Our fast-paced lifestyles is making it increasingly difficult to spend quality time with our near and dear ones. And that includes our furry, feathery, or scaly friends.
When bringing a pet home for the first time, it might be convenient to picture a scenario where you’d spend the rest of your lives cuddling and pampering one another. But you soon realize that there are other pressing matters to attend to; matters that require leaving the house for extended periods of time.
Consigning an animal to long hours of solitude and loneliness comes with its own challenges. In the case of beagles, you could be looking at a host of medical conditions, including obesity due to reduced physical activity and separation anxiety due to reduced mental stimulation. And that begs the question, can beagles be left alone?
The simple answer is yes, beagles can be left alone for some time and they should be fine with it. But as with any dog, there are measures you must take to ensure that your adorable beagle remains physically and mentally stimulated even in your absence. Otherwise, the dog might develop serious physical and mental health problems.
Read on for more insights on how beagles cope with loneliness and what you can do to make the situation bearable for them.
Table of Contents
More About Beagles
The Beagle, also known as the English Beagle, is a breed of small hound that’s closely similar to the much larger foxhound. Beagles trace their origin back to the 11th century when William the Conqueror brought the Talbot Hound and the St. Hubert Hound to Great Britain.
However, it was not until the 1830s that the first modern beagle was developed. According to research, the modern beagle was developed from several breeds, such as the North Country Beagle, the Talbot Hound, the Southern Hound, and the Harrier.
Beagles are renowned for their remarkable sense of smell and tracking prowess. In fact, the dog breed was developed primarily for hare hunting, also known as beagling. Thanks to their heightened sense of smell, beagles are commonly used for detecting prohibited agricultural imports.
Besides their superior smell and tracking abilities, beagles are also incredibly intelligent. That makes them fairly easy to train, as these dogs can remember commands from months back. However, note that beagles can also be quite obstinate and unless well-socialized, training may prove a bit challenging.
As a pet dog, beagles are especially preferred due to their small size, good temper, and minimal inherited medical issues.
The following is a brief highlight of the key physical and mental attributes of beagles;
| Height: | 13 to 16 inches or 33 to 41 centimeters |
| Weight: | Male: 22 to 25 pounds or 10.0 to 11.3 kilograms, Females: 20 to 23 pounds or 9.1 to 10.4 kilograms |
| Coat Texture: | Hard coat, featuring short-to-medium length hair |
| Coloration: | Tricolor, or white that comes in combination with black and brown/tan |
| Temperament: | Even-tempered and gentle disposition |
| Apartment Living: | Fairly adaptable to apartment living |
| Sociability: | Friendly towards kids, other dogs, and even strangers; hence excellent family dogs but unideal as guard or protection dogs |
| Energy Levels: | Have pent-up energy and are highly playful; hence require constant stimulation |
| Trainability: | Fairly trainable |
| Mouthiness and Vocalization: | Have a high tendency to bark or howl, and are also quite mouthy |
| Wanderlust Potential: | Are prone to wander |
| Prey Drive: | Have super-strong prey drive |
| Shedding: | Shed from time to time and are relatively easy to groom |
| Drooling: | Don’t drool a lot |
| Disease Resistance: | Have fewer inherited diseases |
| Ideal Climate: | Fairly tolerates hot weather, more intolerant to cold weather |
| Life Span: | 12 to 15 years |
How Long Can Beagles Be Left Alone
If you own a beagle but lead a traveler’s lifestyle where you only appear home haphazardly, it’s natural to find yourself wondering, can a beagle be left alone? And if yes, how long can I leave my beagle alone?
As we already indicated, it’s possible to leave beagles alone. But as with all dogs, there’s a limit to which beagles can tolerate loneliness. In most cases, that limit comes down to your dog’s temperament and tolerance to isolation, as well as his age and how trained he is.
As a loving and responsible pet parent, it’s important to understand how long your beagle can remain lonely before anxiety and other medical problems set in.
But just how long can a beagle stay home alone?
The following questions might help you understand how long it takes for your beagle to tolerate loneliness;
Can you leave a beagle alone for 8 hours?
Dog breeds that can withstand loneliness for up to eight hours are usually intelligent and well-trained dogs that can readily find other means to keep themselves entertained. Since a beagle is fairly intelligent and trainable, the dog can be left alone for up to eight hours.
Besides the beagle, other breeds that can cope with eight hours of loneliness include;
- Labrador
- Golden Retriever
- Basset Hound
- Greyhound
- French Bulldog
- Maltese
- Chihuahua
- Peekapoo
- Shiba Inu
- Shar Pei
- Whippet
Can beagles be left alone for 4 hours?
We’ve just highlighted that beagles can tolerate solitude for up to eight hours. Therefore, these dogs can withstand four hours of loneliness even more comfortably.
Ordinarily, you’d need to start by leaving your beagle alone for shorter periods before possibly prolonging your absence. For instance, once you’re sure that the dog can tolerate up to four hours of isolation, you can then increase the duration to six, then eight hours.
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Can beagles be left alone all day?
It has now become abundantly clear that beagles can be left alone for four, and even eight hours.
But can beagles be left alone during the day?
Well, it’s still possible to leave your beagle all by himself throughout the day, provided that the dog is even better-trained and equipped to handle longer periods of loneliness.
Can beagle puppies be left alone?
A beagle’s age plays a huge role in determining how long the dog can withstand loneliness, or if he should be left alone in the first place. The general rule is that the younger a beagle is, the shorter the duration he should be left alone.
Before leaving a beagle puppy alone for extended durations, remember that the dog is still probably attached to his mom and littermates. Therefore, leaving him all by himself for long will most certainly get him scared and anxious.
If you must leave a beagle puppy alone, ensure that you’re not gone for more than two hours. Otherwise, you’ll come back to a very anxious and irritable dog.
The same rule goes for newly-adopted beagles.
It doesn’t matter how old the dog is. The fact that you’ve just separated him from other dogs whom he was already familiar with makes it unrealistic to leave him unattended for long. In fact, this is one of the reasons experts discourage the adoption of mature dogs.
If you must adopt a beagle at an older age, go for licensed breeders who offer comprehensive physical and medical profiles of all the dogs under their care. Alternatively, you can consult a behavioral specialist for more insights on how to help the dog cope with loneliness.
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What Are The Health Issues Associated With Leaving Beagles Unattended For Long?
Beagles that are left alone for exceedingly long periods will almost always develop separation anxiety. Separation anxiety refers to an anxiety disorder that occurs when animals that are strongly attached to their owners are separated from their human parents for longer durations.
The primary symptom of separation anxiety is intense nervousness whenever you’re about to leave the house. You’ll realize that your beagle normally puts up a fuss each time you start preparing to go to work.
The dog may suddenly start to act more cuddly, become unusually vocal, or even block the doorway. It’s his own way of telling you that he’s going to miss you and if it were up to him, he would make you stay.
Another tell-tale sign of separation anxiety is overly-excited greetings. This is mostly common when you return home after a long absence.
Now, dogs are known to greet their owners enthusiastically. But for a beagle that’s already suffering from separation anxiety, the greetings can be way too enthusiastic. At times, you may even find these greetings a bit annoying. But don’t yell at your beagle or try to push him away, as that might only exacerbate his condition.
The following are other symptoms of separation anxiety to watch out for in beagles;
- Destructive behavior, such as excessive chewing, pawing, scratching, or digging,
- Howling, barking, whining, or baying,
- Panting,
- Escaping behavior, which might land them in trouble with neighborhood dogs,
- Strange bowel and bladder activity, such as pooping or peeing outside of the litter box,
- Coprophagia – a medical condition in which a dog eats his own poop,
- Unusual feeding and drinking habits, such as binge-eating or loss of appetite,
- Panting and drooling.
So, are beagles prone to separation anxiety?
Yes, they are. Although beagles are not as clingy as other small-size dogs, they also do develop strong bonds with their owners. As such, prolonged durations of detachment might trigger separation anxiety.
How to Make Your Beagle Cope with Loneliness
However much you may try, it’s virtually impossible to be with your beagle all the time. On a long enough timeline, you’ll need to go to work or run to the grocery. And that means leaving your cute, little friend alone.
Fortunately, there are numerous tips that you can implement to help your beagle cope with loneliness better. The following are some of these tips;
1. Understand your dog’s age
Although we’ve already mentioned it, it deserves repeating that the age of a beagle goes a long way in determining how tolerant the dog is to loneliness.
The following is a rough idea of how long a beagle should be left alone, depending on the dog’s age;
a. Newborn to 8 weeks
Beagles that fall within this age bracket should never be left alone. And neither should they be trained to cope with loneliness as they’re still unintelligent to learn anything.
If the beagle’s mother is still around, allow him to hang around her all the time. If not, spend much of your time with the dog, only leaving him alone when he goes to sleep.
Even so, ensure that the beagle puppy not only sleeps in a soft and comfortable bed, but that the bed is also situated near your bed. That will make the dog feel more relaxed and confident. You can even try to recreate the sense of his mother using pheromone sprays or heartbeat sound machines.
b. 8 to 12 weeks
This is the ideal age to start training your beagle to cope with loneliness. The training should focus on making the dog comfortable staying in his crate.
Also, note that within this age bracket, your beagle will pee every 15 minutes to 1 hour. Which means that the dog shouldn’t be left in his crate longer than an hour.
c. 12 weeks to 6 months
Beagles within this age bracket can only hold their bladders for between one and two hours. Therefore, they shouldn’t be left alone for periods exceeding two hours.
You can try to push your luck by being away for three hours. However, ensure that the dog has already demonstrated an ability to hold his bladder that long.
d. 6 to 18 months
Most beagles aged six to eighteen months have already become comfortable with their crate or dedicated area. Such beagles may make themselves at home in their crates even when you’re home.
Within this age bracket, beagles will have to pee at least once every four hours. So, ensure that you don’t leave the dog confined in his crate for more than four hours.
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d. 18 months or older
Beagles are considered to have attained full maturity at 18 months. Provided that they’re well-trained and socialized, such dogs are less prone to separation anxiety.
In terms of bladder activity, beagles in this age bracket will pee once every four to six hours. But that shouldn’t be a problem for a house-trained and potty-trained dog.
2. Choose a suitable place to confine the dog
There are numerous places you can confine your beagle when you’re gone, including in his crate, playpen, a special room, garage, basement, or outside in the yard. Where you choose to confine the dog depends on the duration you intend to leave him there, as well as the risks involved.
For instance, crate confinement is recommended for short absences, whereas the garage is ideal if you plan on being away the entire day.
The most important thing is to enrich the dog’s confinement area with enough toys to keep him stimulated in your absence. Since beagles are hyperactive dogs, you can consider interactive toys like laser-guided toys, ball launchers, snuffle mats, or puzzle toys.
Another best practice is to allow for ambient noise. That will create the illusion that someone is home.
And needless to mention, ensure that that the confinement area has a door that the dog can use to get out and come back in as he pleases.
3. Train the dog to cope with loneliness
Training a beagle to cope with loneliness can be remarkably easy if you give it the right approach. Ordinarily, you’d start by leaving the dog in a confined area for, say, 10 minutes and observe his reaction.
If he can comfortably stay in the place for ten minutes, increase the duration gradually in small increments until you can leave the dog alone for a full day.
Remember to reinforce the training using treats for every milestone covered. Treats can be in the form of food, water, or toys.
The first time you leave the dog all by himself, try to monitor his behavior with the help of a neighbor, professional dog trainer, or baby cam. That’s the only way to gauge whether the training was a success or not.
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So, Can Beagles Be Left Alone?
It’s possible to leave a beagle alone for four hours, eight hours, or even for a full workday. But before leaving a beagle home alone, train the dog to allow him cope with loneliness. Also, endeavor to make his confinement area as comfortable as it can possibly get. Ensure that the animal has enough food, water, and interactive toys. And if it comes down to it, hire a professional dog sitter to entertain the dog during your absence.
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