Finding a new dog

Many breeds of dogs both large and small have a natural tendency to be protective of their home and family more so than the Beagle. Many small terriers will ward off strangers with a ferocious warning bark.

It depends on whether you truly want a dog to be protective or just a deterrent. Personally I'd want a dog to be just a deterrent so rather a "watch dog" than a "guard dog". A personal favourite of mine is the Rhodesian Ridgeback. They not only come from the same group as the Beagle (hound group) but they make excellent family pets. They are large though.

Jennifer, you make a good point. It's not a guard dog we want, it's a watch dog.

Labs come to mind first. They are protective but not aggressive (usually). I've seen them range anywhere from 45 lbs or so on up to over 100 lbs.

Quote:Originally posted by Jennifer:
A personal favourite of mine is the Rhodesian Ridgeback. They not only come from the same group as the Beagle (hound group) but they make excellent family pets. They are large though.

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Those dogs aren't good with smaller dogs like beagles, and cats though are they? They are absolutely beautiful though, and I'd consider one if it would be safe for Gage.

If the dog is going to be Cesar's playmate, I've always heard that you generally don't want the larger dog to weigh more than twice the smaller dog. The local shelter follows this rule for since rough play could get the little dog hurt. So, if Cesar is 25 pounds, they wouldn't let you adopt a dog over 50 pounds.

www.dogbreedinfo.com and www.yourpurebredpuppy.com have good information. The second site gives pros and cons of each breed instead of telling you best case scenario like a lot of sites do.

Does anyone have experience with Boxers?

Would you consider a mixed breed? I have a shepherd mix; he weights 45 pounds, adores his beagle sister and makes a wonderful big-dog bark; he wouldn't hurt a fly, but he sure sounds like he would! :biglaugh: I think if you have kids around, labs are the BEST! Cole used to play so rough with Zeke, and they were best friends.

I know several people who have Ridgebacks and smaller dogs and they get along fine. Ridgebacks are big but gentle like labs. I wouldn't recommend a Boxer as they can be extremely boisterous and are generally harder to train and a bit like Beagles in that they are eternal puppies...but that's just my personal opinions.

scooby was a blk lab, and a protector. great dogs, labs. choc labs do get big though.
whats most important is that the dog is bought as a puppy, 10 weeks old at best.
this will allow your beagle his right to show hes boss w/o a big fight, 2 it allows the dog to get very use to you and your family as his own.
3 the dogs get a chance to play and grow up together, which i guess can go along with #1.
bernie is very friendly to people.yet at the same time alerts me to when someone is around.
hes a far cry from ole scoob though.
people wouldnt come within a mile of ole scoob, well, except 1 idiot at a park once.
dont rule out a mixed breed either. their loyalty to family is well known. you can honestly pick any dog, its all on how they are trained.
scooby had a 6ft radius. he would give ya a very good warning before you hit that mark. after that
your his.

We believe our Traveler to be a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. He weighs around 50 lbs., and his bark is certainly loud. He gets along fine with all the other dogs and Miss Priss. I will add the qualifier that he didn't settle into maturity until he was about 3, but has turned into a gentle and very sweet companion and watchdog. :angel:

Don't forget the Border Collie. Only slightly larger than a beagle, extremely smart and very loving. They love to run and play. My Muffin was an excellent watch dog and only once showed any aggression and at the time it was the correct response. Normally she would just bark at trespassers but one night while my wife, daughter and I were sitting in the living room watching TV a strange young man leapt over the balcony railing and tried to crash through our sliding glass door. Muffin was on her feet in a instant and launched herself through the air directly at the man. Fortunately, the glass held and both man and dog bounced off, unhurt. Upon seeing the dog the man jumped back over the railing and disappeared.

Basenji. Yep thats the one I would pick. Slightly bigger than a Beag, but loving dogs, very quiet (they don't bark) but very protective, love the outside.
Basenji's are African hunting dogs that are just amazing pets. They have a cute little curly fry type of tail. They even come in a tri-color color like many of our beloved Beagles.

Have to be careful about some herding dogs like Border Collies. I understand they can be handful if not getting alot of exercise.

My parents had a female German Shepard when I was growing up. That was the best dog we ever had. She was great with the neighborhood kids that came over to play. She was good on a walk. Smart. Highly protective. Gentle. Her name was "Shadow".

Beagles really do adapt well to other dogs in the house. We adopted a second dog recently and he and Vinny are now inseperable. Vinny has been much more calm since then. Same thing formy sons Beagle.

Good luck, I vote for Basenji's

Quote:Originally posted by Joe and Vinny:
We adopted a second dog recently and he and Vinny are now inseperable.

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Did I miss this news in another post? If this is your first reveal, we want pictures and details!!

The Basenjis here (in Germany) are rather small, so I wouldn't say that they are larger than beagles.

I would vote for an Entlebucher Cattle Dog, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, or the Bernese Mountain dog, but I'm the biggest fan of the Entlebucher Cattle Dog (although I'm not sure about the correct english name, here they're called "entlebucher sennenhunde").

Entlebucher Cattle Dog are very similar to beagles, but larger and more powerful. They will also bark to protect their territory and family and are generally very loving dogs.