Compact, merry scent hound with sturdy build, distinctive tri-color or bi-color coat pattern, and cheerful disposition. Originally bred for hunting hare in packs with a distinctive baying voice.
The modern Beagle was developed in Great Britain around the 1830s from various English hounds. Bred as 'foot hounds' for hare hunting, with hunters following on foot rather than horseback.
“A merry hound whose essential function is to hunt, primarily hare, by following a scent. Bold, with great activity, stamina and determination. Alert, intelligent and of even temperament. Amiable and alert, showing no aggression or timidity”
Quoted from FCI standard n°161. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FCI breed standard; PubMed / An ADAMTSL2 founder mutation causes Musladin-Lueke Syndrome, a heritable disorder of beagle dogs. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Beagle standard is published by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale), the international federation of pedigree-dog clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour and size. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Short, dense and weatherproof
Base colour
Tricolour (black, tan and white)
Permissible
Shortened from FCI standard n°161 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health.
Quoted from FCI standard n°161. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
An adult's measurements, per the standard. It does not say how big this puppy will be. Quotations from the FCI are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Beagle in general; any individual animal can differ.
Known hereditary risks for the Beagle breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
11 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Found in more than about one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened, or described as common in the sources.
A raised risk of premature disc degeneration from the same FGF4 retrogene insertion (CDDY) implicated in Dachshunds; testing-lab data show it at very high frequency in Beagles (allele frequency around 95%), and referral case series list Beagles among the breeds commonly presenting with IVDD.
What to ask for
A CDDY/IVDD-risk DNA test on both parents
An inherited shortage of catalase, an enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide; in dogs it shows as mouth ulcers and gum disease from an early age. It was studied mainly in a laboratory colony of Beagles. It is recessive, and roughly one Beagle in eight carried it in a screen of more than 5,000.
What to ask for
Hypocatalasia (CAT) DNA test result, on both parents
A raised risk of premature disc degeneration from the same FGF4 retrogene insertion (CDDY) implicated in Dachshunds; testing-lab data show it at very high frequency in Beagles (allele frequency around 95%), and referral case series list Beagles among the breeds commonly presenting with IVDD.
What to ask for
A CDDY/IVDD-risk DNA test on both parents
An inherited shortage of catalase, an enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide; in dogs it shows as mouth ulcers and gum disease from an early age. It was studied mainly in a laboratory colony of Beagles. It is recessive, and roughly one Beagle in eight carried it in a screen of more than 5,000.
What to ask for
Hypocatalasia (CAT) DNA test result, on both parents
Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
An inherited, late-onset epilepsy caused by an expanding repeat in the NHLRC1 gene: in 28 affected Beagles it began at around eight years old with sudden jerks, then seizures, failing coordination, sight and hearing, and changes in behaviour and learning, though most lived a fairly normal lifespan. It is recessive.
What to ask for
Lafora disease (NHLRC1 repeat expansion) DNA test result, on both parents
A mild-to-moderate inherited bleeding disorder from low levels of a blood-clotting protein; many affected dogs show no signs until surgery or injury causes prolonged bleeding. First identified in research Beagle colonies.
What to ask for
A DNA test for the F7 gene mutation on both parents
A build-up of pressure inside the eye that progressively and irreversibly damages the optic nerve, leading to blindness. Documented in the Beagle via mutations in ADAMTS10, alongside the Norwegian Elkhound.
What to ask for
A DNA test for the ADAMTS10 mutation on both parents, plus a current ACVO eye exam
An inherited lack of night vision described in this breed: affected dogs see normally in daylight but not in the dark, from birth, and it does not get worse. It is recessive.
What to ask for
Ask whether night blindness has occurred in the parents' close relatives; a veterinary ophthalmologist can confirm it with an electroretinogram (ERG).
An inherited connective-tissue disorder (formerly called Chinese Beagle syndrome) causing extensive fibrosis of the skin and joints, stiff gait and contractures that restrict normal movement.
What to ask for
A DNA test for the ADAMTSL2 mutation on both parents
An inherited, late-onset epilepsy caused by an expanding repeat in the NHLRC1 gene: in 28 affected Beagles it began at around eight years old with sudden jerks, then seizures, failing coordination, sight and hearing, and changes in behaviour and learning, though most lived a fairly normal lifespan. It is recessive.
What to ask for
Lafora disease (NHLRC1 repeat expansion) DNA test result, on both parents
Found in roughly one in a hundred to one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened.
An inherited inability to absorb vitamin B12 from the gut: affected puppies fail to thrive, and some develop liver disease, but lifelong B12 supplements keep them well. The Beagle has its own CUBN variant. It is recessive, and roughly one Beagle in forty-seven carried it in a screen of more than 5,000.
What to ask for
Intestinal cobalamin malabsorption (CUBN, Beagle type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited inability to absorb vitamin B12 from the gut: affected puppies fail to thrive, and some develop liver disease, but lifelong B12 supplements keep them well. The Beagle has its own CUBN variant. It is recessive, and roughly one Beagle in forty-seven carried it in a screen of more than 5,000.
What to ask for
Intestinal cobalamin malabsorption (CUBN, Beagle type) DNA test result, on both parents
Described in this breed, but found in few or no dogs in recent screening, or only ever in one dog or one family. They are here so a test result makes sense if a breeder mentions one.
An inherited fragility of the bones described in a Beagle puppy: the type I collagen that gives bone its strength is faulty, so the bones break easily. It looks very rare — the variant was not found in any of more than 5,000 Beagles in a later screen.
What to ask for
Osteogenesis imperfecta (COL1A2, Beagle type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited degeneration of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that coordinates movement: affected puppies cannot walk normally from the time they start walking, and the puppy studied was put to sleep at four weeks. It is recessive and rare — roughly one Beagle in six hundred carried it in a screen of more than 5,000.
What to ask for
Neonatal cerebellar cortical degeneration (SPTBN2, Beagle type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited enzyme deficiency that makes red blood cells break down early, causing chronic, severe anaemia in young dogs, with iron overload and hardening of the bones as it goes on. The Beagle has its own PKLR variant, described in 2012. It is recessive and rare in the breed at large — roughly one Beagle in three hundred carried it in a screen of more than 5,000.
What to ask for
Pyruvate kinase deficiency (PKLR, Beagle type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited fragility of the bones described in a Beagle puppy: the type I collagen that gives bone its strength is faulty, so the bones break easily. It looks very rare — the variant was not found in any of more than 5,000 Beagles in a later screen.
What to ask for
Osteogenesis imperfecta (COL1A2, Beagle type) DNA test result, on both parents
Median survival 12.5 years
95% confidence interval 12.3–12.7 years, from 1,552 recorded deaths among 4,664 dogs
Mortality hazard 0.95 (0.91, 1) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12.0 years.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584,734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
An inherited lack of night vision described in this breed: affected dogs see normally in daylight but not in the dark, from birth, and it does not get worse. It is recessive.
What to ask for
Ask whether night blindness has occurred in the parents' close relatives; a veterinary ophthalmologist can confirm it with an electroretinogram (ERG).
A mild-to-moderate inherited bleeding disorder from low levels of a blood-clotting protein; many affected dogs show no signs until surgery or injury causes prolonged bleeding. First identified in research Beagle colonies.
What to ask for
A DNA test for the F7 gene mutation on both parents
A build-up of pressure inside the eye that progressively and irreversibly damages the optic nerve, leading to blindness. Documented in the Beagle via mutations in ADAMTS10, alongside the Norwegian Elkhound.
What to ask for
A DNA test for the ADAMTS10 mutation on both parents, plus a current ACVO eye exam
An inherited connective-tissue disorder (formerly called Chinese Beagle syndrome) causing extensive fibrosis of the skin and joints, stiff gait and contractures that restrict normal movement.
What to ask for
A DNA test for the ADAMTSL2 mutation on both parents
An inherited enzyme deficiency that makes red blood cells break down early, causing chronic, severe anaemia in young dogs, with iron overload and hardening of the bones as it goes on. The Beagle has its own PKLR variant, described in 2012. It is recessive and rare in the breed at large — roughly one Beagle in three hundred carried it in a screen of more than 5,000.
What to ask for
Pyruvate kinase deficiency (PKLR, Beagle type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited degeneration of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that coordinates movement: affected puppies cannot walk normally from the time they start walking, and the puppy studied was put to sleep at four weeks. It is recessive and rare — roughly one Beagle in six hundred carried it in a screen of more than 5,000.
What to ask for
Neonatal cerebellar cortical degeneration (SPTBN2, Beagle type) DNA test result, on both parents
