Beagle

Expect a dog that wants to be where you are. The AKC's temperament guide describes the Beagle as "friendly, curious, works cheerfully, loyal companion, generally easy-going," and that matches the usual day: a morning walk full of stops, a nap near you, a hunt for anything edible, and a loud greeting when someone comes to the door.

Size is easy to place. The AKC breed standard recognizes two varieties, hounds up to 13 inches tall and hounds over 13 and up to 15 inches, so a Beagle is a compact dog either way. Our puppy size guide can help you estimate where a particular puppy might land.

The Beagle has a smooth, dense, short double coat. According to the AKC, it gets heavier in winter, spring is the main shedding season, and moderate shedding continues all year. Professional clipping is not normally needed.

A simple routine covers most of it:

• Brush weekly with a medium-bristle brush, rubber grooming mitt or hound glove, and more often in heavy shedding weeks
• Check the ears weekly and clean them only as your veterinary team advises
• Bathe when the dog is dirty or smelly rather than on a fixed schedule
• Trim nails regularly
• Brush teeth regularly and arrange dental care with your vet as needed

Weekly brushing usually takes several minutes, plus the nail and dental care. A groomer, if you use one, may only be needed for baths, drying and nails. Shedding level and allergies are separate questions: the AAAAI says no dog breed is truly hypoallergenic, because allergens come mainly from proteins in dander, skin, saliva and urine rather than from hair length.

Beagles are social, pack-bred dogs that generally enjoy people and other dogs, and AKC and veterinary sources commonly describe them as friendly with children. Even so, each dog's temperament, early socialization and your supervision count more than a breed description, so keep an adult watching every child and dog interaction.

Cats and small pets call for more care, since the Beagle was bred to follow and chase scent. Some live happily with cats and others give chase, so introduce them gradually and supervise. Visitors are usually welcomed, though a Beagle may announce them loudly.

Apartment life can work when the dog gets daily exercise, sniffing, enrichment and training, and when you have a plan for barking and a building that tolerates some noise. A yard helps but does not replace walks and mental work.

A Beagle is a poor match for a household that wants a quiet, low-activity dog, one that will be alone for long stretches, or one that can roam off leash without secure fencing. For first-time owners, the answer is "with care." The breed is sociable and food-motivated, and it can do well with consistent reward-based training and realistic expectations about scent distraction and noise.

Petful's September 2026 guidance puts a puppy from a responsible breeder at roughly $800 to $2,500, and adoption from a Beagle rescue at roughly $200 to $500. Those are broad market estimates, and fees vary by organization and region.

For yearly care, a reasonable planning range for a Beagle in the United States is about $1,500 to $3,500 for food, routine veterinary care, parasite prevention, basic grooming and insurance. That range comes from general dog-cost figures, including an older AKC owner survey that averaged about $2,500 a year. It leaves out emergencies, boarding, training, dental procedures and major illness, so confirm local prices with your own vet and insurer.

If you are leaning toward adoption, the AKC Rescue Network lists regional Beagle rescues, and the National Beagle Club of America is the AKC parent club. Rescues such as BREW, SOS Beagle Rescue and Triangle Beagle Rescue are among those to start with; availability and requirements vary.

To see how a Beagle stacks up against other dogs, read our lists of low-maintenance dog breeds and family-friendly dog breeds, both of which include it. You can also check the size of a growing puppy with the puppy size guide, or browse every profile on the dog breeds hub.