Is 7 old for a Beagle
Beagle Behavior by Age (What Changes to Expect)
You might have seen beagles who are very calm and gentle, and obedient. On the other hand, your beagle puppy is naughty and mischievous.
Well, theres nothing to worry about. The behavior of beagles changes by their age. You can expect different behavior at different stages of their life:
Beagles are super energetic and playful in their puppyhood. Between their adolescent age of 6 to 12 months, their behavior can be unpredictable and less obedient. They are relatively calm in their adult age, and they become slow and lazy in their senior years.
Further, we will have a deeper understanding of the behavior changes of Beagles as per their age.
Beagle Behavior at 0-2 Weeks
Beagles at this age are a newborn. They wont be doing much apart from sleeping and eating.
The eyes of the newborns remain closed in the first two weeks. They wont be able to see anything. Apart from that, at this age, they are deaf too. They will hardly react to anything.
Beagle Behavior at 2-4 Weeks
They will finally open their eyes, and over the weeks, their vision will become clearer. They will also be able to hear you now.
They will stick around their mother and still spend most of their time sleeping. By the 4th week, they may crawl and try to explore their environment.
Beagle Behavior at 4-8 weeks
Over these weeks, all their senses of hearing, smelling, and seeing will develop. But make sure not to expose them to strong light and loud noises just yet.
They will be even more curious. They would want to explore their surroundings, smell things and listen to different sounds.
They will still spend most of the time sleeping. But while awake, expect them to be playful and mischievous with their siblings and mother.
The latter part of this stage is very important. This is the time when they will learn basic socialization skills from their mother and siblings. So make sure not to separate your pup from its family.
Beagle Behavior at 8-12 weeks
At this stage, beagle puppies are ready to go to their new home with their new family.
They will have a better sense of hearing and will be able to understand few commands. However, they are still fearful at this age, so do not expose them to loud music or sounds.
They will be much more curious to explore their new home. They may go to different rooms and smell things around the house.
They will sleep for more than 18 hours a day, but they will be curious and playful when they are awake.
Beagle Behavior at 3-6 months old
At this age, you will get to see your puppys true energy level. They will be running around all over the house, chewing on things, and even biting you.
They will test their boundaries to see how far they can push you. For instance, they may bark for a longer period until they get something. They may even bite you when things dont go their way.
When Groot was at this stage, I almost thought my beagle is aggressive and totally out of control. But, the Groot(2 years old) that we know now is a very well-behaved, gentle, and obedient dog.
This is the right time to start with your beagles obedient training. Consistent training using positive reinforcement will help you shape your beagle into a perfect companion.
Later in this stage, they may also attempt to dominate you and become alpha themselves. So make sure to teach them the proper hierarchy of your family. They need to understand that they are a part of your family, but they are at the bottom of the hierarchy.
Beagle Behavior at 6 to 12 months old
Its all uphill from here. Your beagle will start becoming calmer with every passing day. All their bad behaviors will start fading down. With consistent training and positive reinforcements, the pup will be much more obedient.
Your beagle will still try to test their boundaries now and then. You will often find them chewing on furniture or notice other destructive behaviors.
So it is crucial to train them regularly and correct their behaviors using positive reinforcements.
Nevertheless, they will still be hyperactive and equally curious about everything. They will still have a strong urge to explore new places and smell different scents.
Male beagles may get into a habit of humping things or even people. You can read more about why do beagle puppies hump here.
Beagle Behavior at 1-2 years old
Your beagle is no more a puppy now, he or she has become an adult. Their growth rate will slow down, but they will continue to grow until 18 months old.
They will be less curious and more mature at this age. At this stage, you will get to know the true personality of your beagle. You will be able to see their love and affection for you.
They will have slightly better control over their impulses and excitement. You will notice that your training has finally paid off.
Your beagle will be much more disciplined and well-behaved.However, you must continue with their training.
They may show destructive behavior if you dont provide them enough exercise. So take them out on long walks daily and play with them.
Beagle Behavior at 2-9 years old
Your beagle will become much calmer and obedient when they turn 2. They will be in the best form of their life.
You will get to see a totally different side of your dog, and you will love it.
There will be a deep connection between you two. You both will have a better understanding of each other.
Beagle Behavior at 9 15 years old
At this age, the senior years of your beagle start. They will still be loving and affectionate towards you and other family members. But they will be a lot calmer and inactive.
There will be a notable difference in their behavior too. They will act OLD.
They wont run around the house or jump on you to get your food anymore. They will be a lot more inactive and lazy. They will spend most of their time sleeping and lying in their bed.
Beagle Behavior by Age Chart
Beagle Age | Behavior |
---|---|
0-2 weeks | They wont be able to see anything and sleep most of the time. |
2-4 weeks | They will be able to see and crawl. |
4-8 weeks | Their sense develops, and they become more curious. |
8-12 weeks | They are ready to join their new family. They will be a lot more curious but fearful. |
3-6 months old | The toughest time for beagle owners. They may chew, bite and show destructive behavior. |
6 to 12 months old | They start to calm down but still have some bad behaviors. |
1-2 years old | They are much calmer. But can show destructive behavior now and then. |
2-9 years old | They are energetic, playful but yet well-behaved, obedient, and affectionate. |
9-15 years old | Loving and affectionate but inactive. |
Beagle Growth & Weight Chart from Puppy to Adulthood
When my beagle was a puppy, I had a constant concern about whether or not his growth is healthy. I used to call my vet every month to ask if my pup is underweight or overweight for his age. Finally, my vet decided to make a growth chart of a beagle and gave it to me.
The growth chart can help you track your beagles healthy weight according to its age. It can also be used to find out the adult size of your puppy.
Beagle Growth Stages
It is necessary to know the growth and development stages of a beagle to understand the growth chart.
From birth to 3 weeks old
Beagle puppies are born after developing for nine weeks inside their mothers womb.
After birth, the pups eyes and ears remain closed. He cannot see or hear anything yet. All the puppies need to be close to their mother to absorb her body heat. At this stage, a beagle puppy grows quickly. By the end of this week, his weight will be double.
During the second week, he will start opening his eyes but wont be able to see properly. The pup will continue to grow and gain weight. He will still need to be around his mother.
In 3rd week, he will be able to see better. His ears will open. During this, he will be able to stand up and walk a few steps. He will start socializing with other littermates and his mother.
4 to 6 weeks old
During these weeks, you will see the beagle puppys true personality. He will start walking, running, whining, and also biting. You can start introducing puppy food to his diet.
7 to 8 weeks old
During these weeks, a puppy learns the necessary socialization skills from his mother and littermates. He will start biting and nipping on everything. Being with his mother and littermates will help him understand that its not the correct way to interact.
8 to 12 weeks old (3 Months)
8 to 12 weeks old is the correct age for you to get a beagle puppy and start a new journey with an adorable little being.
Three months old (12 weeks) is the perfect age to start with his crate training, house training and teach him to socialize.
You must refer to Beagle puppy care. It covers everything you need to know about raising a beagle puppy.
4 Months to 7 Months old
You must continue with all his training. By this age, the puppy will become quite playful and energetic. You will have to consider taking him for short walks. You can start teaching him tricks and other basic commands.
At around 6 or 7 months, the beagle pup would have completed half of his body growth. A female puppy might have her first heat during this time.
Male as well as female pups will become sexually mature. A male puppy may start humping on pillows, toys, or even on your leg. Its completely normal.
8 to 12 months old
By eight months, your pup will start looking like a dog. He will be more energetic and sexually active unless you neuter him.
By one year, a beagle puppy will become an adult dog. His growth rate will slow down, but he will continue to grow until he is 18 months old.
Well, I know raising a puppy can be scary, and you may have lots of questions, and going to the vets clinic for basic information can be inconvenient as well as expensive.
Growth Chart of Beagle
Just like humans, not all beagles are the same. They have different metabolism and growth rate. It is just impossible to predict a dogs exact future weight. The following chart contains the average data of beagles.
Check your puppys current age and weight. This chart will help you know the average weight that your pup needs to maintain while growing up.
Guessing the Beagle Puppys adult size
Well, who doesnt wanna know how big their puppy will get?
Guessing the Weight
Predicting the rough weight of a puppy is possible. Typically, the average weight of a male adult beagle is 14 to 15 kg, and the a female beagle is 8 to 10 kg.
You can use the above growth chart and check the adult weight of your pooch. You can even use this formula:
Weight at 14 weeks x 2.5 = Adult Weight (approx.)
There are two major factors on which the weight gain of a beagle puppy depends:
- Food: Food plays a significant factor in a puppys growth and development. The quality of food, the amount of food, the frequency of feeding everything contributes to the puppys weight. Recommend this for a proper beagle feeding guide.
- Amount of exercise: Beagles are an energetic breed, and they need daily exercise. As they are prone to obesity, a beagle will become overweight quickly without exercise.
The above chart is just an average overview, and you should not stick to it obsessively.
Guessing the Height
You can predict the height of a beagle puppy by using this formula:
Height at 6 Months (inch.) x 100 / 75 = Adult Height of a Beagle (approx.)
However, its just a rough estimate. The average height of a full-grown adult beagle is 12 to 17 inches.
Factors that affect the growth of a Beagle
There are a few factors that can affect the average growth of your beagle pup. Lets have a look at them.
Neutering/Spaying
A beagles sex hormones tell his body to when to stop growing. Neutering or spaying your beagle at an early age can affect the growth plates leading it to become larger and taller than usual.
Growing over their average size can cause several joint and health concerns.
Feeding and Exercise
As we discussed before, feeding and exercise play an important role in a puppys growth rate.
Overfeeding them without exercise will cause obesity. Whereas too much exercise can damage their growth plates.
It is essential to provide a balanced diet and exercise every day.
General Health
Health plays a major factor. A healthy puppy will have average growth. However, an unhealthy puppy who is continually being sick will have a slow growth rate.
Gender
Males tend to be bigger and larger in size than female beagles.
Final Thoughts
I hope all your doubts regarding your beagles growth and development have been cleared. If you have more queries, feel free to contact me, I will be happy to help.