The popularity of beagles has been enhanced by their appearance in movies, television and cartoons. Their fun loving nature and even temperament make them easily trained and easy to work with in a variety of situations. Some of the depictions of the beagle puppy, such as the "Peanuts" cartoon strip has made the breed one of the most famous in the world. A little love goes a long way with the beagle that has a way of endearing themselves with their owners.
The beagle is known to be a little like children in wanting to play, especially with other members of their household. The dogs are extremely intelligent and can learn new behaviors quickly and then to please their owners, want to show off what they have learned. If the beagle puppy has been around other dogs from their birth, their social skills will develop quicker making them ready to accept a place in a new environment.
Most beagles seem to have an abundance of energy and will require room to run and play outside the confines of the house. A fenced in yard may seem ideal for a beagle puppy but if they happen upon a strange and interesting scent, there is no telling how far they will go to discover the source of the smell. However, if they have the opportunity to get running out of their system with daily exercise, they are more willing to stay indoors and confine their play to getting along with other family members.
Their ability to pick up scents, which is part of their natural breeding, can be a little bit of a problem during training exercises. Their attention span is considerably short and if they happen across a strange scent will abandon their training session and head out on the new trail. Their inbred desire to hunt makes them easily distracted in search of new smells and sights.
Beagles are not only great as family pets, as their ability to track scents allows them to work with many agencies where larger dogs may not be as efficient. In some surroundings, such as airport where many people and children can quickly be intimidated by a large dog, a beagle puppy can be trained to search for contraband in luggage terminals as well as in finding illegal substances bought by agricultural departments.
They are known for the work with law enforcement in routing into small areas in search of contraband in places where larger dogs will not fit. When originally trained as hunting dogs, their stamina was counted on for the longer hunts of the day as they could chase down and corner a rabbit, keeping up with it in the open and well as chasing it through areas other animals could not go. While many still use the beagle breed for hunting purposes, they are more in demand as friendly and loyal pets.
Michelle Adams is someone who has researched many breeds of dogs, including the Beagle. Since breeding brings certain instincts and behaviors into play with different types of dogs understanding the history of your Beagle will better equip you to work with your new pet. There is plenty of Beagle information available including the interesting history of your pet. Articles like this and interviews with experts in the field will help you to understand where your Beagle came from and why he acts the way he does.