Beagles are the smaller breeds but are able to hunt jackals and wild pigs as well as considered one of the intelligent breeds.
Although some beagles are still used individually or in packs for hunting, most beagles today are lovable house pets.
There are many surprising facts about beagles like how they use their ear to track a scent as well as their intelligence.
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Beagles
The history of beagles goes back to the early 1400s as registered so far. Beagles were used by hunters in England, Wales, and France.
This breed has existed for hundreds of years and is considered one of the most lovable and trustworthy breeds.
Beagles head is broader and the snout is shorter, their legs are shorter compared to the size of the body. Their average height is from 13 inches to 17 inches. Comparatively, females are a little smaller than males.
Beagles have large eyes, quite a similar look like a hound. The large ears, strong jaw, and strong jaw fitting properly over the lower jaw.
The muzzle is a square cut with a black gumdrop nose and has a strong and medium-length neck. Beagles’ appearance is similar to foxhound.
The smaller dog breed of hound is known as Beagle. Hounds are hunter dogs mostly used by hunters to catch or chase their hunts.
There are two types of beagles based on their hair coat. Some have short hair coats, whereas others have long or medium hair coats.
A variety is known as “pocket beagles” which 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.
Beagles are also known as scent hounds that hunt through scents rather than sight. They have a powerful sense of smell and superior tracking skills.
Beagles are detective dogs, also known as sniffer dogs. Police departments mostly use beagles as their detective partners.
These dogs get trained to detect or sense illegal substances like drugs, explosives, blood, currency, wildlife scat, etc.
Facts About Beagles
Beagles are intelligent and are suitable pets for human beings due to their size. They have a good temper and lack inherited health issues. Here are some interesting facts about Beagles.
1. Beagles are born with whitetails
Even though most of the beagles are brown. Their tail tip is similar to a white flag. They have white tails as they could be visible when they have their noses to the ground during a hunt.
If you see a beagle without having a whitetail, then it must be a mixed breed. Their back end signifies their breed. These dogs have their back end described as a sword.
Beagle puppies are born with whitetails. They have either entire tail hair white or a tip with few white hairs.
However, after a few months, some areas of black hair gets faded away into brown color. Some older beagles lose their black hair entirely.
2. Their ears help noses
One unique feature about beagles is their ears and nose working together. Unlike other dog breeds, beagles have long ears that can easily reach the nose.
Their ears are known to track or trap the scents. These facts about beagles being able to use their ears in a prolific manner are amazing.
Beagles have more than 220 million scent receptors. They can pick more than 50 distinct odors. Their wet nose helps them to hold and trap scent molecules for better evaluation.
When their ear touches their nose, they can sense the smell and track accordingly. These floppy ears always get lower to the ground as they drop their head off to the ground or upon something.
Hence, their ears can bring back scents to their nose. There aren’t other dog breeds that use their nose and ear this way. Therefore, they have the best noses in the world. Their sense of smell is as strong as German Shepherds.
3. They have high vocalization skills
Beagles are hound dogs. They have quite good vocalization skills as they bark loudly and howl. They do so for better communication with their owners.
Beagles use their vocalization skills for communication purposes. They also communicate to gather their wild packs in a particular area.
Sometimes, beagles also use their vocal instinct to get their owner’s attraction while being playful.
4. History Of Beagles
The history of this breed is unclear, the description of the dog in the Greek documents from 400 B.C. is similar to Beagles. Meanwhile, the modern breed of Beagles originated around the 18th century.
The sightings report dates back to Roman times, who bought the small rabbit-hunting hound to England and bred with local hounds. Most of the Beagles that are seen today are said to have ancestors originating in England.
William the Conqueror bought the Talbot hounds, which is now extinct, to England during the Norman Conquest in 1066. They are known to be the ancestors of the Beagles and Foxhound.
5. Beagles Puppies
On average female beagles can give birth to six puppies. Beagles that went through the mating process during the age of 2 to 5 years can have a comparatively large number of puppies.
Beagles puppies may weigh from 5 to 10 ounces depending upon their size, diet, and nutrition. They are soft with their babies and know how to handle them with care.
Beagles are the smaller breed and mean their puppy needs more care and attention once you adopt it. Your professional and social life needs to be adjusted with the routine.
Beagle puppies crave company, exercise, and lots of interaction as they are active and working dogs. The young puppies do not know how to respond and communicate with the owner, so they prefer to bite.
They are dog breeds with loud vocals and sometimes can be cunning. So, it’s best for you and your neighbors to correctly train them to behave and interact when they are young.
6. Lifespan
Beagles have an average life span of 12 to 15 years, similar to other dogs’ breeds. However, these dogs may suffer from common health problems like epilepsy, obesity, hypothyroidism, and cherry eyes.
They are also susceptible to viral and bacterial infections. However, these infections get cured through vaccinations. If these diseases get managed with care and proper medications, they can have a long life span.
7. They don’t shed much
In general, beagles are low-shedding dogs. They have short hair that isn’t noticeable when it falls. Their coats get thickened during winter. They have smooth and double-coated hair.
During the spring season, they might shed a bit more than usual. However, beagles are tidy dogs and are convenient to keep.
To help them shed, brushing their hair every day is a must. Daily grooming will remove loose hair and induce new hair growth.
8. They are known as escape artists
Beagles are smart and are escape artists. They have inherited hunting skills and always search for adventures.
Sometimes, they can go beyond the fence while searching for more fun. They are one of the top-ranked escape artists among all the canine world.
They are talented when it comes to jumping the fence or even digging underground. Beagle owners need to change their barriers from chains to tall ones to avoid their dogs from escaping.
They are also a good learner. Beagles can learn to open latches as well. So, owners need to make sure their latches are well-knitted.
9. Fine temperament
Beagle’s temper is gentle and moderate. They are also known as merry, which is amiable, neither aggressive nor fearful. However, their behavior depends upon them individually.
They enjoy the company of people. They can also get along with strangers, which makes them poor guard dogs.
Unlike guard dogs like Tibetan Mastiff, Doberman, beagles are friendly and not aggressive even when they face new people.
They do bark and howl, which makes them considerably a watchdog.
10. Beagles are the most used dogs for animal testing
Many laboratories use beagles as lab pets for animal testing. These dog breeds were chosen to perform the various experiment, from household products to new drugs and chemicals.
Many thieves target Beagles as they can easily sell them to laboratories for experiments. Installing the chip to track the movement of the Beagle is highly recommended for owners.
11. Beagle Mix
Beagles are the most demanded and favored dog by breeders. Their good health and sensibly sized nose make them perfect for breeding.
The demand for hybrid dogs is rising, and here is the name of some cross-breed of Beagles.
- Bulldog with Beagles makes a Beabull
- Poodle with Beagle makes a Poogle
- Husky with Beagle makes a Busky
- Dalmatian with Beagle makes a Beaglemation
- Chihuahua with Beagle makes a Cheagle
12. They have jobs
Beagles get indulged in lots of human activities. If these dogs could get paid for their employment, they would be the richest among all other breeds.
Beagles are known as working dogs and often higher for working purposes as well. They are usually known as bedbug detectors.
Beagles are kept in most airports to find food or illegal things in the passenger’s luggage, to prevent foreign parasites and diseases. They also get hired as police dogs.
They make great pets and partners to police officers. They are known as narcotics sniffing dogs present in border zones, airports, etc.
13. Lemon Beagles are rare
Lemon beagles are considered one of the rarest breeds. They result from recessive mutation, and no breeders can guarantee the newly born pup will be the lemon beagle.
They share similar traits with other Beagles and have a two-toned tan-yellow coat. The elegant look with the lemon and white-colored fur with stunning brown eyes grabs the attention of many dog lovers.
14. Pocket Beagles are extinct
The pocket beagle is the most popular breed, which Queen Elizabeth I owned in the 1960s. Many dog lovers refer to any small hunting type canine as a pocket beagle.
But the pure bloodline of pocket beagle doesn’t exist. Pocket beagles went extinct around the 19th century. The AKC hasn’t recognized any variety of breed as a pocket beagle.
15. Beagles are indoor dogs
Beagles can adjust at small apartments as well as a spacious bungalows. After the hunting session, they shelter with other dogs or lay down near the fireplace inside the owner’s home.
They prefer performing various commands as the owner suggested and bringing the hunted prey or some new belonging they encounter around your home to the master.
Beagles enjoy being with humans, which makes them more suitable for the family with kids. They are the perfect indoor pet, even if you have a small space.
16. Beagles to rescue
Beagles are the rescuers from the pests at your home and loneliness by giving company to the sick and elderly in facilities and love visiting them.
Beagles were hired for bedbug detection in NYC and termite detection in Australia. More surprising facts about beagles include the emergency number dialed from the owner’s phone, saving their master’s life.
In the countries like Canada, Japan, China, and New Zealand, the Ministry or government organization for agriculture and forestry uses Beagles for pest detection.
17. SOS For Beagles
SOS Beagle Inc. was established in 1991 by Linda Forrest in New Jersey. Now they have extended their service to Tennessee and Alabama.
SOS( Save Our Snoopies) is a non-profit organization that provides shelter to the homeless and abandoned beagles. They take good care of these dogs in “beagle sanctuary.”
Under the supervision of experts and doctors, beagles are spayed and neutered, microchipped, and frequently vaccinated as they are susceptible to viral and bacterial infection.
18. Health issues
Beagles are susceptible to many health issues and down syndromes. Hypothyroidism and various types of dwarfism occur in Beagles.
The rare disease found in beagles is immune-mediated polygenic arthritis, where the immune system attacks the joints even at a young age.
Neonatal cerebellar cortical degeneration is another rare disease where puppies are slow, less active, and don’t have a normal gait.
Beagles are also prone to many eye problems. Glaucoma and corneal dystrophy are the major eye problems they suffer. Retinal atrophy and distichiasis are also commonly known eye diseases.
Their sense of hunting and capability to smell makes it favorable for various tasks and is commonly known as sniffer dogs. Beagles are used in the airport to sniff the luggage of a passenger.
In conclusion, these facts about Beagles explain why they are considered a talented breed irrespective of their size. They are the most adored breed with high demand.
