WHAT TYPE OF COAT DOES A BEAGLE HAVE?

The Different Types of Beagle Coat

Beagle coats can be split into three distinct categories:

Solid-Colour Coats

This colour is quite rare. Solid-coloured Beagles are all white, with the ears a little darker than the rest of the coat. 

Bicolour Coats

As the name suggests, these dogs have a coat made up of two colours. Within this variety, there are several possible colour combinations:

• Lemon and white

• Red and white

• Tan and white

• Brown and white

• Black and white

Tricolour Coats

Most Beagles are tricolour, which can be found in the following colour combinations:

• White, black, and tan: this is the classic, most popular combination

• Faded tricolour: white, tan, and diluted black.

• White, grey, and diluted tan

• White, brown, and tan

• White, red, and brown

• Blue tricolour

In addition to the approved colours, Beagles are found with a variety of markings. These include Beagles who are ticked, spotted, or have black, brown, tan or white markings. The liver colour is not allowed by the official breed standard, because of the light eyes that go with the coat colour. However, the nose can be liver-coloured for some brown coats. The only essential criterion for all these different coats is that the tip of the tail is white.

Beagle Traits

The Beagle’s coat is very short, dense, and weatherproof. The body is muscular and well-proportioned, with powerful paws capable of supporting them on long hunts. The head is strong, with a well-defined stop. The muzzle is not too pointed. The ears are long, large, and drooping with a rounded tip. They are normally dark in colour, although, very rarely, they can be white. The eyes are dark brown or hazel, and fairly large with a very sweet, almost sad, gaze. Finally, the tail is long and sturdy, thick at the base, and tapered towards the end. It is bushy and set high, carried gaily, but not curled over the back.

Beagle Size

The Beagle is a medium-sized hunting dog with a lively, agile build. In adulthood, Beagles measure between 33 and 41cm, with very little difference in the size of males and females. The weight also varies very little between the sexes and is usually between 12 and 18kg. The Beagle is an athletic dog, cut for the chase. As scent hounds, they need to be able to cover several miles of ground without running out of breath. Despite their small size, these dogs need a lot of exercise. However, Beagles can live in apartments, under certain conditions.

Beagle Growth

As is the case with most dogs, we see fairly rapid growth in Beagles until the age of six months, when the growth curve gradually flattens out. Male Beagles usually stop growing at around 14 months old, compared to 12 months in females.

At six months old, male Beagles measure around 35cm on average. Females measure about 33cm at this age. Males will weigh between 7 and 8kg and females between 6 and 7kg. Growth is always a tricky period for puppies and, although Beagles are small to medium-sized dogs, they are still prone to hip dysplasia. As such, care must be taken not to put too much stress on your dog and to let them rest as much as they need.