Beagles are widely known for their playful, loving, and gentle nature — and for that reason, they continue to be one of the most loved breeds in the United States. I mean, how can you not love a creature as adorable and as loyal as a beagle? Like any other pooch, however, beagles have their own set of interesting facts. Welcome to ILMDSM’s Weird Facts About Dogs: Beagle Edition!
Quick disclaimer: Beagles make the greatest family pets, so there’s absolutely no reason for a potential dog parent to be weirded out when they decide to get their own! These facts are funny and charming at the same time: they’ll certainly make you adore beagles even more!
Beagles were originally hunting dogs
While we don’t exactly know how the beagle breed came about, we know that they were bred in the 1830s to help British hunters hunt deer. Some canine historians mentioned that they were a cross-breed between the St.Hubert hound/Talbot hounds and greyhounds, and this genetic mix gave them extraordinary stamina and olfactory skills.
The modern-day beagle we know and love may have a small frame, but they’re actually the best at hunting small game like hare and rabbits! It may not be weird, but it’s awesome!
Beagles can change their voices…in three different ways
A dog that’s able to vocalize in three different ways, isn’t that the coolest? Well, beagles have throats that produce a fuller and louder sound, allowing them to vocalize like absolute pop stars! They can do a normal doggo bark, a “bay” (barking with a high pitch that they use for hunting), and a loud howl. Beagle enthusiasts specifically noted that baying has a “throaty” yodeling sound to it since they are trying to alert other dogs that they’ve found a scent.
After all, the name beagle was said to come from the French word “begeule,” which means open throat. They certainly have their vocal cords opened right there!
Beagles come in two distinct sizes and coat colors
This might be breaking news to some rookie pup owners, but beagles actually vary in color and size. Well, many might be an overstatement: the beagle has two different sizes.
According to the American Kennel Club, beagles come in under 13 inches at the shoulder, or between 13 and 15 inches at the shoulder. They also come in lemon/tan, red and white, or tri-color hues— which perfectly suits a pet owner’s unique taste. While rare color breeds do exist in some countries,
P.S. A survey was actually conducted on the most popular coat color for beagles. As expected, the clear winner is the black, tan, and white tricolor beagle! This spectacular coat combo has left paw parents in awe, but that doesn’t mean other colored beagles aren’t as adorable.
Beagles catch foxes in packs
Since beagles naturally have small legs, they were originally bred to hunt foxes in groups. All they would need to do is keep themselves low on the ground, look for a scent, and voila. Fox caught.
Beagles have 220 million scent receptors, which make them one of the best (if not the best) hunting dogs out there. We bet they’d even be able to smell your dog desserts in the kitchen!
All beagles have a white-tipped tail
If you have your own beagle or have at least seen a photo of a beagle pup on the Internet, you would notice that all their tails have a white tip! This might seem insignificant to modern-day dog parents like us, but their tail colors actually had a purpose back then. Beagles have white-tipped tails to make them easily visible when they hunt with their noses on the ground! They were purposely bred by hunters this way, and the tail color remains until present times.
While beagles are not necessarily used for hunting these days, breeding dogs with visible white-tipped tails do sound like a smart move.
Beagles need to be around other dogs
As mentioned above, Beagles were originally hunting dogs. Because of that, they tend to feel the need to be in a pack. This trait is beneficial if your household houses multiple dogs or animals. We can say that Beagles are definitely social animals.
However, their need for constant companionship naturally makes them suffer from separation anxiety—especially when left alone during prolonged periods. When left for more than six hours a day, Beagles usually destroy furniture as a sign that they want to leave the house. Not to worry, though, because separation anxiety can be prevented and cured through proper consultation, training, and bonding.
Beagles have one of the best noses in the world
As hunting hounds, Beagles have approximately two hundred twenty-five million scent receptors and can distinguish fifty odors. Therefore, their sense of smell can be 1,000-10,000 times greater than that of a human! More so, a well-trained and managed beagle can even remember the same, distinct smells in the future. How amazing is that?
In fact, there have been instances when Beagles could even smell people’s illnesses and other health-related issues. One particular Beagle named Elvis could even predict polar bear pregnancies with an accuracy rate of 93% by smelling their fecal matter. Because of this wonder pup’s miracles, Elvis has also taken to Instagram to flex his celeb status!
Beagles are silver screen icons and a mainstay in pop culture history
Given the Beagle’s celebrity status in the canine world, it should come as no surprise that the breed is also a recognizable face on TV and in movies! Perhaps the most iconic beagle character in history is Snoopy, who has had a main role in the Peanuts comics as early as 1950. Snoopy and Charlie Brown both went on to become one of the greatest cartoon characters of all time, and a huge chunk of it was because of everyone’s favorite anthropomorphic beagle!
In the movies, the beagle has also had its fair share of screen time throughout the years! One of the first breakout films that featured a beagle is the 1996 film Shiloh, which follows a cute beagle pup and a boy becoming the best of pals! The film franchise built a huge cult following and became one of the most memorable canine stories on the big screen. In more recent years, the action film John Wick also featured a beagle as Keanu Reeves’ fallen friend. Now isn’t that a clear sign that the beagle is a superstar?
There may be other weird facts about dogs out there (check our chihuahua version), but these four cool things make the beagle a cooler pup to have at home. They’re great hunters, can vocalize in three different ways, plus they’re super cute and loyal. If you were second-guessing about whether to adopt a beagle pup, now is the time to do so!
