Beagles are one of the most popular dog breeds on Earth for all good reasons. They are known for their friendly and loving personality. They are great with kids as well as other animals. They are amazing companions and adhere to their owners no matter what. But are beagles protective?
Beagles are instinctively protective of their owners and other family members. They are capable of becoming excellent watchdogs for children. However, their jaunty and friendly personality does not allow them to be a good guard dog.
Further, in this article, we will learn about various things beagles are protective of and reasons behind them.
Beagles Protective of their Owners
Beagles as pets are friendly, affectionate and cheerful. They are kind and intelligent and flourish on attention. That’s why beagles are one of the most popular choices for families. Correctly socialized beagles can get alone nicely, even with strangers. However, they remain loyal to people they grow up seeing around.
Beagles are most loyal to one person they spend most of their time with. Their friendly personality should not be taken for granted. A beagle can become defensive if he senses a threat to his owner.
It is rare for a beagle to become aggressive and bite to protect his owner, but he may start barking at the threat to scare him away.
There have been few cases where beagles have become overprotective for their owners. They start barking and jumping at people who try to say hello or shake the hands of their owners. This is more commonly seen in rescue dogs and poorly socialized beagles.
One great thing about beagles is that they are not usually overprotective for their owner or territorial like some other breeds.
Beagles Protective Towards Children
Their friendly and gentle personality makes then a fantastic pet for children. Beagles form a special relationship with children. On the other side, children who grow up with beagles end up embracing them. They have all the time in the world to spend and play with their dogs. They rub their backs, snuggle them, run with then, and whatnot. Beagles love this undived attention and get fond of them.
Beagles are pack animals, and packs have a social hierarchy structure. Beagles start seeing their family as the pack. A person who gives him food trains him teaches good behaviors becomes the leader for a beagle. He starts looking up to him for commands and can go to any extent to pleases him. When the beagle suspects that his leader/owner is in danger, he can get protective and ready to defend him.
Whereas, children play with their beagles, sleep with them, sometimes even poke them. Beagles start seeing children as their own. They start caring for them. They can even get protective of them. They can be an excellent watchdog for children.
I personally know a family where the beagle has bonded so well with the 5-year-old child that he follows him everywhere. The dog has become a guardian of the kid. And whenever he senses a threat, he gets defensive and starts barking.
Beagles Protective of Babies
One of the reasons why beagles are a perfect breed for families is because they are gentle with babies. Beagles can bond surprisingly well with babies and be a watchdog for them. However, a beagle must be properly socialized with a baby and should be taught to behave gently. If you are unable to do it, kindly consult a professional trainer.
Note: No matter how gentle a beagle is with babies, you should not leave both of them alone.
Beagles as Watch Dogs
Beagles are bred to be a family dog. They have a very cheerful and friendly personality. This makes them incapable of being a good guard dog. However, their high intelligence and social skills help them to become excellent watchdogs.
Watchdogs are kept to keep an eye for any threat or danger. They need to be alert and alarm if they sense something.
Beagles are vocally expressive and have a very distinct bark. With a little training, beagles can become watchdogs for your house. They can even act as watchdogs for children.
Just remember, beagles are not aggressive and rarely attack strangers. They will only alert you if they sense anything and usually not attack the threat.
Beagles as Guard Dogs
Guard dogs guard houses and properties and keeps humans as well as other animal intruders away. Apart from barking, they are capable of biting intruders if necessary.
As I said before, beagles have a playful and friendly personality, and they are rarely aggressive. You cannot rely on them to guard your house. However, you can train them to bark at intruders, but they won’t attack them.
Other things beagle can be protective of
Beagles can also get protective of their personal belongings like:
- Bed
- Food and Water Bowl
- Food
- Toys
- Kong
This is also referred to as resource guarding. It is not a behavior you should promote. This can be an early sign of possessive aggression in which the beagle can get aggressive and even bite if someone touches his objects.
Few signs of this problem can be:
- Growling when someone comes close to their object.
- Snapping or biting when someone tries to take the object from them.
- Obsessively defending their object.
Beagles can also show this behavior towards their owners or family members. This happens more commonly when there is more than one dog or pet in the house.
You need to deal with this problem with patience. Forcing your dog to give up the object will just make things worse. You need to make your beagle trust you around his objects. Try to offer them something better to make them leave the object.
Final Thoughts
Beagles are amazing dogs. They can be protective of their owners, families, as well as children. With some training, you can even make them watchdogs. However, do not expect them to be guard dogs.