, when there is nothing more interesting that he can think of to do.
I would stress that ours is very vocal - leave him in the garden for a second longer than he wants to be, he will bark and bark and bark until the door is opened. Same if you leave him in the car whilst you unpack shopping from the boot!! You get used to it, and presumably so do the neighbours - luckily not many as we live in the countryside (in a semi!!)
I would stress that ours is very vocal - leave him in the garden for a second longer than he wants to be, he will bark and bark and bark until the door is opened. Same if you leave him in the car whilst you unpack shopping from the boot!! You get used to it, and presumably so do the neighbours - luckily not many as we live in the countryside (in a semi!!)
Excellent choice! We've not looked back since getting Rosie. She's certainly demanding, but very intelligent and easy to train despite what people tend to say. Maybe we've just been lucky.
She's very vocal and does try her best to escape - although successfully only once. I found her in the park and told her to sit, which she did, and waited for me to get her. Most surprising.
I understand they are a healthy breed and we've had no issues at all in the 2.5 years we've had her. Therefore, we've got the standard pet insurance from one of the popular insurers.
But anyway, lots of walks are the order of the day and the picture is the result. Plus my beer belly is reducing at an alarming rate!!
She's very vocal and does try her best to escape - although successfully only once. I found her in the park and told her to sit, which she did, and waited for me to get her. Most surprising.
I understand they are a healthy breed and we've had no issues at all in the 2.5 years we've had her. Therefore, we've got the standard pet insurance from one of the popular insurers.
But anyway, lots of walks are the order of the day and the picture is the result. Plus my beer belly is reducing at an alarming rate!!
Our Eddie is now 6 months old, we'd never had a dog before. (OH had, but not me)
Yes, they're hard work and yes he's destroyed the garden (about to be "upgraded")
Needs lots of training and don't expect instant recall unless he's hungry and you've got treats!
Here he is at 14 weeks (the day we got him)
And the other week with his friend Barney
Cost-wise our vet is a star and is very cheap. Getting his rollocks off will be £70
More pictures: http://www.brittan.co.nz/zenphoto/index.php?album=...
Yes, they're hard work and yes he's destroyed the garden (about to be "upgraded")
Needs lots of training and don't expect instant recall unless he's hungry and you've got treats!
Here he is at 14 weeks (the day we got him)
And the other week with his friend Barney
Cost-wise our vet is a star and is very cheap. Getting his rollocks off will be £70
More pictures: http://www.brittan.co.nz/zenphoto/index.php?album=...
![](http://thumbsnap.com/sc/aZ4KiAJd.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/fd5mmczt" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/fd5mmczt.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/fd5mmczt" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/fd5mmczt.jpg)
My old dog had a hell of a lot of health problems. I was so glad I took out the top tier of insurance. I would not have been able to afford the diagnostic and treatment otherwise. I was insured through Direct Line, and since I had that fantastic experience with them I will always insure my dogs through them, they paid quickly with no quibbling. I will always recommend them, they may not always be the cheapest, but the level of service and speed that they cough up is important to me. A couple of quid a month I can afford, but if my cheque didn't get to me before I have to pay my credit card I would have been in serious financial trouble.
He's here!
Basil is 11 weeks.
Lovely temperament, slept most of the way home.
Has explored the house and after a monster play/explore in the garden went straight into his crate and snored for an hour.
one accident on the carpet but one sucessfull outside pee so training begins today.
He was the last pup to leave his mum, as we had to delay picking him up, so had an extra week with just him and mum.
We have both fallen in love with him in the space of a few hours. Until he works out his mum isnt there tonight.
We are torn about what to do with crate tonight, some books say take it to your room for the first night, some say leave him downstairs? any ideas?
Basil is 11 weeks.
Lovely temperament, slept most of the way home.
Has explored the house and after a monster play/explore in the garden went straight into his crate and snored for an hour.
one accident on the carpet but one sucessfull outside pee so training begins today.
He was the last pup to leave his mum, as we had to delay picking him up, so had an extra week with just him and mum.
We have both fallen in love with him in the space of a few hours. Until he works out his mum isnt there tonight.
We are torn about what to do with crate tonight, some books say take it to your room for the first night, some say leave him downstairs? any ideas?
cheers. on that advice. we took him out for a wee at 10, and put him straight in his crate downstairs then had a double whiskey and retired to bed. He whined for 10th mins then has been quiet since. apart from his snoring.
update.
one accident in the night, but also one sucessfull poo outside at 3 am.
today has been good, he lets us know something is up if he wants something, and loves to play.
The only concern is putting him in the crate during the day while we are there, He dont like it. But it seems it is the only way to get him used to it.
![](http://thumbsnap.com/sc/sJV0baSv.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/qIoDz0DI" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/qIoDz0DI.jpg)
update.
one accident in the night, but also one sucessfull poo outside at 3 am.
today has been good, he lets us know something is up if he wants something, and loves to play.
The only concern is putting him in the crate during the day while we are there, He dont like it. But it seems it is the only way to get him used to it.
Edited by VR6time on Sunday 13th March 12:30
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