Beagles are the pet detectives of the dog world. Learn more facts about beagles including their history, name, appearance, smelling abilities, and other unique characteristics here.
Physical Description
There are two sizes of beagles. The bigger beagle is about 15 inches tall, and the smaller Beagle is about thirteen inches tall. Beagles weigh anywhere between 17 and 30 pounds.
Beagles have an unforgettable look because of their large brown eyes and long floppy ears.
If a beagle's ears are stretched out all the way, the ears are long enough to reach the beagle's nose. The ears pick up scent particles. Because the beagle's ears hang close to its nose, the ears help the nose get as much information about smells as possible.
Beagles have a short and smooth coat that comes in many different colors: black, tan, white, and tri-colored to name a few. The most common coat color for beagles is tri-color. Tri-color is the combination of black, tan, and white. The tri-color includes the black mark on the beagle’s back that looks like a saddle. The second most common fur color for Beagles is a red and white spotting pattern.
Habitat
The beagle has always been an indoor dog. From the very beginning beagles slept with other dogs in a kennel or inside their owner’s home.
Habits
Beagles are highly adaptable to most living situations. They have lots of energy so they need daily outdoor exercise and lots of play.
Beagles are easy-going and good-natured. They don’t like being left alone and enjoy families with children.
These highly intelligent dogs need to be kept on a lead or in a securely fenced yard, so they don’t roam to hunt and chase small animals.
An interesting fact about beagles is that they can be hard to train because they are stubborn and want to do what they want. If beagles get positive feedback and rewards for their efforts, they will respond to training.
Beagles love to use their voices to tell people what they want and need.
Diet Facts about Beagles
Beagles can eat a raw food diet, or dry food, or wet food mixed with kibble. Ask your veterinarian for feeding recommendations.
Beagles will eat anything. It’s important to make sure they don’t eat something harmful by accident.
Offspring
A female beagle’s pregnancy lasts for about 9 weeks. Beagles usually give birth about the 60th day of their pregnancy.
Beagles have 6 puppies on average. Beagle mothers have good instincts and will keep puppies warm and fed from the moment they are born.
Baby beagles should get their first health checkup and vaccinations at 6 weeks old.
Did you know these interesting facts about beagles?
Classification/Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Family: Canidae
- Genus: Canis
- Species: Canis Lupus
- Subspecies: Canis Lupus Familiaris
- Breed: Hound
History
Pocket beagles were the first dogs to be called beagles. Pocket beagles were only 8 to 9 inches tall. As the beagles we know today became more popular, the pure-bred pocket beagles became extinct.
Some beagles are called “pocket beagles” because they’re much smaller than the standard breed, but according to Beagle Pro, they have either been bred unethically or aren’t pure-bred beagles.
It is believed that today’s Beagles are originally from England and have been around for over 200 years. In the beginning beagles were used to help hunt small animals using their powerful sense of smell.
The larger beagles were used to hunt and track deer. The smaller beagles were used to hunt and track rabbits.
It is believed that the name beagle comes from the French word “beguele” which means “loudmouth”. Beagles were trained to communicate with their pack and let hunters know that prey was nearby. This was one of the most fun facts about beagles!
Beagle Jobs
Beagles are often used as detection dogs because of their great sense of smell. Here are some of the jobs beagles do:
Bed Bug Brigade: Beagles are used to detect bed bugs in residences and businesses.
Police Dogs: Beagles are used by police in search and rescue missions to help find lost people.
Airports: Beagles are used to detect parasites by sniffing luggage and other goods. Beagles are also used by airport security to help find narcotics.
Life Span
Beagles usually live between 10 and 15 years old.
Ways to help your beagle live longer are:
- Feed your beagle a healthy and balanced diet.
- Take care of your beagle’s teeth.
- Provide mental and physical activity for your beagle.
- Take your beagle to the vet for regular checkups.
25+ Unusual Facts about Beagles
- A beagle’s sense of smell is only second to that of the bloodhound.
- Beagles vocalize using three different sounds: A bark, a bay, and a howl.
- Charlie Brown’s dog, Snoopy, of the Peanuts comics, is an AKC-registered beagle.
- A beagle named Elvis can tell zookeepers if a polar bear is pregnant by smelling the polar bear’s poop!
- When he lived in the White House, President Lyndon Johnson had beagles and even a litter of beagle puppies.
- All beagles have a white-tipped tail. This helps hunters see them when Beagles are in tall grass.
- The name for hunting hares is beagling.
- Beagles were recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1885.
- Beagles constantly sniff to determine where a scent is coming from.
- Beagles think it's playtime all the time and will develop bad habits when bored.
- The beagle has been one of the top ten most popular dogs in the US since 1935.
- Beagles prefer to be in a pack and love being part of a big human family.
- Beagles are great problem solvers. They will figure out how to overcome obstacles to get what they want.
- Beagles came to the United States in the 1800s to be used as hunting dogs, but by the early 1900's, beagles started to get adopted as pets.
- A beagle named “Roscoe the Bed Bug Dog” has his own social media channels and a children’s book.
- A beagle can recognize fifty distinct odors.
- A beagle named Frodo was awarded England’s PDSA gold medal for bravery. When a fire broke out in the family’s home, Frodo woke his owner and the whole family was saved.
- Beagles are excellent at protecting their family members.
- Beagles aren’t the best watchdogs because they are so friendly to humans.
- Beagles are highly social. They get along with people and other pets.
- Some beagles can climb trees.
- Beagles are excellent escape artists when it comes to getting out of a fenced-in yard.
- Garfield’s dog pal, Odie, is a beagle.
- There are 220 million scent receptors in a Beagle’s nose. This is more than the typical dog has and 44 times more than a human nose has.
- A beagle is as smart as a two-year-old child.
- Beagles can understand as many as 150 words and dozens of gestures.
- Beagles almost went extinct in the 1700’s.
- Beagles can run at 20 mph for short distances, which is faster than most humans.
- Beagles are one of the noisiest canine breeds, according to the American Kennel Club.
- Beagles are strong swimmers, but not all beagles like to swim.
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