Beagle: size, sleep, exercise and care

At a glance

Size

Small

Adult weight

9–14 kg

Height at the shoulder

33–40 cm

Life expectancy

10–15 years

Exercise needs

High · 60–90 min per day

Sleep needs

Typical total sleep per 24 hours, including naps.

Puppy18–20 h

Adult12–14 h

Senior12–15 h

06121824 h

These are general life-stage ranges for dogs from the AKC and Hill's; no study gives a separate figure for the Beagle. Individual dogs vary, and a sudden change in how much your dog sleeps is worth mentioning to your vet.

Puppy sleep calculator →

Exercise needs

The Royal Kennel Club lists up to an hour a day, while PDSA advises at least an hour and a half including running and play, so 60–90 minutes is a sensible daily target. Sniffing is exercise for a Beagle: let walks include time to follow scents. Recall is often unreliable once a trail is found, so use a long line unless the area is fenced.

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Potty training

Beagles can be slow to become fully house-trained, partly because their nose keeps finding old smells indoors. Clean accidents with an enzyme cleaner so the spot does not invite a repeat.

Keep a tight schedule: out after waking, eating and playing, and every hour or two while awake for a young puppy. Use a small, tasty reward the instant the puppy finishes outside; food motivation is this breed's biggest training asset.

Puppy potty schedule calculator →

Feeding

Beagles are famously greedy and many will eat anything they can reach, so store food and bins out of reach. Weigh meals rather than scooping by eye, and count treats as part of the daily ration.

Puppies do well on three to four small meals a day, moving to two meals as adults. A slow feeder or scatter feeding in the garden slows down fast eaters and gives the nose a job. If your Beagle starts to lose its waist, cut portions slightly before it becomes a weight problem.

Puppy feeding schedule calculator →