National Puppy Day 2025 is on Friday, March 21, 2025: What to expect in bringing home a beagle puppy?

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I've known Beagle-owners and I took care of one for several weeks every year for a friend ....

General Opinion: on the "Amount of Pet-Owners' Effort" Scale (where 10 is Macaque monkey on speed and 1 is a dead squirrel) . . . Beagles are about a 6.5, maybe even a 7 . . . ?

YES ... they can be noisy (!) ... especially right after you leave in the morning, so you don't hear them howling all day but your neighbors sure do ... then you hear from your neighbors.

They can also be destructive to furniture, drapes, etc. (especially if they're left alone for long periods of time) so you might wanna "puppy-proof" your place.

They're VERY energetic and athletic, so if you don't have a huge yard where you can safely let 'em run, good idea to find a nearby park or dog run.

Especially when they're young: they don't just need to be walked, they needs to be RUNNED !

They're also kinda ditzy/dumb ... (GrrrRoowwffff????) .... BUT ....

they LOVES THEM THEIR PEOPLE! Raised with lots of love and the healthy kind of attention, Beagles invariably grow up to be great "people-dogs"and are usually safe around kids of all ages (though young-adult Beagles who have lots of energy but not great obedience training can easily be too boisterous for toddlers).

To keep them from smelling too "DOGGY," folks I know give their Beagles a bath about every 3 - 6 weeks. It's not a bad idea to get 'em used to taking a bath when they're still puppies (but ask your vet how young is too young). The first time you do it, it's important to use gently flowing (not loudly spraying) warm water (like, puppy-temperature?), give 'em a gentle application of a good dog shampoo, nice warm rinse, then wrap 'em up in a big old towel.

Oh .... and CLOSE THE BATHROOM DOOR while you're bathing the dog. Learned that one the hard way ...

It's a good idea to check their ears periodically for excess wax or bugs (especially if they're outdoors a lot). Getting into a routine of checking ears, maybe swabbing out a little wax now and then, is a WHOLE LOT easier and cheaper than $urgery for an ear infection !!! Some web research or (better) a veterinarian can provide specific info on what to keep an eye out for.

One final suggestion: If you don't watch it already, check out "The Dog Whisperer" on National Geographic Channel.

If you're not familiar with it ...?... it is NOT ooky-kooky "my-dog-talks-to-me" woo-woo junk ...

The guy -- Cesar Milan -- shows how to let your dog know that YOU'RE in charge by just using signals, movement, body language that a dog can understand (since they really have no idea what we're saying, no matter how many times or how loudly we yell it).

One Final Opinion: there are a lot of "puppy mills" out there these days and they can take the form of an apparently "reputable" dog breeder as well as a huge pet store chain.

Doing some (more!) web research about the places you're thinking of buying could result in a healthier puppy plus it can help put abusive dog breeders out of business. (Possible sources of info: a vet, Yelp.com, Better Business Bureau, local ASPCA, any Beagle chatboards ... ?)

The Best of All Worlds would be finding your dream puppy AT THE POUND !

When somebody's looking for a specific breed of puppy, this can take a lot of effort, but I knew a girl who got really into her local "animal care community" -- like, she chatted up people who worked at a local vet, went through the animal shelter a few times and got to know people there, and all the time she told EVERYONE she met what she was looking for ... ?

Somebody remembered her and gave her a call -- she wound up with a PERFECT 8-week-old Weimaraner puppy for A LOT LESS MONEY .... plus she may have kept one more dog from being gassed to death.

Okay, that's way more than enough from me. (Only wrote so much because I'm excited for you.)

Good luck and Happy Puppy.

Puppies Plus, Reno, NV Questions? Do these dogs come from puppy mills? Read important information below!?

They are selling mongrels with stupid made-up names - that means ignorant or unethical breeders AND false advertising or close to it.

Legally, they CANNOT deny to make a sale to anyone with cash. They can't. It is illegal. Therefore, they MUST sell the puppies to unsuitable homes if the unsuitable homes show up with a functioning credit card.

What about registration and health testing on the parents? What about their temperament tests? What about titles?

Why shell out for a puppy from a store, who is ONLY potential, without knowing that his genetics are sound?

If his parents look like his breed and the breeder cares about proving it, then the parents will have their AKC Champion titles. If the parents are healthy - more than a vet check, actual genetic and congenital health screenings - then the only reasons NOT to have PROOF they have been tested for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, eye disorders, heart problems, etc is because you are too ignorant or too cheap to get it done. If the parents are stable and trainable, then any decent trainer can slap at least a "CGC" or probably even an "RN" or a "NA" or a "CD" on the dog without doing more than 10-30 minutes of training a day - the only excuse for NOT having these titles is because you have no time for your dogs and neglect them, or because they are actually unstable or too stupid to learn.

SO... do you want a puppy that grows up a different size, shape, coat type, etc than you are expecting? Do you want a puppy that needs expensive reparative surgery, daily mediation, or is even blind, deaf, or dead at a young age? Do you want a dog that is stupid and unstable and unsafe? No? Then don't shell out for an ill-bred pet shop puppy.

Breeders who are breeding QUALITY dogs who have their titles and health tests in order do NOT sell to pet shops. They don't need a middle-man and they INSIST on meeting buyers to make sure it is a good fit. This shop might not be buying from "puppy mills" but that doesn't mean that the breeders they are working with are ethical, reputable, or producing anything of quality. Probably they just buy up whole litters from small-scale or "oops" breeders who make puppies and then no longer want the hassle of caring for them.

If you want a puppy, there are several hundred in rescues in Reno, start here to find them:

where can i buy or adopt a Bichon Frise (puppy) from days, to weeks, to months old?

8 weeks is the minimum age you should be bringing home a puppy.

Any younger than that it needs to be with its mother and litter or failing that, an experienced hand-rearer. Even if a puppy is weaned at 6 weeks, it still needs its mother preferably (or if not someone who knows what they are doing caring for pups so young) for socialization and behaviour reasons.

With smaller breeds such as Bichons it is preferable they do not go to permenant homes under a good 10 weeks of age.

To enquire about taking home a puppy that is just days old proves to me you need to do a ton more research before buying a puppy.

For shelters in your area, try

If you want to buy from a breeder, contact your local or national Bichon Frise Club, who will be able to provide you with a list of responsible breeders who breed for health, temperament and conformation, not for money. Google can find it for you. The breeder route is expensive and you may well be put on a waiting list.

ADD: Shelters and good breeders may advertise puppies from days old or even before they're born but they are not going to hand one over to you until it is actually ready! Any organization or breeder who does is BAD BAD BAD. Take some advice from people who actually know what they're talking about - please!