# Basset hound vs beagle or both?



## Jamesconn (Dec 19, 2014)

What are the differences in temperment between the two? Any suggestions from prople who have has them before?

They wont be for livestock. They will go camping maybe hunting a few times. Other than that they will get walks and be companion animals. Being able to follow commands when not leashed are important especially not running too far away.

I have had 
Labs
Boxers
Mastiff
And
Boston terrier

Ive always had a dog now im on my own and life feels weird without dogs and I dont think its right to just have 1.


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## kalmara (Aug 21, 2011)

IMO a basset would be a better choice for what you want. Easier to train and slower moving.
Beagles are much more energetic and move a LOT faster. They will put their nose on the ground and disappear over yonder hill very quickly, they also tend to become "deaf" once they are on a trail.


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## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

I agree with the bassett. Beagles follow their nose and they will follow it until the ends of the earth. Lots of beagles wind up in shelters because of this very thing. Oh, and looking at the list of dogs you have had...you do understand that hounds howl....a lot. Having had dogs that are quiet unless necessary don't know if I could handle the howling. Blessings, Kat


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

I also agree with the Bassett. My daughter has an elderly Beagle, got him at 8 weeks of age, and danged if that Beagle won't still hit a trail with his nose and be gone baby gone. My daughter is even a dog trainer! Go with the Bassett, but make sure you take very good care of those ears!


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## LauraD (May 25, 2014)

Bassets are also "scent hounds" that will follow their noses and ignore all else when on a scent. I owned a basset for many years - from a pup until we had to put her down at age 14. They are notoriously difficult to housebreak - it took almost two YEARS before I could trust her in the house - and great at playing deaf. "Oh, did you call me? I didn't hear you." Yeah, right.

They are also good at getting lost and not being able to find their way home, and can wander a lot further than you would think in a short period of time. Obedient? Only when they want to be.

While they make great companions, off-lead training will be very difficult. I would stick with a breed that is more interested in you and what you want (e.g. lab) than in its nose.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Either of those dogs are great for hunting. But obedience&#8230;. &#8220;Maybe hunting a few times.&#8221; Hunt with someone else who has a hunting dog. I think bassets and beagles are very sweet dogs, but I&#8217;d never own one unless I was a serious hunter.


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## Jamesconn (Dec 19, 2014)

Could yall recommend a dog in that size range then? I hate small dogs but Im not ready for mastiff sized dogs again.

Labs might be a bit big too ill be living in a trailer.

Could basset hounds jump in the truck?


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Bassett can't jump much

I would say maybe a Spinger or similar? They are very sweet dogs, love affection and learn easily, and they love to hunt stuff! But they are bird dogs mostly, not sure how they would do hunting other prey. I have not owned one, but have had one in foster care here before and she was a really good little thing. Just a thought.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Possibly a Springer or similar? They are very good medium sized dogs. I had one in foster care here that was a really good girl. Just a thought.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Dang! Im sorry about the double post! I thought I accidentally erased my first post so reposted.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

LauraD said:


> Bassets are also "scent hounds" that will follow their noses and ignore all else when on a scent. I owned a basset for many years - from a pup until we had to put her down at age 14. They are notoriously difficult to housebreak - it took almost two YEARS before I could trust her in the house - and great at playing deaf. "Oh, did you call me? I didn't hear you." Yeah, right.
> 
> They are also good at getting lost and not being able to find their way home, and can wander a lot further than you would think in a short period of time. Obedient? Only when they want to be.
> 
> While they make great companions, off-lead training will be very difficult. I would stick with a breed that is more interested in you and what you want (e.g. lab) than in its nose.


I found much the same except I think it took about 2 years to get everybody in the house trained so we could leave the house. 

I often wondered why mine could get lost tracking a rabbit but could never follow her own scent home but that's part of their charm. 

They are wonderful dogs and I've owned several over the years but never had to pay for one yet. I just watch the local ads for the one that chewed up a designer handbag or a closet full of shoes and I've never had to look very hard.

I would also like to point out that whole concept about Basset Hounds being mellow and laid back is something that doesn't happen until they are quite a bit older.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

I had Beagles, they were much as advertised, though a lot of fun, not very obedient. I've had a few different breeds over the years. 

I like a good English Setter. The show dogs will hunt, are larger and have a lot more hair, they do have exceptionally sweet mellow temperaments and mine have always been excellent house dogs. They love to run when I take them out, but aren't all that hard to train to come back when called. The field types are a lot smaller, have a lot less hair and generally have more "bird" in them and more drive to hunt. They can be hyper, but are sweet tempered. They are more laid back than Brittanys and Spring Spaniels (which could also be a great choice though), Irish Setters, friendlier than Gorden Setters, quite a bit easier to live with than a Lab, generally one of my favorite breeds. I have a big old sweet retired show dog right now, one of the sweetest dogs ever. 

We have a Smooth Collie, love her, she's way smart and work driven and is just settling down at age 3 to be an excellent dog. She'd be a LOT of dog for a trailer. 

I raised Silky Terriers for years. They are small dogs, about 10 lbs, but fairly sturdy and quite smart. They have the terrier drawback of often being dog aggressive. You might consider a larger terrier breed, particularly the ones that are closer to working dogs, such as the Airedale. I've known a few of them as farm dogs and really liked them. They seemed biddable, intelligent and pretty easy going and a nice med/large size. A good all around farm dog type, though not so focused on stock, but on people. 
They'd be a good companion and watch dog. The coat is pretty easy to care for too. 

I absolutely loved my Pembroke Welsh Corgi when I was a teenager. He was a nice sturdy little dog, very smart, willing to learn and to obey. Also very cute and a great size for a trailer. They are low to the ground, but quite athletic. I hope to have another one some day. The Cardigan is a similar dog, but I don't have experience with their temperaments. 

Those are just a few random ideas and thoughts about dogs that might work out for you.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Our neighbors have a Boyington spaniel. A small dog, sweet.


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## Phil V. (May 31, 2013)

Rat terriers are good to have around. Had 3 of them myself. Depending on the breeding will depend on how hyper they are. The ones that I had were easy to housebreak and if have any mice in the house they'll get them. The first 2 that I had I used them for rat killing when I was cleaning the horse barn or chicken coop. The 3rd one was the runt of the litter and was a lap warmer for my mom.


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

Total opposite of you in terms of having a rat terrier. Mine took 8-9 months to housebreak. After that, he was reliable even though he was intact. Never raised his leg in the house. Outside, he would but not inside.

Clumber spaniels are a hoot. Slow and not fast. Ideal for people who don't want a large dog but want a hunting dog.


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## JasoninMN (Feb 24, 2006)

> Being able to follow commands when not leashed are important especially not running too far away.


Both breeds are not going to fit this description. Let them off leash and they are both going to follow their noses. If you insist yours will be different, I suggest a shock collar and a gps collar on it when ever its loose.


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

These two dogs are pretty hard to train. And outside, they will be gone on a trail, and very likely run over by a car, if you leave them unleashed outside. Growing up I had beagles, but they were in a pen outside, and they were used a lot 4 months out of the year for hunting. My wife got me a beagle. It was hard to house train and chewed up a lot of things and would leap up on tables and eat food - this beagle could leap into an open car window! It darned near drove us nuts in the house, so we had it outside in a pen. I hunted with it a bit but then it took off on a deer trail and got run over. We now have herding-type dogs that are inside - a Shelty and Aussie. We are always home so they are content inside to be by us but they are allowed out whenever they want. Herding dogs generally stay close to home so no problems with them getting in the neighbor's business. Our Aussie will not go 100 ft from the house unless one of us takes him along. Shelties are a bit less home-bound - we had one previously that would occasionally wander the countryside.

With respect to rabbit hunting, you need a good supply of cottontails for hunting. These rabbits will make a nice small circle from where you kicked them out with a beagle trailing them. Snowshoe hares will often make a very large circle or even a straight line - not the best for hunting with a dog.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

One thing to note regarding Beagles - I owned both show bloodlines and field lines at one time. The show type Beagles were a lot less hard headed and more mellow, very cute dogs and good pets. However, they would still put a nose to a trail and go off and have a tendency to dig under fences, just not as adamant about it as the field dogs. Still not the dog I would recommend under your circumstances.


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## Jamesconn (Dec 19, 2014)

MichaelZ said:


> These two dogs are pretty hard to train. And outside, they will be gone on a trail, and very likely run over by a car, if you leave them unleashed outside. Growing up I had beagles, but they were in a pen outside, and they were used a lot 4 months out of the year for hunting. My wife got me a beagle. It was hard to house train and chewed up a lot of things and would leap up on tables and eat food - this beagle could leap into an open car window! It darned near drove us nuts in the house, so we had it outside in a pen. I hunted with it a bit but then it took off on a deer trail and got run over. We now have herding-type dogs that are inside - a Shelty and Aussie. We are always home so they are content inside to be by us but they are allowed out whenever they want. Herding dogs generally stay close to home so no problems with them getting in the neighbor's business. Our Aussie will not go 100 ft from the house unless one of us takes him along. Shelties are a bit less home-bound - we had one previously that would occasionally wander the countryside.
> 
> With respect to rabbit hunting, you need a good supply of cottontails for hunting. These rabbits will make a nice small circle from where you kicked them out with a beagle trailing them. Snowshoe hares will often make a very large circle or even a straight line - not the best for hunting with a dog.



The safety guy and a welder at work have australian sheapards. They are good dogs.


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

Jamesconn said:


> The safety guy and a welder at work have australian sheapards. They are good dogs.


They are good dogs, but they need a job or companionship. If you do not have them working then there needs to be someone there for them to "tend". If left alone for more than a day they will sulk and/or wander off - we always have to get a dog/house sitter if we go on a trip.


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## CedarGait (Apr 22, 2014)

I've had beagles. Great, sweet dogs however they are going to hunt wither you want them to or not. As far as aussies, We've have 2 OUTSIDE.... they shed bad.... but our male stays loose in our yard and doesn't leave unless we do. Not hard to house break and generally calm in the house. Very easy to train has a wonderful call back. Very protective


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## tiffnzacsmom (Jan 26, 2006)

My Boozer is a be beagle, basset, pointer mix and is very mellow and a people pleaser. I think it's the pointer.


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## alsarve (Feb 20, 2013)

We have had labs, terriers, shepherds and corgis. Now enter our 3 yr old Bassett. Oh my, hardest ever to housebreak, has not really learned more than 3 words and wanders off at any chance. But such a happy, sweet dog. Very energetic in half hour spurts then sleep for 4 to 6 hrs. As far as obedience, I would take my corgi anyday.


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

Please do not get a terrier unless you want to have the same problems on a hyper scale as a beagle. I have owned rat terriers and now have a wire hair fox terrier. My rat terriers were absolutely dedicated to digging to China for rats or mice or voles or chipmunks. My wire fox will chase down a rabbit, a squirrel, a small cat or anything she can catch and she is FAST so she is never allowed off the leash. She'll get that nose down and be in the next county before you know what happened. On all websites breeders state: do not allow them off the leash. There is a reason for that. Plus my girl is now five and still acts like she is a year old..play and play some more. They make great frisbee dogs. 

My basset hound was hard to housebreak, took well over a a year and then another year before I could really trust her. She also would trail a rabbit clear to Mexico but couldn't find her way back to her own food dish. I finally had to quit letting her out without a leash. I got my Basset girl free..no one could keep her at home in her own yard, she was a great digger.

You want a mellow dog to use for hunting, I would go with something outside the terrier group and the beagle group unless you are serious about hunting. Hunting dogs by their very breeding are not going to be real mellow and will haul off on a scent..they can't help it. **** hounds are the same way, smell something and be gone. My cousin had radio collars for his **** dogs as they would hit the swamps and no one could find them. The radio collars were tracking devices so they could find them.


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