Beagles are best known for their keen sense of smell. They are also known to be aggressive and agile.
They are capable of climbing and navigating with ease, and many are adept at hunting both small and large prey.
As a hunting breed, beagles have an extensive background in being able to take down prey and protect themselves, their packs, and their owners.
However, due to their small to medium size, they can also be a target of some predators, including snakes.
This poses a unique issue for beagle owners, especially ones with lots of land.
It’s important to know whether or not your beagle will be able to defend themselves against common potential snake attacks, and what snakes they should consider being extra cautious around.
In this article, I’ll detail what information we do know about beagles and snakes, how to best train your beagle to protect itself, and what you can do if snakes are threatening or frightening your beagle.
Can Beagles Kill Snakes?
In short, yes beagles can kill snakes. Because of their scenting abilities and their agility and persistence when hunting prey, it’s really no surprise.
However, it’s important to note that while they have been successfully trained to take down snakes in the past, it is not recommended to train your beagle to kill or catch snakes. Not all snakes are created equal
Snakes can be powerful creatures, and while many owners may be tempted to train their beagles to hunt and kill snakes, this is not advisable.
There’s a wide variety of snakes, and some are much more dangerous than others.
Some of the most dangerous types of snakes include rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths/water moccasins and coral snakes.
Even non-venomous snakes can cause harm to your dog. If your dog is bitten by a snake it may require veterinary care and treatment to heal the wounds and prevent infection.
It is NOT in the best interest of your beagle to kill or catch snakes. You run the risk of causing more harm than good in the long run, and the infections that can arise from bites can take weeks before they’re even noticed.
If you want to train your beagle to hunt snakes, you should focus on smaller, more common and less dangerous types of invasive snakes. These include garden snakes, rat snakes, milk snakes, yellow snakes, and kingsnakes.
Beagles instinctively will try to kill snakes if they aren’t afraid of them, usually by going for their neck, or the bit of snake closest to the head.
Beagles are very fast, and have been bred to dig deep holes in the ground. This makes them excellent predators for common ground snakes that could be on most properties in North America.
What Snakes Are Most Dangerous for Beagles?
- Timber Rattlesnake
The timber rattlesnake is very dangerous and bites are extremely venomous.
Timber rattlesnakes are very aggressive and are likely to bite if threatened or cornered.
Bite victims should seek immediate medical attention as the venom of a timber rattlesnake can cause severe cramping, seizure and respiratory failure and even death in rare cases.
- Copperhead
Copperhead bites are very dangerous and bites can cause severe pain and tissue damage. The venom of a copperhead causes local tissue damage and can be fatal if untreated.
Treat copperhead bites as an emergency and seek medical attention immediately.
Avoid handling copperheads as they are highly defensive and will move aggressively and may strike multiple times if provoked.
- Eastern Coral Snake
Eastern coral snakes are native to North America and have the ability to strike at a rate of one bite per second. They are brown and yellow in colour and have red-colored eyes.
They are venomous and pit vipers. Coral snake bites will initially cause a burning pain and a numbing sensation followed by local tissue necrosis and swelling.
If untreated the bites can become infected and cause extensive damage to vital organs including the heart.
Coral snake bites should be immediately treated in a hospital and patients may require a blood transfusion if damage to the heart occurs.
- Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake
The dusky pygmy rattlesnake is native to the eastern and central United States and is venomous.
Dusky pygmy rattlesnake bites can cause severe pain and tissue damage but are rarely fatal.
Bites should be immediately treated at a hospital as rattlesnake venom can cause necrosis and swelling to vital organs including the heart.
The average adult size of these snakes is 12 to 24 inches in length, making them long enough to attack a dog from afar.
Will Beagles Keep Snakes Away?
Beagles make for great guard dogs for multiple reasons, including their ability to keep out potential threatening animals. Beagles can help keep snakes away from your home in the following ways:
- Beagles Howl Loudly To Alert Their Owners Of Danger
Because of their keen sense of smell and hearing, beagles will be able to quickly make note of a potential intruder on your property and alert you before they’re a threat or a danger to you or other members of your family.
Beagles will howl in order to alert their owners to danger and to remind them of potential threats.
These howls not only help to alert you as the owner, but they also help to scare off snakes, as snakes are often deterred by loud noises.
By keeping a loud, barking beagle in your backyard, you’ll have an effective warning to snakes and all other types of animals to keep away from your property and other pets.
- Beagles Dig Holes That Drive Away Snake Prey
Snakes don’t naturally go out hunting for beagles, but rather they often hunt for insects and small rodents like field mice, gophers, and squirrels.
Because beagles are such avid diggers, they often drive away these types of prey to go make their dens and nests on other land, making it less likely for snakes to approach your property line.
- Beagles Are Natural Hunters
If you’ve trained your beagle to take advantage of their breeding background to hunt small vermin like mice or gophers, then it’s likely that they’ll naturally drive down the population of those animals in your surrounding yard or wider property.
With less prey to choose from, snakes will be less likely to hunt and breed in the areas nearby your home.
How To Train Your Beagle To Avoid Snakes
While it’s our hope that your dog will never encounter a snake because it will scare them away before they can get close to your home and garden, you still need to know exactly how to make your dog “snake-aware” so that if they do happen to run in to one, they’ll be able to respond in the correct way.
- Recall or Come Command
By teaching your beagle to perfect a recall command, you’ll be able to get their attention to come back to you if they’re ever near a snake and you’re aware of it. A recall command is a dog’s way of being told “no” instead of “run away” or “hide” when they’re told to do something that they don’t want to do at the moment.
- Leave It Command
If your beagle has a tendency to chew on other dogs’ toys or objects, then training them to use the “leave it” or “drop it” command will work wonders for diffusing the chances of them chewing on a snake’s tail or head.
By teaching your beagle that when they find a potential meal item — like a dead snake — that they shouldn’t eat it, you’ll teach them that snakes are bad news before they do any real harm.
If you can get your beagle to a point where they’ll drop anything on your command, you will feel better knowing they’ll obey you if they start trying to chew on things that could potentially harm them like snakes or certain types of poisonous plants.
- Only Use Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement has been proven time and time again to be the best method, especially when you want to train your beagle to avoid or stop doing something.
If you give them negative reinforcement, they won’t be able to associate it with a need to stop doing any actions.
By giving your beagle lots of positive reinforcement when they follow the above commands, you’ll help them understand to always obey you, and to be more mindful of potential threats when outside.
Final Thoughts
Dogs are very intelligent animals and have amazing instincts when it comes to knowing when something is wrong. Teaching them to stay away from snakes and other potential threats will make your home a safer place for you and your family and your dog.
While beagles can be trained to hunt and even kill snakes, because of the wide variety of venomous snakes that are out there, it’s best to err on the side of caution and focus on training your beagle to avoid them altogether.
By teaching your dog all these methods listed above, you can ensure safer and more natural ways to train your beagle to avoid snakes and other dangerous animals.