Snoopy gave the breed a reputation it only half deserves: cosy, playful, a bit philosophical. The real Beagle is indeed cheerful and playful. But above all he is one thing: a scent hound who hunted in a pack, for hours, nose to the ground, without asking a human. If you take a Beagle, you take a nose with a dog attached. And you take a dog who is usually very food-motivated and rarely stops eating on his own.
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The Beagle in numbers
- Origin: England, a pack hound for hare hunting since the 16th century
- Size: 33 to 40 cm
- Weight: 10 to 14 kg; many Beagles tend to weigh more
- Life expectancy: 12 to 15 years
- Coat: Short, dense, weatherproof, mostly tricolour or red and white
- Character: Cheerful, social, good-natured, stubborn, hunting-minded, greedy
Character: everyone is a friend, every crumb a meal
Most Beagles are very open towards people, children, other dogs and visitors. Aggressive behaviour is untypical for the breed, and guarding instinct is practically non-existent. Still, any dog can bite, for example out of fear, when in pain or when crowded, so never leave children and a Beagle unsupervised. Many Beagles are extremely sociable and find being alone hard. As a pack hound he was bred not for obedience but for stamina and independence. You notice that: the Beagle listens, weighs things up and then decides for himself whether coming back is worth it right now.
And then there is the nose. His nose works many times more finely than ours. When a Beagle has a scent, he is often hardly reachable any more. That is usually not disobedience, but exactly what he was bred for.
Five things missing from the puppy brochure
1. Recall is his lifelong topic
Without thorough training, a Beagle off the lead can follow a scent and be far away in a short time. Long line from day one, recall training with jackpot rewards, anti-hunting training with a trainer who knows the breed. Many Beagles stay on the long line all their lives, and that is not failure, but responsibility.
2. Food is the greatest thing for many Beagles
Many Beagles are extremely food-motivated. They steal from the table, from the bin, from children's bags. Obesity is common in this breed, with everything that comes with it: joints, intervertebral discs, heart. Weigh the food, deduct treats from the daily ration, make the table and bin Beagle-proof. Staying slim is one of the most important contributions to a Beagle's health.
3. The voice
The Beagle does not bark, he gives tongue: a howling, drawn-out bay with which pack hounds showed riders their position. On a game trail, when alone or out of boredom, this is a problem in an apartment building. Activity and alone-time training help, but it cannot be switched off completely.
4. Health: epilepsy, thyroid, ears
Idiopathic epilepsy occurs in the breed, as does hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), plus disc problems when overweight and the classic floppy-ear infections. Check the ears weekly, keep him lean, and ask the breeder about epilepsy in the line. A puppy from a reputable breeder often costs 1,200 to 1,800 euros. The price alone says nothing about health, though; what matters are the test results of the parent animals.
5. He is not a dog for eight hours alone
The pack hound needs his pack. A Beagle who is alone for long periods every day may howl, destroy things or become apathetic. A second dog can help, but does not replace the human.
Keeping: What he needs
- Nose work. Mantrailing, tracking, search games: this is what he was bred for, and many Beagles get more contentedly tired from it than from plain running.
- Two hours of exercise, on a long line with sniffing time.
- A Beagle-proof home. Bin with a lid, supplies up high, garden fence 1.20 m plus dig-proof.
- Company. Family, a second dog, dog day care.
- Consistency with food. He will beg like a pro. Stay firm, for his sake.
Who is the Beagle right for?
For active families who want a friendly, robust dog with children and are ready to keep lead and food under control. For people who find nose work exciting. Not for owners who expect an obedient dog off the lead, not for full-time workers without care, not for perfectionists. If you are still torn between several breeds, you will find a longer comparison in our books.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Beagle a beginner's dog? By nature yes, friendly and uncomplicated. In terms of training no: recall and food demand discipline from the owner.
Can a Beagle run off the lead? Some, after years of training, in fenced areas. In the forest: in most cases not.
How much does he shed? Short hair, but a lot. Extremely so twice a year.
The Beagle as a motif
The long ears, the tricolour markings, the trusting look: the Beagle is the perfect motif for watercolour and for a majestic oil painting as a lord. Photo tip: hold a treat next to the camera, then you usually have his full attention, and the ears fall nicely.
A Beagle in a wooden frame, floppy ears and trusting look included, makes more of an impression in the hallway than in the phone gallery. If you would rather see him as a lord in a velvet cloak, choose the Royal style. How it looks with your photo, you see beforehand as a preview. Only after that is it printed, and the formats are listed under dog portraits.
Keep reading
- Dachshund: the back decides his life: another hunting dog that everyone takes for a family dog
- Jack Russell Terrier: A Working Dog Who Happens to Be Small: small, loud and similarly unimpressed by recall
- Dog pulls on the lead: 5 mistakes: because the nose on the ground usually ends up at the front of the lead
