A Beagle dog is a well-muscled, medium to small sized dog and resembles a Foxhound in appearance, with shorter legs and longer ears. His brown, large eyes have a loving expression that will melt you. Usually black and white with red, orange or yellow a Beagle has a sleek and smooth coat, easy to groom. He needs little more than a weekly brushing for the removal of dead hair. Because of the floppy ears that can trap moist air, Beagles are prone to ear infections, but you can easily avoid this by carefully cleaning your pet's ear canal every time it gets wet. Despite of being an intelligent and obedient breed, a Beagle dog will need patient training because of its single-mindedness, stubbornness and short attention span. They do not respond well to physical punishments (nor do any other dogs!) and you should reward good behavior with treats. He learns quickly and if you are prepared to give your pet attention, exercise and the right training, your patience will be rewarded. You will have a wonderfully loyal and entertaining companion. Keep the Beagle on a leash when out for your daily walk, as its wanderlust will be easily triggered by enticing smells. Feed your Beagle dog with great care. Food in excess, a sedentary lifestyle or old age make them gain weight and lead to overweight-related health issues, like heart and joint problems. Beagles are friendly dogs and even if they will bark and signal the appearance of a stranger at first, curiosity and playfulness will take over in no time, so they are not good as guard dogs. The excellent sense of smell of the Beagles makes them of great use in detection (drug or food detection), but because of their loving nature they are successfully used in therapy also. Unfortunately, Beagles are among the most often used breed in animal testing. The breed is happy, energetic and if you are prepared to give your Beagle dog enough playtime, exercise and daily walks, you will have the perfect companion.
