We have a beagle too. She's three and only once ever barked to let us know something was up and that was only because someone was walking on the outside of the perimeter fence. If someone pulls up out the front, she'll look through the gate and wag her tail. Our ****er spaniel, one year younger, is the guard dog and a pretty good one at that. If someone had told me that before we got her, I wouldn't have believed them.