# Beagles - Pen or House Dog?



## sport72186 (Dec 20, 2007)

I've been doing some reading and I've seen a lot of references to keeping beagles in outdoor pens. Is this because beagles are not good house dogs/pets? Or that these people have too many beagles to keep inside? Just wondering where you keep your beagles - in an outdoor pen or in the house as a family pet..


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## bmd1023 (Apr 25, 2007)

my beagle stays in the house with us. she is a good house dog. not the greatest hunter but i have fun with her.


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## eino (Jun 19, 2003)

Mine does just fine in the house. She's not a world class rabbit dog, but she'll do a decent job. She is a very close hunter though. Some people think it's because she lives inside but I tend to think it is simply the way she hunts. I doubt she'd have hunted with a different style if she lived outside. She don't stand there and want to be petted. She hunts close and will crawl through every brush pile she can find.

Ed


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## joe allen (Dec 23, 2008)

i have not had beagles in quite a few years but i seemed to have better dogs when they were in a pen outside.the neighbors weren't real keen on them though!:lol: i tried to keep 2 inside before that and they just seemed softer,not as tough and eager to hunt.except for pizza they were awesome on pizza.but they were very nice and well behaved inside.


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## michhutr (Jan 16, 2009)

My past 2 beagles have both been house dogs the the one i have now is a great hound. The only problem I feel is her pads don't toughen up soon enough and she gets cut up some in the icy snow. Other than that I don't feel its hurt her hunting ability. My buddies let them in daytime but sleep in the kennel at night. Whatever they are trained for works IMO.

Now there are a other reason other than hunting that I could talk about as far as in-house dogs that can drive me crazy.....

wife and kids treating it better than me.
family wanting to dress it up in warm coats and boots....
dog thinking it owns my chair...and i could go on and on.

Happy hunting.


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## Acts 11:7 (Mar 28, 2007)

I think it all depends on the dog and training. I lived in an apartment in Lansing when I got my dog. The aparment complex was loaded with rabbitts. Every time she went outside to go to the bathroom she was hunting, This was until she was about 18 months or so. She lives in my house now and has for 6 years. She is an awesome hunting dog. I swear my dog has split personality disorder. In the house she is a wimpy sweetheart. In the woods she is a terror. I would have thought she would be in big trouble if she ever mixed it up with something other than a rabbit, but one time she caught a opossum and killed it a matter of seconds. SHe has also had a few battles with squirrels that were very violent. I think she likes fighting with other animals. It is a bit morbid now that I think of it.:yikes:


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## MDG Welding (Jan 8, 2009)

I don't think it matters, mine lives inside and is one of the best dogs you could hunt with.
Maybe it takes a bit longer to toughen up the paws at the start of the season, but if you have them outside when ever possible to train or play, the paws don't really get to soft.


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## J-D (Dec 8, 2008)

Mine is outside . When I got him he was 6 months old , I think it is important to spend plenty of time with them to socialize them , which would be a little easier if they were a house dog . My reason I don't keep my beagles inside is there nose gets them into to much trouble like trying to get on the kitchen counter or diner table.


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## Cpt.Chaos (May 28, 2006)

Our 2 are both kept in the house. Great dogs, just a little stubborn to house-break.


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## Wishin_Fish (Oct 7, 2004)

Our beagle is a house dog, she'll hunt just as well as the next dog. The people that "claim" beagles, or hounds in general, are hard to house train and/or are bad house dogs most likely haven't put the time into training/teaching their dog properly. Ya get out of your dog what you put in, stay on top of training and train well and you'll have a good dog regardless of the breed. Thats my little rant, I don't feel where the dog sleeps has any to do with how well it hunts.


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## Gina Fox (Nov 4, 2007)

I think it depends on how many Beagles you have. If you get one dog it will not be happy by itself in an outside pen...dogs are pack animals, we humans are their pack when they are an only dog. You will also bond better with your dog in the house. You will not have a bored barking or digging dog if it is kept in the house. In other words a lot of behavior problems develop by dogs kept outside by themselves. 

I own multiple dogs, they do not all live in the house...but they live in a heated kennel and they are exercised and stimulated every day...even when its cccccold out. They actually prefer being with their friends...but I do make it a point to work with each dog individually so they bond to me and focus on ME when they are out together, nothing worse than a dog that pays attention to its kennel mates over me!!


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## upperlimits (Jan 15, 2008)

I keep 6 in the house.i keep them in there heated garage kennel when i am gone.,and they all can tear it up in the brush.


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## riverroadbeagles (Oct 14, 2007)

I have 5 four are outside 1 pup that is 12 weeks old is in the house for now he will be going out as soon as it warms up. I run my dogs alot exspecially in march and april and when I had one I keep in the house I hated having to give him a bath after every time out.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

I have 2 inside spoiled brats. The live to hunt. One thing I like about my inside dogs is that I don't hunt for them. They hunt with me till we jump, then they do their thing. They frequently look to see where I am and which way we are working. I really dislike having to chase dogs down when it is decided that the hunt is over, but the dogs don't want to quit.


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## gogoman (Mar 7, 2008)

I vote outside,I have a heated/air conditioned kennel.keeps them from turning into couch potatoes and pork chops.


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## Rabbit guy (Sep 23, 2005)

We keep ours inside. She's a pretty good hunter, sometimes she doesn't finish the job, as far as keeping on the rabbit, but I think it's more me than her. I tend to be impatient, I don't let her work it enough.


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## Gobblerman (Dec 19, 2004)

My beagle is a spoiled house pet who likes to chase bunnies as well. Obviously shes not the best dog, but she get's a them sooner or later and we manage to shoot enough to eat every year. 

If I ever purchase a house on some property I would love to own a couple of beagles and have them pen raised. Gotta love the beagles.


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## reddog1 (Jan 24, 2009)

As a child growing up we always had a beagle in the house. We hunted them on the weekends and thats where my love of the little hounds began. I now have 12 and they stay in a heated kennel at the edge of my 5 acre starting pen. We tried early on to have a beagle in the house but my daughter was allergic so that was the end of beagles in the house. I don't think it matters one way or the other if the dog is in the house or the kennel the desire to hunt will be the same.


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## Kevin D (Apr 30, 2004)

Both. 

They stay outside in the kennel all day when the family is gone at school/work, then they get walked and come inside in the evening until bedtime. Then back out for the night, unless it is going to be really cold - like 0. 

This works really well for us. They stay tough and can stay outside if we go on vacation (neighbor feeds/waters them) but they are also pets that are very well socialized. I have had good hunters and not so good. In my opinion it has nothing to do with whether they are kept inside or out.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

Kevin D said:


> I have had good hunters and not so good. In my opinion it has nothing to do with whether they are kept inside or out.


I agree


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