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Free Breed Guide

The Beagle: What They Were Bred to Do

What your Beagle was bred to do, what drives them, and how to give them a good job.

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Cover of the free Scentsible K9 Beagle guide
What is inside
  • Where the Beagle came from, and the job they were bred for
  • What drives a Beagle, and what you see at home
  • Reading your Beagle: what each behavior is really telling you
  • Sports that fit, and 3 games to start this week
  • How to train them, and how we work with your dog

Where the Beagle came from

The Beagle comes from England, where small hounds hunted rabbits and hares by scent for centuries. Hunters followed on foot, so a small, steady hound suited them.

In the 1830s a minister named Phillip Honeywood started a Beagle pack in Essex that is thought to be the base of the modern breed. Beagles were kept in packs for hunting and bred for nose and voice.

The AKC recognized the breed in 1885. Today Beagles are family dogs and detection dogs, and they work at US airports.

  • 1830s Phillip Honeywood's Essex pack becomes the base of the modern Beagle
  • 1890 The Beagle Club is formed in England and writes the first standard
  • 1885 AKC recognizes the Beagle

The job a Beagle was bred for

The dogs followed a trail with the nose down and called out with their voice so hunters could follow. At home that shows up as following food smells, howling and wandering off.

What you see at home

Follows their nose out the door. Howls. Steals food.

Howling or baying

That is the voice they were bred for. Reward quiet, and give the nose plenty to do.

Ignoring you outside

A scent beat your voice. Use a long line and great treats, and practice recall in small steps.

Stealing food

Food smells are trails. Keep counters clear and use meal time for scent games.

Wandering off

Fences matter. Give daily sniff time so the trail urge has an outlet.

Sports that fit a Beagle

  • Scent work. Their best skill
  • Tracking. Natural trackers
  • Rally. Food motivated
  • Barn hunt. Love finding rats in hay
  • Trick dog. Food driven

Training tips for a Beagle

  • Use food rewards, since the nose is the boss.
  • Train recall with a long line and great treats.
  • Teach a quiet cue and reward silence.
  • Use sniff walks for daily exercise.

Body and health

Prone to weight gain and back problems, so keep them lean and avoid hard jumping.

Fun fact. The US Department of Agriculture's Beagle Brigade uses Beagles to sniff out food in travelers' bags at airports.

Breed is where we start

A study of more than 18,000 dogs found breed explains only about 9 percent of the differences in behavior between dogs (Morrill and others, Science, 2022). So your Beagle is a starting guess, not a label. We find the drive your dog actually runs on, give it a job, and teach you to read them.

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Looking for a different breed? See what 75 breeds were bred to do.