During our daily walks I see squirrels on the grass and running up tree trunks and Pikey completely ignores them. Joe, now deceased, also was totally disinterested. It seems to me that squirrels and rabbits are not all that different and that squirrels would be the perfect animal for a Beagle to chase. Both Joe and Pikey would lunge at a flock of birds on the ground and snarl when they saw a cat. It makes me wonder if all Beagles are like that or if my Beagles were different from the norm.
Not sure about Beagles but non of my 6JRT's are bothered about squirrels, yet my brother's JRT (K9's litter brother) chases them
I've never had a Beagle, but my dogs have all chased squirrels. There were loads where I once lived, and the dogs I had at the time chased them daily and the squirrels of course escaped up a tree. On the odd occasion a rabbit popped up, the dogs would chase them until they lost sight of them, and then start looking up the nearest tree. Chico chases birds and leaps up into the air to try and catch them. We have a blackbird and a robin who enter the house if a door is left open - they are perfectly safe with Pepe and Bogie (I've seen the robin hop between Pepe's legs - oh, and it's also hung onto the side of my cockatiel's cage to eat the seeds) but they've had some lucky escapes from Chico. I must learn to keep the doors closed at all times!
Eddie will 'point' at squirrels, but to the best of my memory has never chased one. He is more interested in rabbits, but it is a nose down (and deaf) response - he has never shown any desire to kill. Tweed, on the other hand, was absolutely fixated by them, and would take off like a bullet, then stand barking beneath whatever tree they came to rest in. Somewhere, I have a photo of a friends medium sized, black crossbred terrier, clinging to the trunk after chasing one up a tree in her own garden!
Mouse, Romeo, DaVader, Marshal, and Tina are all "Squirrel!!!!!!!!" and drop the leash or get ready for the ride. Mouse will stop for me only. Tina for son in law only(His dog). Romeo your getting a dislocated shoulder if you try to stop him. (Ex-GF's EM) DaVader (I could hold and stop, but if he caught me off guard, would take me off my feet.) First 3 are Mastiffs and tina is a saint.
You only had to say squirrels to Kyra and she would look up at the trees, one dared to come in garden one day, she chased it and it ended up a lamp post she sat patiently watching as it was slowly sliding down, but it got away safe, funny though she never bothered with rabbits Heiko has a thing about birds and forever chasing them from garden, the seagulls sit on roof to torment him.
Callie is an AmBull and from day one he ignored other creatures. Other dogs and he gets a bit excited. He just wants a quick sniff and he's happy to go on his way. Sophie has always been squirrel crazy. Although not too bright as a hunter. Often the squirrel will have run up or off the tree. Sophie will still run head first into the trunk and seem confused that she can't see the squirrel anymore. That's because he's in the upper branches laughing at her
