A Beagle at the correct weight will have the curvature of its stomach clearly visible & will appear muscular as in this photo.

How to Know if Your Beagle is the Correct Weight

During the first 2 years, your Beagle puppy will be growing, both in height & weight.  While some dogs may be done growing at 18 months, a general guideline is that at the 2 year mark, your Beagle, whether male or female, will have reached its adult size.

During the first 2 years, weight can vary quiet a bit.  However, you can take notice of your Beagle's structure for signs of being overweight.

The easiest way is to look at your dog's rib cage.    You will want to look at the ribs and touch the bones.

• Looking - Stand above your dog.   Does the stomach area on the dog curve in a bit?  Is there a distinction between the upper torso and the lower torso?  If not, there is most likely too much fat there.
• Touching - Gently touch the rib bones on your Beagle.  Dogs that are underweight will have bones that are right against the skin and protruding in some places.  Beagles that are overweight will have a thick shielding of fat between the bones and you; if you find it very difficult to even locate your pet's rib bones, this is a sign that your Beagle is overweight.

There are many reasons why a dog may be too heavy.  Unless your Beagle knows how to unwrap that dog food bag and feed themselves, the final cause falls into the hands of the owner.  The 5 top reasons are:

1. Snacking - Many dogs are given little treats through out the day, these small calories snacks can add up quickly.  Healthy dog food snacks should be limited to 1 or 2 per day.
2. Begging - It is hard to resist those puppy eyes!  A dog will beg for food unless you train them that begging does not work.  This is just 1 of the important Beagle behaviors discussed in the BeaglePro Book.  If you give in to  begging, it is a long road out!  However, any negative behavior can be reversed with proper training.
3. The Finicky Eater - Discussed as an early Topic of the Month, a dog who refuse to eat dog food and be quite a challenge.  An owner may then feed the dog human food on a regular basis - a huge no-no!  Human food should only be fed to a Beagle if carefully prepared and as a part of a scheduled home cooked diet.
   
4. Performance Eating - Dogs are sometimes given treats every time that they behave.  As discussed in our training topics, in most cases your Beagle should receive praise, hugs and kisses for their great behavior, not food.  Once your dog learns all that is needed, they should not expect food each time they behave or listen to a command.
5. Eating fillers - Sadly many owners do not realize that all manufactured dog food contains fillers. Fillers are somewhat like cardboard.  They contain zero nutrients, zero calories and are useless ingredients.  "High quality" dog food contains less fillers than cheap dog food, but it still contains them.  Why are these put into the commercial dog food?  To plump up the food to make it appear as if there is more...and also, unfortunately, to make your Beagle feel full...when they did not actually fill up their tummy with real food.  Learn much more about the importance of home cooking here.
   

It is true that certain medical issues can cause a dog to gain weight. If your Beagle shows a sudden weight gain, a full & complete medical checkup should be performed.  However, in the United States currently 42% of dogs are overweight and only 7% of those have true medical issues that are causing it.   Therefore, if your Beagle is given a "Clean bill of health", changes to the diet and a slow increase in exercise should begin immediately for the sake of your dog's health.



Smaller:  Sadly, so-called "Pocket Beagles" come in much under the breed standard size and are either Beagles who are bred with other breeds to create a smaller "Pocket Beagle" (Which is not an official dog breed & is an unethical marketing term) or is a result of 2 runts dogs bred together in an effort to produce a Beagle who is much smaller than nature intended.   However, if your adult dog is between 15-20 lbs, chances are your Beagle just happens to be a bit smaller than the standard.

Larger:  A Beagle may be up to 35 pounds and not overweight.  The dog may simply have a larger bone structure than average. However, if your dog is between 25 and 35 pounds, do have the veterinarian check for issues.


The best way to help your Beagle tone down is slowly & steadily.  There must be 2 changes:

• Food
• Exercise

Food:  If you have been feeding your dog human food or dog food,  your Beagle should now be put on a low calorie, high quality dog food.  In this way, your dog can still eat the same amount of food (to a certain degree) but slowly pare down in size.

Exercise:  While daily exercise is very important to maintaining good health & exercise is certainly important when it comes to helping your Beagle get back into shape...do be aware that your Beagle will need a slow & steady introduction to more exercise.  Carrying around excess pounds will make exercise more difficult.

Tip: It is suggested to add a short walk to your daily schedule.  Each week, increase the time of the walk, not the speed.