Healthy Beagle Puppies For Sale

Living Needs & Care

Bred as scent hounds that hunt in packs, beagles are notorious for always having their heads to the ground, searching for the next best scent to follow. Because of this, beagles must be in a home with a properly secured—and ideally reinforced—fence or have plenty of access to the outdoors for long, meandering walks on a lead. Beagles are prone to loneliness, and won’t do well if consistently left alone for long periods of time.

Despite being a smart breed, Beagles are notoriously slow to house train and may take up to a year. It’s highly encouraged to practice crate training with a beagle and it’s important to stay positive, patient, and consistent. Sadly, beagles are anecdotally susceptible to theft (even from backyards) and are thought to be sold to laboratories. For this reason—in addition to their wandering nose—it’s important to keep an eye on your beagle when outdoors, and microchipping is strongly recommended.

A beagle is at its happiest with an owner who will play to its scent tracking strengths—whether through hunting, competitions, or hours-long hikes or walks—and can spend plenty of quality time by their side. When left alone for too long or not properly exercised and trained, beagles tend to become destructive and loud. It’s important to consider your lifestyle before committing to any dog.

The beagle’s short, weather-proof coat is easy to maintain but prone to frequent shedding. Brushing your beagle two to three times a week will keep dead hair from building up in your home and promote new, healthy hair growth. Because they have a double coat, they’ll shed heavily in the spring—you’ll want to increase your brushing routine to once daily. Beagles rarely need baths, unless they’re getting into messy situations. Regular grooming is a good time to check for things like coat sheen (dull hair can mean a lack of nutrients in diet), nail length, and ear and dental health. Nails should be trimmed frequently—if you can hear them tapping against the floor, they’re too long.

Like most hounds, beagles will require extra weekly care to their ears, as their long floppy shape can prevent proper air circulation and lead to infections. It’s important to talk to your vet about the proper way to check and clean your beagle’s ears.

Beagles can be headstrong, and you bet they’d prefer to track a scent over pleasing their owner’s every demand. This smart breed can be trained, but it will require loads of patience. “People lose patience with dogs all the time, but that’s where the process is,” Kilcommons says.

Using food is a surefire way to get your beagle’s attention, but beware of becoming seen as a buffet. “It’s easy for the relationship to be with the food, not the person. After the dog understands what’s expected, I expect a response and I’m not going to dress like a deli,” Kilcommons says. “They’ll do what we want, and they’re looking for it, but in order to get that you have to reward them in such a way that makes it worth it. You need to be enthusiastic. Tell him how smart he is, smile at him, and look at the gauge: the tail. That’ll tell you if it’s working.”