Beagles are not just iconic – they’re adorable. They’re a great choice for a breed for your home, but they aren’t all fun and play; you also have to care for them! Beagles require special care and looking after, just like with any breed, and they have their own set of quirks and needs that you need to consider before you even get the breed; after all, you need to think about whether or not those are quirks and needs that you will be up to the task of taking care of.

What to Expect with a Beagle

Beagles, to start, live a very long time – we mean, a verrry long time. They are friendly, loving, and make connections with their owners and other humans very well, which means that their long-lived lives translate into lots of love for a long time to come, but it also means that you have to be prepared to care for a beagle for the next twelve to fifteen years (their average lifespan). Plan for that! That means financially supporting a beagle throughout that tie, including the cost of purchasing or adopting the dog, food, toys and accessories, veterinary care, and kennel expenses depending on your situation, needs, and ability to have the dog kenneled.

Physical and Mental Needs

Beagles also require exercise, just like any dog. When a dog doesn’t get exercise, they can not only get overweight and out of shape, but their personalities can also become nervous, jittery, unsociable, and just not very pleasant at all. Respect the fact that a dog is a living being with physical and mental needs, and that getting out-and-about is a big need, especially for a beagle!

Speaking of mental needs, we said that beagles are intelligent, but keep in mind that they can also be mischievous and possibly even destructive. Prepare to train them very intensely if you want to get the desired behaviors out of them! Yet if you can apply all of this to your relationship with your beagle, you should find yourself with a companion who is loyal, intelligent, and just downright fun.