It's a fairly simple question: I've been looking for a dog breed for a while now and I've settled on the Beagle – they seem like brilliant dogs!
The thing is, I live alone in a 540 sq ft (50m²) flat with my snake and my bearded dragon. It’s well laid out and there’s enough room, but it’s still a flat...
I leave at 8:30 am, come back for an hour at lunchtime, and I'm home by 5:30 pm. Will he be okay being left alone during those times? I should mention it would be a puppy.
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I don't see any issue there, personally. A 30-minute walk in the morning, 10-15 minutes at lunchtime (mostly for toilet breaks), and then you can make up for it in the evening (at least an hour). I'm guessing that whenever you have some spare time, you'll be using it for longer walks?
Beagles are such lovely dogs! They're brilliant family pets.
Also, if I were you, and as mentioned before, I'd make sure you're getting a companion dog rather than one from a hunting line (none of those 'expert boar hunter' parents, as they're often called). Obviously, it's in their genes, but if the instinct isn't as strong in their lineage, it'll be better for the both of you.
That sounds like a great routine and schedule for his walks.
I’d also recommend booking a few days off to be with your dog. Not every single minute, but at least for toilet breaks and to help him settle into his new environment. You can then gradually build up the time you leave him alone, and try to make sure he doesn't get into the habit of following you from room to room.
It’s brilliant, your dog will be really happy. It’s much better to have a dog in a flat who gets out for proper walks than one that’s just stuck in a house all the time!
If you take him on holiday, it’s obviously to teach him to be on his own, starting bit by bit rather than just leaving him for several hours straight away. That’s how I did it with Iago and he soon learnt to be left alone. You start off small, until the point where you head out to do the shopping and he’s okay on his own for about an hour and a half, and then you just keep building it up—going into town for three hours, etc.
As long as you’re meeting their needs, the fact you live in a flat doesn't really matter. A Beagle lived in a house with a garden near me, and I can tell you he was miserable because his owners just left him out in the garden all day... Also, make sure you get your puppy from a breeder who breeds for pets rather than hunting lines, otherwise it’ll be a struggle for both you and the dog.
I've got a 3-year-old female beagle who’s always lived in a flat and she’s doing great. I walk her in the morning before I head off to work (before 8am) and I get back at the end of the day around 5:15pm; she’s house-trained and stays good as gold.
At the weekend, I make the most of it by taking her for long walks in the woods for a few hours.
Only the first few months are a bit of a struggle, obviously—getting her house-trained, making sure she doesn't chew everything she finds, and so on. She was like a real baby to train, but that's just a puppy for you! ^^
Top tip: they're basically stomachs on legs! If there’s a treat involved, she learns much faster lol.
Well, people on the forums are saying that it’s actually not a good idea to be with a puppy 24/7, because they’ll get too used to you being there... (unlike with cats, where it’s apparently better to take some time off work to settle them in..)
Personally, I don't agree there :) Spending a weekend with your dog is fine, but I wouldn't do it over the holidays because they get used to always having someone around. That said, for the first few days, do warn your neighbours that he might bark his head off. As for the walking times, they seem fine to me.
I won't be getting any holidays, unfortunately, due to a change of job, so he's going to have to 'learn to be on his own' :/ As for tiring him out, that's no problem; I was mainly worried about him feeling lonely for that long in a flat that isn't exactly huge.
When you get a puppy, the best thing is to take some time off work so you can get them house-trained and gradually used to being on their own. Your schedule sounds fine since you’re coming home at lunchtime. As Beagles are such active dogs, you’ll need to get him out and about to burn off some steam. I’ve got a high-energy dog myself in a flat and we're out for about two hours a day on average. Beagles are also scenthounds and love to explore, so you’ll need to make sure you're meeting those needs too.
