10 things to know before getting a Beagle

Before getting a Beagle, you need to know whether one of these friendly, cheeky little dogs will suit your lifestyle. Diligent research and planning can make the difference between having a fun, joy-filled life with your pet, or a constant battle. It is so important to understand the tendencies of the breed you’re considering before bringing one home. These traits may mean the Beagle is the perfect pet for you, but simply not a match for other people.

For this article, we’ve pulled together all the Beagle-specific breed traits that you might encounter. That doesn’t mean every dog will manifest all – or even any – of these characteristics, but you should be prepared to handle them. They might demonstrate all these characteristics strongly, or mildly.

Of course, breed traits are just one part of the picture. Training and management is also a vital part of how successful and carefree your relationship with your dog will be. The background and medical history of the dog you’re bringing into your home is also important – we’ll cover those topics elsewhere.

So for now, here are some of the most important things to know about Beagles before adding one of these adorable little hounds to your life.

1) Beagles follow their noses

Beagles have 225 million olfactory receptors. That means they can smell roughly 10,000 times better than a human. In the dog world, only the Bloodhound has a nose more powerful.

Beagles therefore see the world in a very different way to humans. Humans’ first sense is our vision. Because a Beagle’s first sense is its scent, so it sees the world in smells. They can understand far more information from scent than we could ever dream of. Unfortunately, this can often get them into trouble, as they can become so focused on one scent at the exclusion of everything else. Hounds following a scent can be very difficult to distract or redirect, and this can put them in dangerous situations. They are known to dig under fences, escape from back yards, and have poor recall.

This can make going for walks slow, as Beagles will want to stop and sniff everything on the ground. Sniffing is fantastic stimulation and enrichment, and therefore an incredibly important part of a happy Beagle’s life. You shouldn’t punish them for doing the thing they love the most. The best thing to do is to learn how to manage it.

2) They have a strong prey drive

Beagles were originally bred as hunting dogs. It’s really important to know this, as it informs so much of their identity. They are intrinsically, inherently, hunting dogs, bred for hunting small mammals in packs. The first Beagles were bred from a mix of other hounds that were popular in the 1400s. The breed was fully established by the 1850s.

Today, people still hunt with Beagles, and there are breeders who specialise in breeding Beagles for hunting.

If you are considering getting a Beagle from a breeder, you need to ask what characteristics they are breeding for, as this can make for very different animals. Show dogs bred for beauty will have a completely temperaments to dogs bred for hunting. Sniffer dogs bred for nosework (for example, like the ones the USBP use) will have different temperaments to dogs that are bred as companion animals.

If a breeder can’t tell you what characteristics or traits they are specifically selecting for, you should avoid them, as it is likely that they haven’t given proper consideration to the type of dog that is being produced.

3) They are always hungry

Hungry baby!

Beagles always think their tummies are empty, and they employ any number of adorable techniques to persuade you to feed them outside of mealtimes. They are highly successful manipulators in this regard!

Because they are so food motivated, this can mean that they are easy to train, as they will do anything for a tasty treat. But it also means that they have a strong tendency to pile on the pounds, so you do often see overweight hounds.

One of the biggest challenges for most Beagle owners will be to carefully manage your pup’s weight, and ensure it stays within acceptable limits. Your vet will advise you what those limits are.

4) Their recall can be unreliable

Because they were bred to hunt, most Beagles have a relatively strong prey drive, and there’s very little we can do to change this. This can make it tricky to allow them off leash, because their recall can be unreliable. However, this often depends on the individual dog and owner. Most Beagle owners would never let their dog off leash, but a handful have Beagles with a near-perfect recall.

Some dogs, no matter what breed and how much you train them, will never be especially reliable off leash, so it is better for their safety and your own to always err on the side of caution.

There are lots of things you can do to improve your Beagle’s response to your call. They all require a lot of patience and repetition, but it is possible to train a Beagle to come back to you, although it would be rare that a Beagle (or really any dog) has 100% perfect recall.

5) They know their own mind

Sure, they are about as adorable as it gets, but boy, do they have a mind of their own. Some people mistakenly call Beagles ‘stubborn’, but that isn’t really the case: if a Beagle isn’t doing what you want it to, the chances are, you just haven’t motived them in the right way. If a task is enticing or appealing, they are incredibly compliant little dogs.

Once you understand their set of priorities and what best gets their attention, you’ll unlock so much richness and cameraderie in the relationship with your dog.

6) Beagles don’t like to be alone

Beagles are pack animals. They do not like being left on their own. If you have a job that requires you to be out of the house for long stretches of time, this isn’t the dog for you.

When left on their own, Beagles can become destructive, or vocal. They can get themselves into dangerous situations by chewing things they shouldn’t, so it’s very important to carefully manage your absences from your Beagle.

Undesirable behaviours can develop as a result. You can psychologically damage your Beagle if you don’t manage their isolation correctly. If you need to be able to leave your Beagle alone for stretches of time, you need to start training them as early as possible in their life, and only building up the amount of time you are away from your dog when they (not you) are ready.

See our article on training your Beagle to be alone for more info.

7) They can be vocal

The Beagle Bay, or howl, is a very distinctive sound. It’s incredibly melodic, and can be mournful! The video below gives a great example. This is the sound your Beagle may make when it is left alone in your home.

When a hound catches a scent, this is another time when they might use their voice. And boy, you can’t stop them then!

But there are always exceptions to the rule. My own Beagle is very quiet and hardly ever barks, bays, or howls. Some people don’t think she’s a Beagle at all (she is 100% Beagle!).

8) They love to snuggle

Lots of Beagles like to snuggle with their owners, and some are known as velcro dogs. This isn’t true for all Beagles, though (or, come to that, all humans). They make excellent companion animals. Read more here on how much Beagles like to cuddle.

9) They are rarely aggressive

For decades, Beagles have been used in animal testing facilities due to their docile nature. They can be incredibly compliant, which sadly makes them ideal test subjects.

10) Beagles can make wonderful family dogs

Beagles are often great with kids, as they can be incredibly tolerant of little hands touching their ears and pulling their tails. They are very gentle dogs, but you should never leave dogs and children unsupervised.

In Summary

These are some general points to bear in mind when considering getting a Beagle. However, none of them are hard and fast rules, and no two dogs are the same. You might find that some of these generalizations are true about your Beagle, or none of them at all.

If you are considering getting a Beagle of your own, the number one piece of advice we’d give before deciding that this is the breed for you is: do your research. Learn as much as you can about the breed. Spend time with Beagles, talk to their owners, talk to Beagle breeders, don’t leave it to chance that a Beagle will fit into your life: ask yourself the hard questions about whether or not this is the right breed for you. Your furry companion will be faithfully counting on you to make the right choice.