Becoming old does not mean giving up the benefits of a furry companionship. Fortunately, many dog breeds can fit the needs of senior citizens.
Several research studies have repeatedly found that owning a pet has significant benefits for older adults’ physical, mental, and emotional health. Dogs, in particular, are excellent at providing physical exercise, socialization, and day-to-day companionship.
Beagles are cute, adorable, loyal, friendly, and enjoy the company of other dogs and humans. However, they are stubborn and independent thinkers, a trait that can make training a challenge. Training a beagle requires a lot of creativity and patience. Beagles are active dogs that need a lot of exercise. While this may seem like a nuisance for some people, this can be a great trait for fitness-minded senior citizens.
What Types of Dogs Are Best for Senior Citizens?
People of all ages can benefit significantly from having a dog, especially senior citizens.
Having a canine buddy can make an incredibly positive impact on the lives of elderly people. A dog not only gives an older person love and companionship, but the act of caring for a dog also provides a senior citizen a sense of purpose and value, along with mental and physical stimulation.
Different dog breeds have different energy levels, temperaments, and grooming needs. For this reason, certain types of dog breeds are better suited for living with senior citizens that others. Best dogs for seniors are those who are calm, affectionate, and low maintenance.
There are some important criteria to pay attention to when assessing the right kind of dog breed for senior citizens. First is the age of the dog. Older dogs are deemed to be better companions for senior citizens as they are usually already trained and calmer, with more predictable behavior patterns. Conversely, puppies have a lot of energy, demand more attention, and tend to chew and nip a lot.
Second is the size of the dog. A small dog is considered better than a bigger dog for senior citizens. Bigger dogs are difficult to manage and deal with. Small dog breeds are easier to control and pick up as well. Small dogs are happy to lay on a lap and enjoy cuddling and patting and are relatively easier to manage on a leash.
Different dogs have different energy levels. Some dogs love to play a lot and require more exercise than others, whereas some are great for lounging away indoors. An older person needs to consider their energy levels before deciding upon the best canine companion for them. There are a lot of adoption programs that team up older adults with older pets. Everybody has a unique set of preferences, so the type of dog that will make the best pet will vary from one older person to another.
Benefits of Beagles For Senior Citizens
Beagles are known for their incredible sense of smell and have fantastic hunting and tracking abilities. However, they are also very gentle and friendly and great family dogs. Some of the best benefits for beagles when it comes to senior citizen companionship include:
- Beagles make excellent companions for senior citizens because of their affectionate disposition. They have great stamina and require moderate to high exercise and love to play, which will keep their senior partners active.
- They can be great with kids, so a senior citizen does not have to worry about the beagle getting along with their grandchildren.
- They don’t need extensive grooming, and some occasional brushing of the coat is all that’s really required on a weekly basis.
- Beagles are naturally conditioned to be gentle and welcoming and have great temperament.
- If an older person enjoys outdoors and long walks, then they will get along with a beagle. Beagle is a very active and energetic breed and extremely sociable.
- Beagles are relatively independent and can be left in the yard on days when they cannot be taken to the park.
- Beagles are not overly protective and will most likely meet new people with wagging tails.
How to Train a Beagle to Live With a Senior Citizen
Senior citizens have a lot of physical and mental limitations. Therefore training a beagle is essential to help a senior citizen remain safe around them and also ensures the safety of the dog. Beagles were bred to hunt in packs, and so they naturally need a leader in their lives. If they don’t find a leader, they try to become one resulting in lots of behavioral problems, like digging, escaping, and separation anxiety.
For this reason, training a beagle to listen to a senior will involve obedience training, setting rules and applying them consistently, and a lot of praising and food motivation in order to develop excellent behavior.
Obedience training and early socialization
Buying a beagle puppy from a responsible breeder will ensure that they are adequately socialized. A good breeder will allow the puppies to experience safe inside and outside environments, sounds, smells, car rides, and gentle handling.
A beagle should be taught to follow an older person where they need some supervision or support, such as when climbing stairs, through the door, and into the car.
Barking
Senior citizens mostly live in apartments, or assisted facilities very close to other people. A beagle can become a nuisance if they are not taught good manners. A beagle makes a great watchdog and remains vigilant to any unwanted visitor, whether human or animal. They bark when they get excited, when left alone, or even when the telephone rings. If they bark too much, it can lead to problems with angry neighbors. However with the right training, they can control this barking and only use it when absolutely necessary.
Housebreaking
Teaching the right bathroom habits to a beagle is essential for the safety, cleanliness, and good health of the seniors and also anyone visiting them.
Potty training a beagle pup can be quite a challenge. Because of their powerful noses, they are capable of detecting their previous messes and will get the message that they are marking their territory. Therefore it is crucial to use an enzyme-based cleaner to clean up your beagle’s messes to eradicate the odor.
The most vital thing to housebreaking a beagle pup or an adult is consistency. Show the puppy the place where they are supposed to relieve themselves every day over and over again. By doing this, even the most stubborn dog will learn what is expected. Use positive reinforcement training methods. Fix a schedule for taking them outside and a specific area so that your beagle does not get confused.
Separation anxiety
Beagles crave attention and don’t like to be left alone. When left alone, they can show various signs of distress like whining and growling, digging, and scratching at the door. To help mitigate a beagle’s tendency to be stressed, it is better to leave them at home frequently in their room for short periods of time. Crate training can be an effective tool to curb this behavior as well.
Recall training
A beagle needs to be trained to respond to recall, as a dog who ignores their older owner can pose a possible danger. An older person can get hurt chasing a beagle in an attempt to catch them. An untrained beagle can risk their own as well as his senior owner’s life for this reason.
Recall training is best started first in an area with fewer distractions so that you can train your beagle to listen to you and, therefore, they will cope better when there are distractions around such as at an outdoor park.
Walking on leash
Beagles love to go on long walks, and it is a pleasant experience both for the dog as well as an elderly owner. It’s important that beagles are trained to walk on a leash at an early age. Retractable leashes should not be used for training beagles as they don’t help the dog understand boundaries and leadership. You can learn more about how to stop beagles from pulling on a leash here.
Final Thoughts
As we grow old, we are not able to handle a big and energetic dog, but several dog breeds can suit the needs of the older generation. Beagle is one such cute, amiable, and small breed, ideal for apartment living. Beagles are low maintenance and have a great temperament. But they don’t prefer to spend long hours alone, which is entirely okay considering that senior citizens spend a lot of time at home. As compared to other dog breeds like bulldogs or Siberian huskies, beagles enjoy relatively good health and immunity to an array of diseases that affect other dog breeds. Beagles can make exceptional companions to senior citizens and bring genuine happiness in their lives.