Brief Info about the Breed

It is difficult to imagine a hound more popular in our times than a Beagle. This small dog gradually turns from a hunting dog into a pet, for which it is easy to find a place both in a country house where he can live in a warmed aviary, and in a small city apartment. They can adjust to any living circumstances , but they need excercise.

Beagles are easy going, good nature dogs and make good companions. They are curious,  fun loving, friendly and great family pets.

Agile temperament makes these dogs excellent companions for adults and children. Beagles are quite loyal to dogs, but other pets can become an object for hunting.

Breed Standard

Height: 13 inches & under,  between 13-15 inches
Weight: under 20 pounds (13 inches & under), 20-30 pounds (13-15 inches)
Life Expectancy: 10-15 years

The are 2 varieties determined: before 13 inches and before 15 inches. Any hound exceeding 15 inches will be disqualifying.

The Beagle is a small descendant of Foxhound, originally bred to hunt hare and rabbit by scent in packs. 

Visualisation of Breed Standard, PDF

*created by National Beagle Club Inc, and based on AKC standards

Color

There are plenty of shades and color varieties for Beagles. And when it comes to choice,  it’s not a matter of standard, but a matter of preferences.

There are several combinations of black,  brown and white markings with their different shades.

Beagle Color Types

Bi-color

It is all shades of brown (they are called in different ways depending on color intensity: brown, red, tan and yellow) and white.

The Bi-color puppies are cream spotted,  and get darker when they grow up. Lemon puppy are born almost white,  with brown nose.

Let’s have a look on this color:

Tri-color classic

The most popular Tri-color is a combination of black, brown and white.

The puppies are born black and white.  Sometimes with brown spots around eyes and ears. Brown color appear on legs and head as the grow up.

Black color may remain bright during all dog’s life,  or may discolor with age. Brown: all shades from red to yellow. White is clear white. Only for spotted type – more creamie.

Blue Tri-color

Another variant of tri-color is blue,  brown and white.

The blue color is actually grey and originates from color weakening gene. It turns black into blue and brown into light brown.  The puppies of this color are born grey and white.

Their eyes are mostly pale, sometimes almost yellow.

The nose leather is dark grey. And it may be the only distinctive feature of the puppy. In comparison with classic tri-color.

Chocolate Tri-color

In chocolate (or liver)  group of colors the black gene is lightened to brown.

Liver Beagles have gray-green eyes and brown nose leather.

The shades of brown may vary from dark chocolate,  liver, light brown to lilac.

Spotted

The main color of such dogs is white. Sometimes only small spots of black and brown are left.

Ticked

It often happens that bi-color and tri-color Beagles have black or brown ticks on the white.

You can identify puppies of this color by dark paw pads. Ticked Beagles never have pink ones.

Beagle Temperament and Character

Temperament

Beagles have powerful instinct to chase. They are scent hounds, bred to follow a scent. Since hunting requires many dogs to hunt together,  the Beagles naturally love to be with other dogs. They have endless abundant energy and curiosity.

says Steven Caporol ,  AKC registered handler for more than 10 years.

Features

Despite the fact that the Beagle has long been kept by city dwellers as a companion dog, we must not forget that it is a hound. He has a blood interest in smells and ability to plunge completely into the smell and lose contact with the outside world and the owner. Like most hounds, Beagles were kept in packs and therefore there were no selection for the lack of dogs smell. As a result – Beagles have characteristic dogs’ smell.

The Beagle needs to run, and it is better to follow the trail – this is how he realizes his natural inclinations and instincts, and his usefulness to the owner. Therefore, Beagles very often independently go in search of adventure, which requires their owners’ constant attention, training and walks on a leash.

Do not expect from the Beagle outstanding guarding qualities. They can bark at strangers, but by their nature they are loyal to people. These dogs feel best in the group, as they are traditionally bred and kept in packs.

Voice

One of characteristic features of the Beagle is his voice. These dogs have always been valued for the ability to give hunters a signal about the prey found from the distance and the direction of the rut. His musical howling often creates problems for owners living in apartments.

They do have three distinct vocalizations — a bark/growl, a baying howl, and a half-baying howl (a cross between a frantic bark and a bay). The half-howl vocalization usually is reserved for when they catch sight of quarry — or think it’s time to wake the neighbors at 6 a.m.:)

Training

Beagles have average learnability. They work well for a treat, but are often distracted by scent. Beagles are great at tracking. They love to run. Also they are willingly engaged in agility and freestyle. These activities help to avoid constant adventures of your Beagle and direct his energy to a peaceful course.

Before you start main traing, the emphasis should be placed on contact with the pet parent and acquaintance with other pets.  The general obedience is  also of primary importance.

If Beagle is your first dog, you need to find a dog handler who will help you take your first steps in training your dog, teach you how to properly treat a delicacy, check the instincts of retrieving, find the most effective buttons for training. And most importantly – will teach the owner to understand the dog, to interact with him correctly and to cooperate.

Walking Off-Leash

This issue is extremely important for Beagles owners.  Especially those living in the city area.

Due to their hunting instincts Beagles tend to run in  a special manner, making circles. Sometimes they can run rather far away from the owner. And following the scent may get lost and not come back immediately.

Many owners give up and see the only way out – to walk them out always on a leash.  But this doesn’t allow Beagles  to release their energy. And such owners encounter another problem – destruction at home.

Walking Off-Leash Several Practical Advice:

1. Always make your dog wear a GPS tracker or a dog target with all your contact details.

2. Learn the steps from walking on a leash to walking off-leash. You can ask a handler to help you with. The video instructions below may also be handy.

3. Electric collar.  Don’t be afraid of it. Just read the steps how it works and helps to eliminate the problem with running too far:

– buy an electric collar for training when your puppy is 6 or over 6 months

4. Choose an appropriate walking harness.

Care and Grooming

General Care

Such a small and short-haired dog like Beagle is easy to maintain. He feels great both in a city apartment with sufficient exercise, and in a country house, where  a heated open-air cage should be prepared for the winter, or free access to a heated room.

Beagles are easy-to-keep dogs. Short hair does not require complex care. No matter they are prone to shedding,  daily care and grooming will help to reduce the volume.

Beagle’s hair is cleaned only when it gets dirty, washed only before the exhibition, and regularly wiped with a damp cloth or a special glove.

Special Care

Big beautiful eyes of the Beagle require regular care. This is especially true for hunting dogs that spend a lot of time running through forest and bushes, where eyes may be injured. With age, many Beagles suffer from glaucoma and cataracts; and adenoma is also found in the breed – the so-called “cherry eye”.

Low set, heavy  ears are poorly ventilated. Therefore, these dogs often suffer from ear diseases. This may be seasonal otitis, otodectes. Regular care of the ears, examination and monitoring the condition can reduce the risk of ear diseases.

There are some Beagles suffering hypothyroidism. This disease is associated with lack of thyroid hormones. Dogs with such a diagnosis need regular medical correction and a special diet.

Seasonal Care

Seasonal protection against ticks is important for Beagles. These dogs are great lovers of running in tall grass and shrubs, where ticks, carrying infectious diseases live in spring and autumn. The most dangerous of these are babesiosis and encephalitis. To protect the dogs use drops on withers, sprays and special tablets.

In the rain and mud the dog will need a suit. But don’t wear it in winter if the Beagle constantly moves. These dogs freeze only if they stand for a long time while the owner, instead of talking to his dog on the go, is talking on the phone or smoking.

Nutrition

Good appetite is characteristic of Beagles. So always keep an eye on their diet, avoiding overeating.

The most important thing in feeding is to fill the measure. And it is the owner who should do this, as the dogs themselves are prone to overeating and are very illegible in food. Of course, there are no rules without exceptions, but most of Beagles are always hungry dogs, constantly in search of food.

The diet for the Beagle can be either natural, or ready-made food – dry or wet. Just make sure food is good for him, which reflects on his shiny coat, makes him active and tireless.

Dry food should be specially designed for medium-sized dogs with high activity. If your dog suffers from lack of walks all his life, then it is better to choose food for inactive dogs prone to obesity.

For puppies food a high content of protein and vitamins is needed. For aging dogs – food with added calcium, vitamins, easily digested and low in ballast.

See Related Post: Fat Beagles, How to Keep Them in Shape

Did you know?

• “The Beagle” is a ship that made an important scientific expedition around the world in 1831-1836. The coastline of South America was updated. Charles Darwin was on board and made many biological discoveries.
• “Golden Beagle” – Australian Dollar released in 2008 for the 100th anniversary of the country’s quarantine service. The images of Elizabeth II and Beagle are on  the coin. These dogs actively serve at customs, searching for prohibited substances.
• Beagle Snoopy” – a doggie from the popular comics Peanuts. It first appeared on October 4, 1950. His image was created by artist Charles Schulz. Snoopy is a favorite hero of many generations of children.
• Another famous cartoon beagle was Lou. It is a puppy from the movie “Cats And Dogs”.
• The reason for high popularity of the Beagle was a dog named Uno. Once he won the Westminster Dog Show. This happened in 2008, when the official history of the breed was already 132 years old. Since then, the Beagle has become very popular among dog breeders.
• The incredible hunting abilities of Beagles became the reason of one of the new search engines names – LINUX.
• In 2003 the Beagle-2 landing module, designed by Robert Pillinger and his colleagues from the UK, landed on Mars. Its main task is to find traces of life on the red planet.