Beagle

Beagles are tiny looking medium-sized hound dogs.

They are mostly seen in tri-colored patchy designs of black, white, and tan. 

Extremely friendly and well-behaved, Beagles are loved by all age groups of people.

They enjoy the company of anyone who would show affection towards them.

Beagles are considered to be the best friends of young children in the family.

One feature that makes them stand out is their ability to smell various scents.

This has made it easy for the American airport authority to take their help and inspect passenger bags for safety concerns.

Quick Facts

Avg. Weight: 18-30 pounds

Avg. Height: 13-15 inches

Life Expectancy: 10-15 years

Dog Group: Hound dogs

Colors: Black Saddle, White & Tan, Red & White, Etc.

Other Names: Scent hounds

Dog Rank: 6/193 (United States of America)

At a Glance

Size (2/5)

Beagle dogs are small homely pet animals that grow up to the medium size of 15 inches in height and up to 30 pounds.

They are easy to carry and travel with.  

Affection Level (5/5)

A family that owns a beagle dog will agree upon the fact that this dog breed is extremely loving and friendly to everyone around them.

They enjoy spending their time with young kids.

Apartment-Friendly (4/5)

Having a tiny short body makes it easy for a beagle to adjust to an apartment.

They comfortably roam around freely and sleep anywhere depending upon their mood.

Cold Weather Tolerability (2/5)

Beagles do not have a very thick skin coat.

Hence, it makes it difficult for them to adjust in cold climatic weather.

Hot Weather Tolerability (5/5)

Suitable to tropical, sub-tropical, and equatorial weather, Beagles are comfortable surviving in hot weather conditions.

Barking Tendencies (5/5)

Yes, beagle dogs tend to bark and howl a lot.

If you’re considering petting this dog breed, be prepared to hear the dog barks around the place.

Cat-Friendly (5/5)

Beagles are extremely friendly with cats.

They love playing, chasing and licking them.

This is nothing new to beagles as they are known for being friendly to everyone, even strangers. 

Dog-Friendly (5/5)

Same sized dogs are always welcome to play, but beagles would show danger on their face if brought in front of large dogs.

In a nutshell, they get along easily with other dogs except for large dogs.

Exercise Needs (4/5)

Obesity is one disease that a Beagle dog can attract easily.

This happens when they eat excessively and do not exercise in that proportion.

Hence, regular exercise is vital to them. 

Grooming Needs (4/5)

Beagle is a low maintenance dog.

Because of its tiny size, the shedding of its hair is not quite noticeable. 

But the dog requires regular grooming in the means of bathing and brushing.

Playfulness (5/5)

For a beagle, love for food and playing go hand-in-hand.

They enjoy spending time with toys and children,

But hate it when left alone on their own.

Trainability (1/5)

Unfortunately, it’s a task to train a beagle easily.

They are stubborn while being trained and the only way to train them is by bribing delicious food as their reward.

Intelligence (4/5)

In the United States, beagles are specially assigned at the airports to smell the bags of passengers coming in the country for security reasons.

 Such is their intelligence level.

Mouthiness (3/5)

This breed does have the tendency to lick and bite people as a friendly gesture.

This can be controlled in the puppy phase itself.

Price Group (4/5)

It costs about $400-$1000 to own a beagle pet in the United States of America.

The prices are expensive because they are one of the most referred homely pet.

About Beagles

Puppies:

A small handy beagle puppy weighs about 1-2 pounds.

They are adorable faced dog breed who prefers sleeping more at this phase.

Love and tasty meals are all they need to become friends with everyone around.

Beagle puppies are playful and active.

Adults:

Adult beagle dogs do not grow as heavy and broad dogs.

They are perfect for apartment stay and are easily attracted to scents.

Mostly found in the tri-colored body, they have attractive looks and ears dropping towards the ground.

Where Beagles Came From?

If stories are to be believed, Beagles come from England.

They belong to the hound family and similar traits to that of North Country Beagle, Southern Hound, Talbot Hound, and the Harrier.

Likewise, Beagles have a similar appearance with the Foxhound.

Earlier, beagles were used to hunt and chase rabbits across the fields and backyards.

Although this practice is still prevalent in the United States, Beagles are mostly preferred to be a residential pet. 

They are known to be the scent hounds because of their excellent sense of odor which makes them a receptor of more than 220 million scents.

Beagle Size

Generally, the beagle is a medium-sized compact dog weighing not more than 30-40 pounds.

The height to the shoulder level of the dog is about 13 to 15 inches which makes them an ideal short sized dog.

They are easily prone to obesity which may result in additional weight.

They are seen to have broad curvy ears that differentiate it from other breeds.

At times, they are a target to the disease dwarfism, which restricts their growth hormones to function, resulting in a shorter size.

Beagle Trainability

Beagles show stubborn and moody behavior.

They are lesser active in nature as compared to other larger dog breeds.

This also makes it difficult for trainers to comfortably instruct the dog.

However, Beagles are lovers of food and aroma which can be used in the favor to reward them for being trained.

On the whole, Beagles cannot be easily trained at home as well as through instructors.  

Beagle Grooming

The best part about Beagles being of medium size is that they are a low maintenance breed.

They wear a smooth and dense double coat that gets thicker in the winters and show shedding attributes in the spring.

Hence the shedding gets unnoticeable and frequent brushing is not required.

But bathing and brushing twice a week is necessary for new hair growth and removal of the shed hair stuck in the body.

Some pet owners also encourage regular brushing of teeth and trimming of nails.

It depends upon the family it is brought into.

Common Diseases

Beagles are prone to many diseases that can leave the dog owner into heavy expenses as the medication prices are generally high.

Different parts of the body can get attacked differently.

Following are the diseases in accordance with its body part:

TARGETING THE EYES

Chinese beagle syndrome:

Chinese beagle syndrome is a disease that affects the eyes of the dog breed.

The eyes get slanted causing difficulty of sight.

Glaucoma:

It is a disease that causes loss of retinal ganglion cells by affecting the optic nerve of a beagle.

Corneal dystrophy:

The internal cornea can entirely get damaged if a beagle is diagnosed with corneal dystrophy.

Proper medication can help treat this disease.

Distichiasis:

Distichiasis is a disease that causes the growth of extra eyelashes at the eyelids.

Timely treatment can protect the eye of the Beagle from watery eyes, excessive tearing, eyelid pain, and irritation.

Cherry eye:

Popularly known as the cherry eye disease, is a condition where a cherry-like a mole is formed in the corner of the beagle’s eye.

This mole is excessively painful to the dog.

TARGETING THE BONES

Immune-mediated polygenic arthritis

Immune-mediated polygenic arthritis (IMPA) is a disease that causes the internal body joints of the beagle to weaken up, sore and swell.

This will make the dog breed reluctant to walk and perform any other activities that require physical strength. 

Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD)

Inter-verbal discs are shock absorbers of the spine.

IVDD affects the spinal disc of the dog breed which can result in a dangerous health condition.

Early treatment can prevent a beagle from paralysis, nerve damage, loss of sensation and other incurable chronic diseases.

Hip dysplasia

Hip dysplasia is an inherited disease in beagles.

Before owning a Beagle, one must do a thorough check of any history of hip dysplasia as it is obtained genetically. 

Hip dysplasia can cause severe pain to the dog in one or both the hips.

This would restrict their walking and jumping activities.

Adding to this, obesity can worsen up the situation by exerting more pressure on the hips in the form of weight.

Although it is a genetic disease, the right care from the early weeks of the beagle puppy can help prevent it.

If not, it can lead to dangerous conditions of arthritis. 

Funny puppy disease

The funny disease is the disease that can result in slow growth, weak legs and crooked back at the initial phase of a beagle puppy.

It targets the bones.

TARGETING THE HORMONES

Chondrodystrophy (dwarfism)

Just like humans, beagles too are a target of dwarfism.

In scientific language dwarfism in a beagle is called as chondrodystrophy.

This syndrome can unable the beagle puppy to grow any further.

Hypothyroidism

This hormonal disease is said to be a result of inbreeding.

Hypothyroidism is a disorder that forces the dog’s body to attack its own body and to recover from the problem of the thyroid.

The body then replaces the internal hormones with fats causing Thyroid Gland Atrophy.

TARGETING THE EARS

Long Ear:

Long ears in beagles can cause them infectious diseases.

Long ears make the cartilage heavy and air cannot easily enter the ears.

The mucus thus formed is unhealthy for this dog breed.

Hence beagle owners must hygienically clean the ears regularly.

TARGETING THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Epilepsy:

If an adult beagle is seen running thinking being chased, reacting abnormally or losing conscientiousness, 

He/she may be a target of a neurological disorder known as Epilepsy.

If the disease is left unattended, it can even lead to the death of the beagle dog.

However, the right medication can cure this.

Neonatal Cerebellar Cortical Degeneration:

This disease too is a neurological disease that hampers the cerebellum in the brain and affects its functioning.

The dog may lose balance, fall often, wouldn’t have normal a gait and have improper coordination.

TARGETING THE BODY WEIGHT

Obesity:

Obesity is one of the most common diseases in beagle dogs.

Lack of exercise and excessive eating can cause obesity.

This makes it vital for beagle owners give the dog at least an hour of physical exercise.

F>Feeding

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