meet giles

Giles is the most beagly beagle you will ever meet.  He is four, beautifully colored (textbook red-brown, black and white spots), pretty sweet at times, and high energy.  We had the opportunity to dog-sit this guy for four days at our place, and it was quite fun to have a dog around.  He and I would hang out on the couch, mostly with me petting him.  We’d go for walks.  He loved sitting on the back porch and just watching–sometimes sprawled out in the sun, sometimes more alert.  He was great in many ways.

But beagles aren’t apartment-friendly breeds.  They have separation anxiety (resulting in pee-lakes in various areas of our place many times we went away), they have ear-piercingly loud barks, and they’re a sporting breed.  That means, out of instinct, they howl and howl and want to chase squirrels whenever they see them.  Giles was a dominant male and would growl aggressively at other dogs and cats.  He required 1.5 hours of walking per day and was way stronger than I.  

I really liked him, but think he’d be better in a country lifestyle, when he could run and play and have the company of other animals, where his howl would be buffered by acres of land between him and human ears.  His shedding would also be better in an outdoor lifestyle (Yeah, I didn’t think beagles shed that much, either).

I DID learn quite a bit about dog-training, though, and what dogs desire.  Giles’ owner loaned me a book by Cesar Millian, the “Dog Whisperer”–who emphasizes the facts that dogs like routine and stability.  They depend on their owners for a stable, calm environment and for food daily.  They like to work for their food (Sara makes Giles sit before he gets his meals), for example.  They thrive on being active, being loved and being rewarded.  The handler must be calm and assertive.  It was shocking how true this was.  If I was excited or had a high-pitched voice, the dog went crazy.  When I used a lower-pitched, calm voice, he listened and was much more obedient.  Repetition is key, and not spoiling the dog is also key for all of the training to work.

We were considering getting a Beagle, and now I know we won’t. That’s not meant to be harsh.  I think Beagles are remarkable and beautiful dogs (and he caught the eye of EVERYONE in town when I walked him), but we would need a more independent and relaxed dog for our apartment lifestyle.  I really do think there’s a breed of dog out there that’s right for just about everyone, and our time with Giles was fun and valuable, as well as patience-producing.  And I still think he’s ridiculously cute, quirks and all.