Beagles are a small to medium size dog that were originally bred as scenthounds and retain a great reputation for sniffing stuff out. Whilst this information may be widely known,we have delved deep to bring you some interesting and lesser known information about the Beagle breed.

The Meaning Of The Word Beagle

The word Beagle is said to come from the french word begueule or beegueule which has the literal meaning of 'gaping gullet' or 'loud mouth'

This may appear extremely apt for anyone with knowledge of the breed as they are known for being very vocal!

Famous Beagles

Perhaps the most famous Beagle of them all is Snoopy, Charlie Brown's lovable companion who first made an appearance in 1950. Snoopy was originally due to be called 'Sniffy' but was changed as the name Sniffy appeared in another comic strip.

Other famous Beagles that have attained a level of fame over the years are Gromit from Wallace and Gromit, Odie from Garfield, Mr Peabody from Rocky and Bullwinkle and Poochie from The Simpsons.

Famous Beagle Enthusiasts

Beagles have enjoyed some pretty impressive enthusiasts over the years and it is known that Queen Elizabeth the first owned miniature Beagles.

Other notable beagle owners include President Lyndon Johnson and Barry Manilow whose Beagle that went by the name of Bagel appeared on several of his album covers.

Breeding Quirk

The best breeding pairing is said to be a female that is slightly larger than a male but given that the males are almost always larger than the females then this is not always the most readily available pairing!

Beagles And Bed Bugs

Beagles are so adept at sniffing out bed bugs that several well known major brands have used them, with great success, to sniff out potential bug problems in their department stores.

They Enjoy Company

Beagles are a natural pack dog and can be prone to suffer from separation anxiety. Although seemingly independent they are a dog that is generally more comfortable when they sense or know that others are nearby.

Beagle Strengths

Aside from being recognised as extremely good Police dogs and bug specialists due to their impressive sense of smell, Beagles are also known to be excellent when used as therapy dogs due to their sweet and kind nature.

Sadly the breeds strength in the scent department has led to them being used disproportionately when it comes to animal testing of products.

Snoring Beagles

A high proportion of owners report that their dog has a tendency to snore whilst sleeping!