All about Beagles: A guide to their size, grooming, personality and more

Beagles are conveniently sized, handsome and easy-to-groom, friendly with people, peaceful with other pets. And with their appealing soulful expression, it's perfectly natural that many people consider them as potentially wonderful pets.

A cheerful, affectionate dog, the Beagle prefers company. This breed can be highly destructive and bark excessively if left alone.

Profile

• Weight range: 18-30 lbs.
• Size: Medium
• Typical lifespan: 12-15 years
• Coat: Short & Flat Colours lemon and white, white, and tan, tri-colour, chocolate, white and chocolate, red and white
• Grooming needs: Low
• Exercise needs: Moderate, around an hour a day
• Features: Floppy ears (naturally)
• Social/attention needs: High
• Bred for: Rabbit, hare hunting
• Price: £300-£800

Personality traits

Energetic- An inquisitive and energetic dog, this breed needs plenty of exercise and stimulation to help keep them happy, but once properly exhausted they're more than happy to hang at home with their people.

Intelligent- Smart and curious, just don’t expect these dogs to immediately obey your every command. Training a Beagle will require lots of patience and consistency. But once well-trained, a Beagle makes a great and obedient dog.

Friendly- Beagles are adaptable, versatile dogs with a loving curious nature. Happiest when with their family Beagles can be prone to loneliness. Beagles love to play. They make great companions for children and do well with cats and other dogs. As with any breed, it's important to properly socialize your Beagle from a young age so they can learn to play nicely and not get too rough.

Beagles at home

The Beagle suits an owner or family who want an active, affectionate cheerful dog who loves getting involved in games and activities, but who can cope with their selective attitude to obedience and lack of reliable recall.

Because of their tendency to bark, Beagles can make good alert systems, letting their owners know the moment a neighbor or delivery man starts walking up to the house—just don't expect them to follow up with anything other than a welcoming wag of the tail.

They’re the perfect house dog for loud homes and will happily welcome your guests.

Top care tips

• Because of their pack heritage, Beagles don’t like to be left alone.
• These dogs shed, so regular brushing will help keep this under control.
• Beagles are prone to weight gain, so a healthy balanced diet is a must.
• Naturally, Beagles have a strong impulse to bark and can be very noisy. Good training and age-appropriate play will keep this in check, but this cannot be trained out completely.

History

The Beagle breed has existed for hundreds of years and is one of the most familiar breeds in the world. According to one breed historian, beagles were written about as early as the 1400s.

Beagles descend from hounds used in packs by hunters on foot in England, Wales, and France. A variety known as "pocket Beagles" was used for hunts on horseback because the dogs stood less than 10 inches tall and could be carried in a coat pocket to the start of the hunt. The beagle is best known for rabbit hunting, although the breed also has been used to hunt animals as diverse as jackals and wild pigs.

Although some Beagles are still used individually or in packs for hunting, most beagles today are lovable house pets.