Getting a dog is a long term commitment that will drastically affect your lifestyle as well as schedule. Even though all beagle puppies are equally adorable, choosing a puppy with the best characteristics will make your life go much smoother. But how to select the best beagle puppy from the litter?
To select the best beagle puppy, you will have to look for one who is active, playful, healthy, and comfortable with the human touch. Look for a puppy who is friendly with its littermates and doesn’t dominate them.
Of course, there’s a lot more to look for while selecting a beagle puppy. In this article, we will look into various characteristics to look for in a puppy and how to check if the pup is healthy.
Selecting the best Beagle Puppy from the litter
Well, there is no ideal test to find out which puppy will become the most friendly and healthy dog. However, there are few characteristics and features to look for in a beagle puppy, which can help you select the pooch with the most potential of becoming a perfect dog for you.
Getting a puppy from the right place
Pet stores get puppies from pup-mills, where dogs are bred in awful conditions, increasing the risk of health complications. These puppies are separated from their mother when they are as young as five weeks old and displayed in glass containers. They do not get enough time to learn basic social skills from their mother. This can make them aggressive and uncomfortable with the human touch.
The best place to find a good and healthy puppy is from a breeder. Breeders usually have better knowledge about their puppies than pet shops. Most pet shops don’t allow customers to spend time with puppies, so you won’t get a chance to interact with them. This will make it harder for you to analyze the puppies’ personality and temper.
Visiting the Breeder
Always remember, best pups sell first! You want to have the maximum options to choose from and not just from the remaining few. You need to be an early bird. Find a beagle breeder and try to visit him as soon as the litter has born. Ask the breeder about the mother and ask her health history. Take permission from the breeder to spend some time with the mother and see how friendly she is. It is too soon to select a puppy, so if possible, give the breeder some advance money.
Most breeders wait until the litter is eight weeks old before they start selling them. Getting in touch with the breeder and giving some advance will put you at the top of the buyer’s list.
Make sure you do not melt and decide to take one of those adorable little pooch home. You will have to wait until the litter is 8 to 9 weeks old. All the puppies and mother must stay together for at least eight weeks. During this time, puppies learn basic social skills of interacting with others.
Visit the Litter
Most breeders allow people to visit the litter when they are 8 to 9 weeks old. Ask the breeder about the general health of the puppies and their mother.
Ask the breeder for his opinion. He will know which pup is dominant in nature and which ones are shy or naughty.
Study their interactions with other litter mates
See how every beagle puppy interacts with other littermates. Try to analyze their behavior. You should avoid puppies with the following behaviors:
- If you see a pup who is dominating in nature and is bullying around, then it’s better to avoid him. A dominating beagle pup will try to dominate you and other family members. You will have to give him proper hierarchy training.
- You should also avoid a shy beagle puppy. These kinds of puppies don’t trust anyone easily. Shyness will lead to an anti-social personality when he grows up.
- The third kind of pup you should avoid is the aggressive one. Beagles are not at all aggressive with humans as well as other animals. But aggression is usually not a good sign. If the puppy is barking at you constantly, then avoid him.
What you are looking for is a puppy who is friendly and playful with his littermates. The puppy which comes to you and maybe starts playing with your feet. The puppy who hops onto your lap. The puppy who seems happy and starts jumping around you.
Ninja Tip: Try to be friendly with the breeder. This will create a soft corner for you in the breeder’s mind, and he will be unbias while revealing about the puppies’ personalities and recommending a truly perfect pup.
Pick up puppies one by one
After you have analyzed the puppies’ behavior and narrowed it down, its time to pick them up one by one and see how comfortable they are.
- Pick up a puppy and see how he interacts with you. If the pup starts licking your face and wiggles his tail, then it means that he is quite comfortable with human contact. If the puppy tries to get off at first but immediately settles down in your arms, consider it a positive sign too.
- If the puppy starts barking and continuously struggles when you pick him up, this can be an issue.
- After the beagle puppy settles down in your arms when you pick him up, gently rub the puppy’s paws and touch his ears. If he seems okay with this, then this means that he has been socialized well.
Sit down and call your puppy
After the above tests, you may have already selected the best beagle pup for you, but if you are still confused between a couple of pups, then you can take this test.
Sit down on the floor and try to gain the pup’s attention by clapping or calling out. If the pup comes running at you, then look no further, he is the one. This will prove that the pup has already started bonding with you, which is fantastic.
Check for the Beagle Puppy’s Health
You must select a healthy puppy. Health puppies have better immunity. To check if the beagle puppy is healthy, you can follow these steps:
- First, check how hygienic the surrounding of the pup is. See if the breeder is taking good care of pups by cleaning their pee and potty.
- See how healthy the beagle pup looks. He should not be too thin or too fat.
- Check for the pup’s ears. Beagles have long and floppy ears, making them more prone to ear infections. See whether the breeder has been cleaning his ears regularly. Check for excessive wax build-up or swelling inside the ears.
- Check the puppy’s coat. It should be shiny and bright and not dull or stinky. Run your hand in the opposite direction of his hair growth and see for any possible signs of flea or mites inside his coat.
- Puppy’s genital area should be clean.
- Test the puppy’s vision and hearing. Move your hand in front of his eyes and see how he reacts to it. Clap near him or make any unusual sound and notice if he looks at you.
Once you have selected a friendly, loving, and healthy beagle puppy, make sure to take him to a vet and have him checked in the next couple of days. You can go through our raising a beagle puppy guide for aftercare.
Check if the beagle is purebred
Well if you are looking for a pure beagle, it is necessary that you get one. Few breeders mix breed the beagles. You can go through this article to know how to identify a purebred beagle puppy.
Different Personalities of Puppies and how to deal with them
Beagles, in general, love to cuddle and are not at all aggressive in nature. They are very friendly. But just like humans, beagles have different personalities. You have do decide what kind of pup’s personality suits you and your family the most.
Shy: Shy puppies make the cutest face, and you will just want to give them whatever they want. They lack self-confidence, and they might not be great at socialization. Given the time, they are competent to form a strong bond with their owners. But they may not trust or feel comfortable around new faces. You will need to put a lot of time training a shy pup and help him raise his self-confidence. Suitable for single or couple owners.
The Calm one: A beagle pup with a calm personality will love to eat and sleep the entire day. They have no difficulty with socialization and are quite playful at times. But mostly they relax and lye around the house waiting for their next meal. Beagles are prone to obesity, so you will have to be extra strict with their diet and exercise routine.
Independent Thinker: These types of beagles love to play on their own and do what they want to. They are friendly and lovable but a little hard to train. You will have to motivate them with treats to train them.
Rebellious: Rebellious beagle puppies will love to disobey his owner’s command. They will want to do precisely the opposite of what you want. They are the naughty ones. They are quite active and not aggressive, just a little mischievous.
Dominant ones: They like to play rough. They are the most active ones. They are the alphas, and they would want to dominate their owners. You will have to give them proper hierarchy training.
Final Thoughts
Every beagle is the best in its own way. You just need to select the one who connects with you. Even if you choose a mischievous Beagle puppy, you could train and mold his behavior.