Beagles can make excellent pets despite traditionally being use as hound dogs.
Although these hound dogs were bred to hunt as part of a pack, Beagles can make loving and loyal companions.
These sturdy dogs can trace their ancestors back to 1500 when hound dogs were used in large packs for hunters that tracked deer, hares, foxes and more.
The first Beagle recognised by the American Kennel Club was registered in 1885 and his name was Blunder.
The National Beagle Club was created in 1888 to further establish the breed in the USA.
The Beagle is the sixth most popular dog breed in the USA, according to the AKC.
With the introduction over, it’s time to take a closer look at the Beagle.
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Beagle Appearance
The energetic dogs are extremely popular as family pets thanks to their curious, clever and merry personalities.
As the breed is recognised by the American Kennel Club, the organization outline a breed standard for these dogs.
Here’s what the breed standard has to say about the AKC’s general appearance.
A miniature Foxhound, solid and big for his inches, with the wear-and-tear look of the hound that can last in the chase and follow his quarry to the death.
There are two types of Beagles – those that stand at 13 inches at the shoulder and those between 13 and 15 inches.
They’ve got a sturdy build with a broad head and big brown or hazel eyes.
Beagle Color
The AKC’S website writes that Beagles come in “such pleasing colors” as lemon, red and white, and tricolor.
The Beagle’s breed standard doesn’t say too much specifically about their coat color. It merely states:
Any true hound color.
The National Beagle Club write on their website that “any true hound color” includes black/tan/white tri color, blue tri color. They add that a tri-colored Beagle can be richly and deeply colored or faded (more tan than black or blue hairs).
The organization, which was created in 1888, adds that tan/white, lemon/white, red/white and chocolate are also acceptable colors, as well as variations or dilutes of these colors.
Where ticking is concerned, the National Beagle Club write that ticking is fine but grizzle or binding is not acceptable.
The Beagle Club explain that some Beagles will have a pied coat.
Pied hounds are those in which the three basic colours intermingle and do not occur in solid patches except white. Where the hairs of one colour predominate, the overall shade changes and gives rise to several types of pied hounds: “Lemon Pied” – mainly lemon or cream hairs intermingling with black and white; “Hare Pied” – more tan than black and white, giving a coat resembling that of a hare, and “Badger Pied” which contains a majority of black hairs. The pieds are found less frequently than the other colour combination groups.
The organization goes on to explain what is meant by Beagles with a coat described as mottles.
Similar to tricolours and the two coloured hounds but with small black and tan spots, known as flecks or mottles, on the white parts. The names used to describe these are “Tricolour Mottles”, “Lemon Mottles”, “Tan Mottles” and “Red Mottles”.
How Many Colors Does A Beagle Have?
If you go on social media, you’ll be able to find a lot of different Beagle coat colors.
Officially, the Beagle has 11 standard colors and a range of 25 different colors possible.
As mentioned above, most Beagles will have variations of white, black, red, blue, brown, lemon, fawn and tan.
Let’s take a look at the list in full (as displayed on the AKC’s website).
• Black
• Black & Tan
• Black & White
• Black Fawn & White
• Black Red & White
• Black Tan & Bluetick
• Black Tan & White
• Black White & Tan
• Blue
• Blue & White
• Brown
• Brown & White
• Brown White & Tan
• Lemon
• Lemon & White
• Red
• Red & Black
• Red & White
• Red Black & White
• Tan
• Tan & White
• White
• White Black & Tan
• Blue Tan & White
• Black Tan & Redtick
What Is A Rare Color For Beagles?
If you’re wondering what is the rarest color for a Beagle, it’s a Beagle with a solid coat color.
These include Black Beagles, Blue Beagles, Red Beagles, Tan Beagles and White Beagles.
Black, Tan And White Beagle
Beagle with tri color coat (Photo: Adobe Stock)
The Black, Tan and White Tri-Color Beagle is perhaps the coat color most associated with a Beagle. This is the traditional color of the Beagle that is most commonly seen when you encounter a Beagle at a dog park or during a walk through town. You’ll usually be able to spot tan on their face, ears, body, legs and tails, black on their body and tail, followed by white on the legs, chest and muzzle. This coat color is obviously recognised by the AKC under the codes 030 and 034.
Black And Tan Beagle
Beagle with black and brown coat (Photo: Adobe Stock)
The Black and Tan Beagle is an example of a Beagle with a bi-colored coat. Unlike the tri color Beagle, the Black and Tan Beagle won’t have any white in their coat – just black and tan. These Beagles will have a predominantly black coat with some tan color on their chest, muzzle, legs, tail and ears. The AKC lists the black and tan Beagle under the code 018.
Chocolate Tri-Color Beagle
Beagle with chocolate tri color coat (Photo: Adobe Stock)
The Chocolate Tri-Color Beagle is a dog with brown that is lighter than the traditional black, tan and white Beagles. The shade of brown will usually be lighter and richer, resembling chocolate rather than tan. If their coat color is an even lighter brown or more reddish in color, they can be dubbed Liver Tri-Color Beagles too.
Blue Tri-Color Beagle
Beagle with blue tri color coat (Photo: Adobe Stock)
The Blue Tri-Color Beagle can be differentiated from the aforementioned shades by the silver on their back. This silver color will become darker as the Beagles ages, sometimes giving the appearance of a charcoal-like color. The AKC recognises this coat color under the code 291.
Tan And White Beagle
Beagle with blue tan and white coat (Photo: Adobe Stock)
The Tan and White Beagle are quite a rare variety of the Beagle. They’re also called Hare Pied. They’ve got a tan and white coat but their hairs can have black tips.
Lemon And White Beagle
Beagle with lemon and white coat (Photo: Adobe Stock)
While a solid Lemon Beagle is possible, it’s extremely rare. The Lemon and White Beagle has a solid white coat color with patches of lemon or gold-like hairs.
Bluetick and Redtick Beagles
Beagle with blue tick coat (Photo: Adobe Stock)
The Bluetick and Redtick refers to freckle-like spots in a Beagle’s coat.
Red And White Beagle
Red and white Beagle (Photo: Adobe Stock)
Listed on the AKC’s website under the code 146, the Red and White Beagle has a coat color that is dark orange with white
Lilac Beagle
This isn’t an official AKC-regonised color but Lilac Beagles are a thing! They’ll have a blue-ish coat rather than the black usually found in the Beagle coat.
Silver Beagle
Like the Lilac Beagle, the Silver Beagle is not officially recognised by the American Kennel Club. They’ll usually have a light blue coat that is faded or diluted to give a silver-like appearance.
Wrapping Up – Our Final Thoughts
We’ve reached the end of our feature on Beagle coat colors.
The AKC sets out 10 colors and 25 possible coat color variations for these Hound dogs.
Some are quite common such as the Black, Tan and White Tri-Color Beagle but others are quite rare such as the Lemon Beagle.
There are also some coat colors that aren’t officially recognised by the AKC but you can still find on social media.
Don’t forget about Beagle shedding!
