Beagle Breed - Dog & Puppy Information & Characteristics

The Beagle dog breed is one of the most friendly and active dog breeds that you will ever encounter, life with a Beagle can never be dull or boring. These dogs are led by their sense of smell, and you will always catch them with their nose to the ground. This is because they were bred to be hunting dogs that could help law enforcement sniff out any contraband at borders. Bringing home a Beagle is as cool as having your own in-house detective. Who wouldn’t want to bring home a pet that is this cool, right?

Key specifications of the Beagle dog breed

Keep these Beagle characteristics in mind before you bring one home:

Note: The weight and height mentioned on the table is of a full-grown Beagle and not of a Beagle puppy.

Physical appearance of Beagles

Beagles were bred to hunt in packs and their unique coat patterns always make it look like they are in uniform. Their short, yet soft fur can be found in beautiful shades such as red and white, lemon, and tricolour. Here are some other colours that you can find on Beagles:

• Black, red, and white
• Black
• Red
• Lemon
• Red and black
• Blue and white
• Brown
• White
• Tan
• Black and white
• Black, tan, and white
• Brown and white
• Black, tan, and bluetick
• Brown and white
• Brown, white, and tan
• Lemon and white
• Tan and white
• Red and white

The rarest coat colours found on a Beagle dog are blue ticked, pure white, and red ticked. If you find yourself a Beagle with a solid coat colour, consider yourself lucky because the occurrence of this is extremely rare.

Beagles, in some cases, can be mistaken for Harriers or small Foxhounds because of several similar features. Look out for these physical characteristics if you want to make sure that you are bringing a purebred Beagle home:

• Large pleading eyes, brown or hazel in colour
• Low, long hanging ears
• High tail with a slight curve

Beagle personality traits

Beagles are playful, determined, adventurous, and goofy dogs who can get along really well with others. Their curious personality makes them wonderful house dogs that love to play and explore. These dogs are anything but couch potatoes and Beagle puppies especially are extremely active. They were originally bred to be tracking dogs, which is why you will notice that their nose leads them everywhere. They always have their nose to the ground and can be a little too driven by scents. It is very normal for them to smell something fascinating and just take off. Once these high-energy hounds are properly exhausted, they are more than happy to just hang back at home with their family.

Do Beagles need training?

Beagles are very expressive and intelligent; they can howl and bark for hours to get what they want. Hence, it is imperative to train them from an early age. However, this hunting dog breed has a reputation for being difficult when it comes to training. Since the Beagle dog breed is generally curious, they can at times choose to explore the world around them with their heightened sense of smell. Even while training, they can be distracted easily with any scent within a 5-mile radius. But here’s good news: Beagles respond positively to fun training exercises, and they are treat oriented. So, if you want your pooch to obey commands, make training fun and just like that, you will train your Beagle and also bond with them.

How to care for Beagles?

Here’s everything you need to know about how to care for a Beagle:

• Health issues

  It is very common for the Beagle dog breed to contract some common diseases. One breed-specific disease that all Beagle parents must be aware of is Musladin-Lueke Syndrome (MLS), a genetic disease that affects the connective tissues and can affect pretty much anything in your Beagle's body. Other illnesses such as cherry eye, hip dysplasia, luxating patella, dental diseases, and epilepsy should also be kept an eye on. Since it can be difficult to identify the symptoms of certain health problems, you must take your floof for regular check-ups to nip illnesses in the bud. Start taking your Beagle puppy for health checkups from a young age to get ahead of any sudden health-related developments.

• Grooming

  Beagles are fairly low-maintenance dogs which makes them such a popular choice for house pets. They have short-to-medium hair and they shed only during spring and winter. Since their hair is so short, brushing is highly recommended. You can also make it a part of its daily routine. Beagles usually only need a bath after they’ve played in the mud or have followed their nose into something dirty or messy. Make sure to trim your floof’s nails every month and if you can’t do it, take it to the vet or a grooming professional. Since Beagles have long flappy ears, they need extra ear care. Clean your Beagle’s ears twice a month and treat any allergies or infections.

• Physical activity

  This breed has high energy levels and need to exercise regularly, especially Beagle puppies. If they don’t get their playtime every day, they might release their pent-up energy in other ways. You must take your pup out for 60 minutes every day. Since they love sniffing and following their nose, you can use this to your advantage and involve some nose work in your Beagle’s playtime. For example, throw a toy far away and wait for your Beagle to sniff it out and bring it back. You can also practice nose work with treats. Collect a few boxes and make one of them the “treat box”. Hide these boxes all around your house or in your lawn and let your Beagle sniff out the treat box and bring it to you.

• Nutritional requirements

  The best Beagle food is a completely balanced formula that is appropriate for its age. Moreover, this dog breed is already on the shorter side, and putting on extra weight might attract unwanted health issues. Hence, it is imperative to nail down a specific diet plan for your Beagle. So, do not hesitate from asking your vet to create a food chart basis your dog’s age and health conditions.

A brief history of Beagles

The origin of this breed is not exactly clear. However, there are reports of small hounds that would hunt hares around 55 B.C. in Britain. Gradually, larger hounds were bred to track down different animals such as deer, while the smaller hounds were made to hunt rabbits. Many believe that modern day Beagles are most likely the descendants of the smaller hunting hounds from the 1500s. Beagles are known to be among the world’s most popular rabbit hunters and are one of the most popular dog breeds today among families all over the globe.

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