The breeds · scenthound · scenthound
AKC Hound · UKC Scenthound · FCI standard 161
Beagle.
FCI 161: scent hound whose essential function is to hunt, primarily hare, by following a scent; still used in packs. AKC: a miniature Foxhound for 'the chase', and the AKC standard also carries a judging scale for packs of Beagles. UKC: a total dog, excelling as a hunter while possessing good conformation. National Beagle Club: its mission includes field trial events to improve field qualities as well as type..
Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.
The lines
Within one breed the line can matter more than the breed. Where the lines differ, the page says which one a value belongs to.
AKC variety for hounds not exceeding 13 in at the withers (UKC and FCI do not split varieties).
AKC variety for hounds over 13 in but not exceeding 15 in.
The body
What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.
Height at the shoulder
AKC standard prints the variety limit only, no ideal; FCI range covers both AKC varieties. Low left blank: no source prints a floor for the 13-inch variety. The two AKC varieties are modelled as lines because the AKC splits them.
FCI maximum 40 cm is 15.7 in, above the AKC/UKC cap of 15 in; both stand.
Weight
Weight comes only from the AKC breed page header, which is a summary, not the standard.
Weight comes only from the AKC breed page header, which is a summary, not the standard.
Coat
Three registries agree on the coat; color rules differ and are stated by source.
Shedding
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Heat tolerance
Derived from the standard's coat description (short, dense, hard hound coat = 4). No measured data.
How long they live, and what they costSources differ
Two numbers, two measures. Median lifespan: in a large sample of this breed, the age by which half had died; read it as the typical lifespan (UK, 2024, 584,734 dogs). Life expectancy at birth: how many years a newborn of this breed is expected to live, worked from the death rates at every age in UK veterinary records, the same life-table method used for people (VetCompass, 2022). It runs lower because every early death pulls the average down and because it comes from clinics, not registries. KENAI leads with the median and shows the other beside it. Neither is averaged.
Median lifespan
McMillan et al. 2024 / Dogs Trust table. UK population; the median is across dogs that had died plus censored dogs per the paper's method. Compare Teng 2022 below, which is lower.
Life expectancy at birth
Teng et al. 2022. The cache pointer said Table 1; the breed figures are in Table 3 (Table 1 defines life-table parameters). The two lifespan figures disagree and both stand.
The dog at home
What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.
Exercise need
RKC is a UK registry band, not a study; mapped by the library rule.
Energy
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Grooming load
RKC is a UK registry band, not a study; mapped by the library rule. AKC page prints coat grooming frequency 2 (AKC band, not mapped).
The work
What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.
Role
FCI, AKC, UKC and NBC wording.
Primary game
AKC beagle field trials page and FCI 161.
Search pattern
Trial-judging language, not a measured behavior.
Field trial standard
AKC beagle field trial pages (overview, Get Started) and the NBC Triple Challenge page (archive copy). The AKC rulebooks themselves were not read.
How common the problems are
Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.
Hip dysplasia
OFA's own breed statistics (rank 61). OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, with normal results over-represented.
Elbow dysplasia
OFA's own breed statistics. Small n and breeding-stock skew: owners submit selectively, so normal results are over-represented.
What the studies found
Population-level findings, shown as a spread. Breed sets the odds; the parents set the dog.
Aggression, as studied
Text placement statements only; the paper prints no Beagle mean in the tables read. Questionnaire study of self-selected owners; population-level, never a prediction for one dog. No bite statistics recorded.
More
akc bands
Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.
What to ask a breeder for
The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
- USElbow evaluationOFA · Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, breed statistics data service (the data behind ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/): hips and elbows, all evaluations on file, read Oct 5 2026
- USHip evaluationOFA · Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, breed statistics data service (the data behind ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/): hips and elbows, all evaluations on file, read Oct 5 2026
Side by side
How to read this page
Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.
Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 9 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.
- Also called
- Beagle Hound
Every breed, read the same way.
The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.
All published breedsYour beagle, on the record.
Log the days, the miles and the birds, and the KENAI app keeps the dog’s story beside the breed’s. Free to start.
Get the app