Beagles are one of the most preferred breeds to be kept as pets. They are friendly, energetic, and very affectionate towards their owners. Beagles are social and excellent with other dogs, as well as children. However, their friendly personalities don’t let them be good guard dogs.
Beagles can be very protective of their owners and children in their families. Their hunting instincts make them very attentive and vigilant of the kids.
This article will talk about what kinds of protective traits an average Beagle possesses. Read further to know more about their personalities!
Are Beagles Protective of their Owners?
Beagles are intelligent and friendly dogs. They easily socialize with everyone around them. However, they are extra-loyal to their owner and their family. They love spending time with one specific person most of the time and stay protective of them.
Though they are friendly, Beagles can get defensive and sometimes aggressive when they sense danger around their owners. A poorly socialized Beagle may become overprotective of its owner. It may start barking on people who try to get close to the owner.
Nevertheless, in most cases, Beagles are amiable and loyal dogs. They tend to take care of their owner and their families.
What other things can Beagles be Protective of?
There are a few more things that Beagles can become protective of. A few of them are:
Babies and children
Beagles are pack animals, which means they love to be surrounded by company. Babies and children, in general, fascinate Beagles. Since kids grow up with a lot of energy and the urge to play around, they find an excellent companion in a Beagle.
Kids always wish to have a playmate, so they are likely to get attached to a dog around them. Beagles, on the other hand, are hungry for love and attention. When they get extra attention from kids, they become protective of them.
Beagles are incredibly gentle with babies. They can become excellent watchdogs if you have an infant in the house. However, you must train your Beagle beforehand so that there are no mishaps with the baby. Once trained well, you can trust your Beagle to take care of your child with peace.
Personal Belongings
Beagles can not only get protective of people but their personal belongings and spaces as well. However, this behavior can indicate possessive aggression.
If your Beagle starts barking, biting, or just defending its things like bed, food, toys, or the area around its bed, you must deal with patience. This behavior must be discouraged through training. If you snatch the things roughly, the Beagle might get scared or just attack you instead.
Thus, you must act with patience around the dog. Seek professional trainers if you feel clueless about the training. The goal is to make your Beagle trust you around its territory.
Are Beagles Good Guard Dogs?
Beagles can prove to be good watchdogs for kids. However, when it comes to guarding the house, a Beagle might just fail the test.
Beagles have very social and friendly personalities. Even if your Beagle is protective of you, it may not be able to fight any intruder because of its social traits. You can always train it to bark and alert you. However, attacking the intruder is not a task your Beagle can carry through.
Other more giant dog breeds like Doberman Pinschers or German Shepards can prove to be excellent guard dogs. Since they have a fierce personalities, they won’t have any trouble guarding the house, and if required, even attack the intruder.
How to train Beagles to be guard dogs
You can’t essentially train a Beagle to become a full-fledged guard dog. Being a guard dog is not in a Beagle’s nature. Since they are very friendly and social, they will not be able to attack the intruder.
Beagles are protective of their owners, so that is a plus point. However, you can always teach them to bark when someone unknown steps in or if they sense a threat. Use a lot of treats and reinforcements, as well as make use of their command training.
Beagles can be excellent watchdogs with the help of their hunting instincts. Thus, if not attack, they can at least alert you of the threat around the house.
Final thoughts
Beagles have loyal personalities. Once they get attached to their owners and their families, they get very protective of them. However, you must make sure that this doesn’t turn into overprotectiveness.
There are several times when your Beagle can start obsessively defending you from other people. Not only with people, but Beagles can also get overprotective of their belongings.
Thus, you must be observant of the dog’s behavior and train it in such a way that any aggressive behavior is not instilled in your dog.
We hope this article helped you in understanding how Beagles behave around their owners. They are protective and loyal dogs, which is why they are a popular choice among families!
Dr. Aram Baker has been with Santa Clarita Animal Hospital since 1995 and his special interests include behaviour medicine and dermatology. He graduated from the Cleveland Humanities Magnet Program in Reseda, CA and attended California State University at Northridge where he received a Bachelor’s degree in biology. He went on to pursue his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at the University of California at Davis. He also spent time in the zoological medicine department at U.C. Davis during his Junior and Senior years. He is dedicated to caring for all pets big or small, young or old with compassion, patience, kindness, and love.