Beagles as Pets: Cost, Life Expectancy, and Temperament

Beagles make some of the cutest pets, but there is a lot of information you need to know about the costs that are involved with owning a beagle, the life expectancy, and even the temperament. So of course, I whipped out my computer, did some research, and made some awesome discoveries for everyone who wants to know.

Beagles really are such great dogs, and in this article we get to explore all of the reasons why, as well as getting to explore more in detail about the costs, life, and personality of our furry friends. So read on with me and let’s see why beagles are on everyone’s radar.

How are Beagles as Pets?

There is always big hesitations before getting a pet. You want to know if that breed of dog or cat is going to work with your family. That is why it is so important to know what beagles are like.

Are they even good pets? Do they have the proper temperment? Are they to expensive? Does their life style fit into the lifestyle that my family and I have adopted?

If you are the type of family that loves to come home go to your separate rooms and stay there until morning, a beagle is probably not the dog for you. A cat or a fish may be a more appropriate pet.

Now if you are looking for a pet to help bring your family together so that you can spend time together or you are a family that already is super active together, or you are just a super active person then a beagle could be the perfect pet for you.

Beagles love to be outside running, sniffing, and playing. A great family night activity could be hiding smelly things in the backyard and seeing how long it takes your beagle to find them.

Beagles also love to eat, so barbeques outside in the summer are the perfect temptation for your beagle, which is sure to add lots of funny family memories to your family’s storybook.

Because beagles are so friendly they really are great pets. They do have their downfalls because some of them develp health issues and becasue they can be hard to train, but in the end their adorable faces and personalities make up for most of the difficulties.

You do have to start training beagles early, and you have to put a lot of time and effort into that training. Beagles are naturally curious and find it amusing to play and follow every sent that comes across their noses.

If you are expecting a calm and sedated dog like Trusty from Lady in the Tramp you might want to watch some videos of beagle puppies before you purchase one.

Beagle puppies do not run short in energy or curiosity, and that curiosity gets them in a lot of trouble. It will take a lot of training before you can walk with your beagle down the road without having to use a lead (aka. leash).

Because their sense of smell is so heightened, it takes a lot of training before a beagle will be ready to ignore the new sents around them. Beagle pups and untrained beagles with rush off at the first whiff of a new sent.

That is why training is so important. Now beagles can be trained to stay with you off of the leash but that is not their natural instincts so a lot of time and attention needs to be put into their training before they reach that point.

Beagles make great family dogs because they do need a lot of daily exercise and play time. Having kids that want to play and run around the back yard, or that want to go outside and take the beagle for a walk is the perfect environment for a beagle.

Beagles come from a long line of hunting dogs. They are originally mentioned in British history. They were used as hunting dogs for rich British lords, and they aided in the hunting of deer and hare.

It is said that they get their name because of the baying that they perform every time they meet a new and interesting sent. These dogs were great friends and partners to the British and still are today around the world.

The white house had a pair of beagles one term, and disney has loved them in movies like Lady and the Tramp and the Beagle Boys. Not mention that the United States fell in love with beagles in the peanuts comic Charlie Brown.

Snoopy, Charlie Brown’s dog, is a beagle and one that has won the hearts of American’s time and time again. You probably don’t want to know the number of people that have him tattooed on their bodies.

Basically, beagles are heroes in America, in England, and all over the world. If you want a great pet and you aren’t afraid of a little hard work then a beagle is probably the perfect dog for you.

What are the Costs of Owning a Beagle?

Because beagles are such great pets they can be in high demands in some places. Although most beagles can be bought for about 400-1000 dollars, beagles from good strong bloodlines are more in the 1500-2000 dollars range.

Beagles though are well worth the price. They are friendly and lovable and because of their infectious playfulness are well worth the price to many people who need to be cheered up or want a friend.

Along with the initial cost of purchasing a beagle, there are a few more long term and short term purchases that have to be made in order to have a happy and healthy beagle.

According to animalso.com Orijen 6 Fish Grain-Free Dog Food is the best dog food for beagles. Wellness CORE Natural Dry Grain-Free Small Breed Formula Dog food comes in a close second.

Most dogs need a designated bed or blanket where they can relax and have a place to be trained to stay when you have company over. Normally a medium sized dog bed works great.

Picking a dog bed can be a chore and/or fun depending on how you look at it. I like to shop off of Amazon so that I can get all of my stuff in one place and I don’t have to deal with people at a store.

You can find plenty of dog beds that work great and are rather inexpensive, or you can go all out and get a super nice and expensive dog bed that will probably never need to be replaced. There is no right or wrong way, so it is just what you as a dog owner prefers.

Because we as human beings travel your beagle will probably also need a crate that is medium size so that they can either travel with you or travel to whoever’s home they will be staying at.

A create for a beagle should be about no less than (28 x 20.5 x 21.5) that way they have enough room to move around and feel comfortable. You may not want too big of a crate because they don’t need one and they can be difficult to transport. Also so they don’t have so much room that it makes them go crazy.

The Aspen Pet Traditional Kennel is a great travel kennel for dog breeds like beagles, or if you want something a little more permanent feeling you could get something more along the lines of an AmazonBasics Folding Metal Dog Crate.

This crate is a little bigger but only by a few inches, but a dog bed could easily fit inside and it can allow for a better experience for your beagle. Both are great options and really just depend on what you are looking for.

All dogs need dog tags to make sure that they can be easily returned to their owner in case anything ever happens to them or you lose track of them. Dog tags are a great insurance policy for dogs.

Lucky Pets makes some great dog tags and collar tags that are inscribed with your information and your pets name. That way your beagle can always find its way home.

Plus Lucky Pets usually has free shipping which is really nice for buying things online. There are also plenty of other places to go to get dog tags for your pet.

Along with dog tags, any new puppy needs a nice leash and collar that can grow with them and will be well equipped for training as you go on walks and out to doggie parks.

Also for the breed of beagles, in particular, they will need a nice harness as well so that they can be easily controlled to stay on task and not run. Just using a collar could result in chocking as beagles try to run around and smell everything.

The pet love harness is a great harness for beagles because it is comfortable and is easy to keep control without hurting your beagle, but the blueberry harness and the pet adventure harnesses also work great for beagles.

As long as your beagle feels confortable in their harness they should be fine. You do need to be careful and not get a harness that is either way to big or way to small because you don’t want your beagle to be uncomfortable or hurt.

All animals need to eat and drink, so any puppy will need food and water dishes. For beagles, it is wise to stay away from those self-feeding dishes that refill as the dog is eating because beagles will overeat and can get very sick.

It is best to get a normal food dish as well as a normal water dish, although it isn’t harmful to get a water dish that fills as the dog drinks. Either way, you choose to go it is important to remember that beagles diets need to be controlled.

And of course, all puppies need a few toys. If you want a happy puppy and an unchewed house getting a few bones and other toys for your dog will certainly help in that matter.

Beagles are great dogs for many reasons, but one of the best reasons is that they don’t need any special toys or bones. They will love whatever you give them and just be happy that you want to me with them.

What are Beagle Temperaments Really Like?

Beagles are cute and adorable and quite the troublemakers when they want to be. Every dog is going to need training and support, but beagles can be an unexpected handful if you don’t know what you are getting into.

First off just because beagles are good hunting dogs does not mean that they are good guard dogs. If you want your burglars to get licked to death then a beagle is the dog for you. If you are looking more for a guard dog, a beagle is probably not the right fit.

On the plus side, if you are looking for a great family dog that will love playing with your kids and going on walks then a beagle is just the right breed of dog for you and your family.

Beagles are very curious and because they have very powerful noses that can lead them into trouble. Their nicknames tend to be counter surfers, and they don’t get it from having great balance.

Picture this: you come home from work and find the house oddly quite… you know that your beagle puppy (or adult for that matter) must be around somewhere, so you start looking.

As you go room to room calling their name, you find nothing. Finally, you enter the kitchen and lo and behold you have found your beagle. They are laying on their backs in a full food coma, and you find that your bread, butter, thawing meat, and any other spare edible on the counter has been devoured.

Welcome to the world of beagles, the counter surfers.

Although they can be a little bit mischievous because of their noses, they really are a great family pet! They love to be around kids and most of the time will be found outside with them, but they also love to be around other dogs.

This makes them a great second dog as well as making them great for trips to the doggie park. These trips can be really fun because of beagles! It is almost an oxymoron to think of a beagle as being aggressive unless you consider an abundance of joy aggressive.

Although they are great dogs to take on walks, it may take a while to train your beagle not to lunge at every new smell that they come across. Beagles have highly sensitive noses and are programmed to follow their noses.

Because of this, it can be really important to make sure that you start training young and are willing to dedicate a lot of time and energy into the training for a couple of months.

Beagles have a kind of one track mind, and so they need a little extra push in order to stay on track, but once they are trained they are good for quite a while. Beagles may be one of the few dogs that are easier to train as an adult than as puppies, but after a few months of hard work, everything pans out.

Although they are not the best at Frisbee, these little musical gems are really the perfect family dog. Willing to run around and be crazy with the kids, these little balls of energy are great companions for kids.

How Long will a Pet Beagle Live?

Everyone loves their beagle and wants them to live forever, but like all living things on our planet, they have to die eventually. Luckily for beagle pet owners they normally get around 12-15 years with their furry friend.

Most people don’t know that the life expectancy of their pet, especially beagles, relies a lot on them as owner. One of the first things that pet owners should do after they purchase a puppy, is to take their puppy to get vaccines.

Vaccines make the world of difference in a young puppies life, and they help to prevent a lot of really scary diseases that puppies and dogs, in general, are susceptible to.

So making sure that your puppy gets the proper vaccinations with proper injections is important. It is kind of spendy going to the vet, so a lot of people just buy their vaccinations from the store and administer them at home.

While this is totally fine and works most of the time, it is important to be aware that ther are risks when giving vaccinations this way. Pet owners run the potential risk of not injecting the dog correctly.

If this occurs some puppies and dogs can still be susceptible to diseases like Canine Parvovirus. Normally called parvo for short. This disease is painful and can kill dogs who get it.

My brother and sister-in-law decided to do at home shots with their puppy Relyk and somehow he developed parvo. They had to do crazy treatments and were told he had a 50/50 chance of living.

Luckily he lived. So, if you decide to vaccinate at home please do some research and make sure that you are administering the shots properly and at the right time.

On that same note, if you live near constant wildlife there are other optional shots and vaccines that you should consult your vet about to make sure that your puppy is protected.

So, if your beagle puppy has healthy genetics, is vaccinated properly, and is protected from cars, unnecessary falls, and bigger animals it should grow and live a long and healthy life.

How Do I Find and Purchase a Beagle Puppy?

Now that you know how truly awesome beagles are and how much they love being family dogs I know that your next question is, “Where do I even find or purchase a beagle?”

Lucky for you that question is a lot more simple than it sounds. I know that when I think about buying a puppy I think about breeders and not knowing how to contact them, and it is just a mess of thoughts.

Really though, it is quite simply trying to find a breeder that is selling beagle puppies and it is all online. Well mostly online… You do have to visit the breeder to pick a dog and then come back after you decide which dog you want to purchase.

But other than that, it is all online. If you don’t particularly care what type of beagle that you are buying and you just want a cute beagle puppy for yourself or for your family then craigslist is a great place to look.

I know that sounds weird because craigslist is where you look for machinery or jobs, but there are a lot of cute puppies that are bred out there and a lot of folks just post it on craigslist.

All you have to do is go to their website, which is normally your cities name and then craglist followed by .com, or you can just type your city and craigslist into google and it will come up as well.

Then you type into the bar puppy beagle or beagle puppy and any listings that have been posted and are near you will pop up. This is great and works well, but sometimes there aren’t any beagles for sale there.

In that case, there are a lot of other great websites that can help you find the perfect beagle. One of my favorites is AKC Market Place. This website is super helpful and it is really nice because it has a lot of filters so that you can find the best dog for you.  

Some of the filters it has are:

• Gender
• Breed
• City
• Breeders of Distinction
• Breeders Of MeritBred With H.E.A.R.T.
• Club Member
• AKC National Breed Club
• AKC Specialty Club
• AKC Licensed Club/Member Club
• Dog Size-Small, Medium, Large
• Puppies available now
• Coming Soon
• Champion Bloodlines
• Has Photo

All of these filters are discriptive and can help you find the perfect dog for you and for your family. This site is especially good for people who are looking for champion bloodlines when they are looking for a pet.

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