Beagle characteristics and personality makes them a loyal companion when properly trained and socialized.
Beagles were originally bred for hunting hare and small birds, but today beagles are now among the top breeds of dogs used as pets.
In this article, we will be discussing most of the common beagle characteristics and fun facts about beagles you should know.
One of the most important and fascinating facts about beagles is that beagles have a smart sense of smell that guides them.
Therefore, hiding treats and making your beagle find them is a wonderful game for your beagle.
Here is how to identify a purebred beagle to avoid getting a mixed breed in place of a purebred.
Beagle Characteristics
Here are some of the characteristics of a beagle you should know;
Intelligence
Beagles are among the most intelligent breeds of dogs that are used as pets.
Dogtime rated beagles at an intelligent level of 4/5 where 1 is low intelligence and 5 is high intelligence.
When you get to check how intelligent a beagle can be is when you give a beagle a task to perform during obedience training.
When beagles stalk prey you get to see how intelligent they are.
Trainability
Most people will say is easy to train a beagle but that is not true, beagles are a little more difficult to train than most other dogs.
One easy way of training a beagle is the use of clickers. It is wise to give the beagle a 2/5 score at trainability.
Clickers reduce the lag time between when your beagle does what commands you gave.
Beagles can be very destructive if not properly trained, here is how to handle a destructive beagle.
Take your time to teach your beagle sounds, so that once your beagle hears any sound it responds instead of shouting or talking just use the clicker.
Generally, beagles are not easy to train and require patient, consistency, time, and effort.
Adaptability
Beagles are known to adapt and adjust to new homes, they do well in apartment and can manage space very well.
One condition beagles do not adapt well to is been left alone for too long. However, there are ways to train to be home alone.
Beagles are very sensitive both in learning and adapting, the only issues is that beagles can be stubborn at a certain age.
Beagles are known to tolerate hot weather more as to when compared to cold weather, every beagle do not like cold weather.
From research, we can tell you that beagles are not the best breed of dogs for a first time owner.
Affectionate towards owner
This is one of the proven beagle characteristics as beagle are always bonded to their owners.
However, to get the maximum affection from a beagle it is wise to properly and fully socialize the beagle from the puppy stage.
It is wise to give beagle a score rating of 4/5 when it comes to checking the affection level.
This breed might not be the perfect family dog but we can tell you with proper training the do well with their family members.
Affection Toward Strangers
Beagles are not seen as guard dogs because of their affection towards strangers.
A beagle can easily welcome strangers by waving its tail. It is not bad to give beagles a 5/5 rating towards strangers.
As vocal as beagle maybe they do not bark at strangers unnecessarily as compared to other dogs.
Even though beagles do not bark at strangers unnecessarily they still need a high level of socialization to keep up with strangers.
Kid-Friendly
Beagles are not the best kid-friendly dog but with proper training and socialization, they do well with kids.
Beagles are very vocal and this sometimes puts doubt in the mind of many people about leaving their kids with beagles.
There are no such cases of beagles attacking kids that live with them, I guess that is a good sign that beagles still do well with kids.
On big pros is that beagles are very affectionate towards their family members and kids are not an exception.
Grooming Needs
Beagle shedding is minimal because they have short coat and in general you can give a 3/5 score rating to beagles for shedding.
Because they have short coat beagles are easy to groom all you need to make out time once every week to brush your beagle.
Always brush to remove the dead skin and fur to avoid hairballs.
Weight Gain Potential
This is not funny, beagles have a 5/5 score rating in terms of weight gain potential.
You have to watch what you feed your beagle else your beagle will get overweight.
Here is how big a beagle can get and other questions you may have about beagle size.
In simple terms, beagles can easily get overweight and this will lead to other health challenges, therefore watch what you feed your beagle closely.
Barking Tendency
Beagles are very vocal with needs therefore, they have a high barking tendency.
They can bark unnecessarily when in need or when bored. Barking sometimes is a way beagles communicate with their owners.
Even when you play with your beagle expect to hear your beagle bark. Not because something is wrong but because is in their nature to bark.
It is wise to give a 5/5 star rating to beagles on barking.
Playfulness
Beagles are known to very playful and eager to please dogs.
They can spend most of their time playing with toys and this is the more reasons you need good interactive toys.
Also read best security dogs for large properties.
High Energy Level
Since beagles were selectively bred to hunt small games this means they were bred to have a high energy level.
A lazy dog can not be used for hunting and as such beagles are smart and you can see this when you play with them.
Beagles have high intensity when it comes playing or hunting. You can always give your beagle a task to perform to match it energy level.
Here are some fruits that your beagles need to stay healthy and active.
Prey Drive
Beagles have strong prey drive because they were selectively bred to hunt small birds and hare.
If you are the type that allows your beagle to go outside then be ready to have a good tracking system for your beagle.
Beagles can easily be distracted by the sight of a prey. So be careful the way you let your beagle out.
Here are top qualities of a good hunting dog.
High Exercise Needs
If there are dogs that need everyday or every hour exercise to stay healthy then beagle is one of them.
Beagles are known for their high exercise needs, which their owners are advised to find time and play the fetch game with their beagle.
Some frequently asked questions about beagles
So let’s look at some frequently asked questions about beagles you should know.
What problems do beagles have?
Here are some health challenges associated with beagles;
- Allergies
- epilepsy
- Obesity
- Cherry eye
- Hypothyroidism
What are the disadvantages of owning a beagle?
Here are some disadvantages of owning a beagle;
- Beagles dig a lot: if you live in an open compound with no concrete floors, then expect to see your beagle dig the floor from time to time.
- Prone to diseases: Beagles are prone to obesity, epilepsy, allergies, cherry eye, and hypothyroidism.
- Too vocal: this is one of the major disadvantages of having a beagle if you don’t like dog barking always.
- Beagles Stink: if your beagle has wet skin for long with you drying up the water, beagles can start developing odors.
- Difficult to train: Beagles are difficult to handle and train.
- Beagles are stubborn: Beagles need more obedience training than most dogs.
- Less security concerns: Beagles are too friendly to strangers and this will make your home not to be too safe when you are away.
- Beagles can be destructive: If bored beagles can surprise you by the amount of destruction they can do before you get home.
- Beagles can wander off: Because of high prey drive a beagle has a high tendency to wander off so always put a tracking system in place.
Checkout: Shih Tzu Dog Breed – All Facts You Need To Know
What do beagles hate?
Here is a list of things beagles hate with a passion and these things scares a beagle.
- Beagles hate Umbrellas
- Unknown Objects
- Beagles hate going to vet
- Vacuum Cleaners
- Beagles hate Hair Dryers
- Cars
- Beagles hate to be left alone
- Beagles hates Fireworks
- Thunder
- Heavy rainfalls
What are beagles known for?
Beagles are generally known to be great hunters of hares, rabbits, foxes, and small birds.
Beagles are also known as vocal breeds of dogs and dog with high energy level and low maintenance cost.
Here is the best human food that is safe for dogs.
Do beagles bark a lot?
Yes, beagles are known to be vocal breeds of dogs, beagles can bark unnecessarily when in need.
Beagles can bark in a way to inform their owners how excited they are.
Are beagles aggressive?
No, beagles are not an aggressive breed of dogs, however, they may be aggressive over food which can be corrected over time.
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