You are planning to get one more beagle, either because you can’t have enough cuteness if one beagle or you don’t have enough time to play with him all day. However, the question arises, can two beagles live together?
Two beagles can comfortably live together and enjoy each other’s company. Beagles have always been pack animals and they don’t do well if left alone. This breed is known for its social and friendly nature. In fact, beagles can get along quite well with most of the dog breeds.
Even though living with two beagles will be a ride full of joy and fun, getting a second beagle won’t cut down your work. In this article, we will look into various pros and cons of getting two beagles and also explore which pair of genders is more preferable.
Understanding the Essence of Beagles
Beagles were bred to be hunting dogs who can track the scents of small animals in the game. They were always kept in large packs and trained to work with each other while hunting. All the beagles would eat and sleep together. Due to this, beagles developed a strong understanding of socialization.
Although modern beagles have become family pets, they still have the instinct to live in packs. They don’t do well when left alone. A beagle might show destructive behavior live excessive barking or chewing if left alone for a longer period.
Being a pack player, beagles can do fantastically well if they have another dog companion.
Can Two Male Beagles Live Together?
Yes, two male beagles can get along and live together joyously. Beagles are pack animals and they are bred to live together with other beagles regardless of their gender. Unlike some other dog breeds, two male beagles rarely try to prove their dominance and can thrive on each other’s company.
However, it is essential to give proper socialization training to both the beagles and teach them proper discipline.
Can Two Female Beagles Live together?
With proper socialization and training, two female beagles can get alone and live together peacefully. However, two female beagles are more likely to fight with each other. A preferred gender combination of two beagles would be male-female.
A female dog can become territorial and competitive with the presence of another female dog. But because of the friendly and social nature of beagles, two female dogs can thrive too with some training.
It would be a different case if your beagle has puppies and you decide to keep one of the female pups. The mother and daughter duo will have a strong bond.
If you are planning to raise two female beagles, then the preferred situation would to pair two of them when they both are puppies. If possible you can even get two of them from the same litter.
No matter what the situation is, the personality of the dog plays an important role.
Reasons why Two beagles might not Get along
Most of the time, the gender of the beagles is not the reason that causes fights. As I said, beagles are social beings, they like being in packs with other dogs. Beagles are playful and having another playful companion is just perfect for them.
In most cases, two beagles will pair up perfectly. But if they don’t, then it’s probably because of their unique personality and ill hierarchy. Let’s look into some reasons why two beagles might not get along.
Dominance
When one beagle out of two is more dominant in nature then the other would know his place in the hierarchy and things would run peacefully.
However, if both of the dogs are alpha, regardless of gender, they will try to prove their dominance by fighting with each other.
Insecurity
If one of the beagles feel insecure by the presence of the other dog, it will become more territorial of its stuff. The insecure pooch may bark in order to protect its things like toys or food bowl.
This is more common in two female beagles.
Competitive
Two beagles can become competitive with each other if they are not socialized correctly. Two of them may try to compete for small things like, who eat the food first, or who gets to sit by your side, or who gets more attention.
This can become troublesome for the owner.
How to introduce the Second Beagle
It is essential to correctly introduce the second beagle in your family. Failing can increase the chances of creating an unfriendly situation for both your beagles. While doing it correctly will ensure peaceful and friendly companionship between two.
You have to understand that your beagle might not like it if his space and undived attention gets divided into half all of a sudden. Even though your pooch is social with other dogs, he is not used to living with one.
Let’s look into steps to introduce the second beagle in your family and ensure that they live in peaceful terms.
- Select a neutral ground to introduce both the dogs. You can choose a dog park or even one of your friend’s backyard.
- While standing next to your beagle, ask someone to bring the second beagle dog or puppy.
- Let your pooch interact and socialize with his future best friend. Let them sniff each other.
- If your beagle refuses to interact with it, then do not force him.
- To associate positive behavior, if your dog interacts with the other beagle without any aggression, then treat him with a high-rewarding treat.
- If possible don’t bring the second beagle home just yet. Keep him at your friend’s place if they are okay with it. It’s better to keep things slow and give your beagle time to like his new companion.
- Keep a blanket with the second beagle’s scent in your house. Let your pooch get familiar with the new scent in the house.
- Finally, bring the new member home. If you have introduced them well, then I am sure your beagle will be happy to see him. If he is not then don’t worry, you just need to give him some time.
- If you use crate then make sure both of the dogs have their own separate crates. Putting them together in one crate is probably not a good idea just yet. Refer to this if you want to learn about how to crate train your beagle.
- In the initial stage, do not leave both of them unattended. Even if both of them seem happy together, small things can trigger a fight easily.
- Make sure it’s clear to both the dogs that you are the alpha in this house.
A great man once said ‘Good things take time’, it may take some time and effort, but it’s all worth it.
Tips for Living with Two Beagles
I personally have two beagles and both of them make a really naughty and mischievous pair. But thank god, both of them get along well. I have gathered a few tips which can really help you if you want to live a peaceful life with two beagles.
You are Alpha
Your dogs should know their place in the hierarchy. It is crucial that they understand that you are the alpha of this house. You need to make sure that they understand this very well that they are at the lowest in the hierarchy of your family.
This will keep both the dogs in check and they won’t fight and try to gain dominance from each other.
Love both of them Equally
No matter how hard you try, you will always end up getting a favorite. It’s totally okay to have your favorite, and it will keep switching between the two from time to time. But you will have to make sure that you love both of them equally. You will have to provide equal attention to both of them.
One thing I do is, try to make each of them feel that they are my favorite. For instance, if one of my pooches is sleeping, I will go to the other one and cuddle him and give a treat without any reason, and I will do the same for the other one later.
Train them Together
Train both of your pooches together. Praise their good behavior and ignore them if they behave badly. Don’t allow any of them to get away with bad behavior.
Training them together will create a slight competition for behaving better. This can be used as a great motivator. However, do not allow them to compete in other things.
Get both of them Neutered or Spayed
It has been noticed that spayed beagles are less hormonal and can resolve territorial issues.
According to Research Gate, neutering a dog can reduce aggression towards other dogs in the family.
Final Thoughts
Summing up this article, let me tell you that raising two beagles in a family has its own pros and cons. If you ask me what do I prefer, I would say two beagles are better than one if you have enough time and resources to manage them.