Published on March 17th, 2020
Beagles are cute dogs. They are always happy to see you, bouncing off the walls, eager for play and attention. They make perfect family dogs. They are excellent with children, and so many of them are great with other pets too.
Parents often look into getting a beagle as a family dog. They are cheerful and lovable; they make the perfect companion for any adult or child, and they love to learn new things, stubborn as they may be during training.
But there may be a deal-breaker if you are looking into getting one. Prospective dog owners always ask one question: do they shed?
Let's find out!
How Much Do Beagles Shed?
Do beagles shed? The short answer is yes, they do. Will they leave tufts of hair throughout your house and make you change the lint trap in your dryer twice as often? Probably not.
Beagles do shed a good amount, but they are small dogs with short hair, so other beagle owners often report that their shedding isn't too bad, especially if you groom them regularly.
Beagles are bouncy little dogs that like to think. They are impulsive, they dart after anything that moves out of the corner of their eye, and they are stubborn when they smell something they are interested in. Yet they somehow manage to be so lovable, even while leaving their fur all over your house.
Here is everything you need to know about your beagle and his shedding.
Why Do Beagles Shed?
Dogs must go through their natural shedding cycle, and Beagles are no exception. Their fur helps them regulate their body temperature and protect their skin from the dangers of the elements.
Shedding is their way of maintaining this protection, just as people lose dead skin cells every day as new ones grow. Shedding allows old and damaged fur to fall away to make room for new hair to grow in.
As the beagle originates from the wet and cold English countryside, where they were used for hunting, they have thick and coarse coats to protect them from water. To keep them warm, beagles also have a dense undercoat.
Because they have a double coat that is denser than what you would see on some other breeds, there is a lot of hair to be shed. Luckily, the hair is short, and therefore the shedding won't be as noticeable as on breeds with longer coats.
Because their fur is so closely linked to body temperature, this means that the seasons will affect their shedding. As seasons change, you may notice that your dog is shedding more heavily.
Shedding is part of the life cycle of your dog's fur, and each hair follicle on your pet has its own life cycle, separate from the rest.
The Life Cycle of Your Beagle's Coat
There are four stages in the life cycle of a beagle's fur.
They are as follows:
- The Anagen phase, in which the new hair grows in.
- The Catagen phase, in which the hair stops growing once it has reached the proper length.
- Telogen phase, in which the hair is resting. It neither grows nor sheds.
- Finally, the Exogen phase, in which the hair falls out.
Shedding is an all-the-time kind of occurrence because not only are multiple hair follicles in each stage of their life cycle, but also because the life cycle of a hair follicle is short. There is constant growth, shedding, and then more growth.
What Affects Your Beagle's Shedding?
Seasons
Beagles shed all year round in moderate to heavy amounts. Spring is when they really let loose. Most of the time, you may find that your beagle's shedding is not that noticeable because their fur is short, and they are small dogs. But come springtime, you may want to bust out the lint-roller.
A dog's body knows when winter is around the corner. Your beagle's coat will grow thicker when it gets cold, and days get shorter. It means more shedding in the spring when they need to get rid of that thick winter coat to adapt to higher temperatures.
If your dog stays inside, always being warm and comfy with the lights on, it may trick your pup's coat into skipping the annual bundling up for winter. Also, for dogs that live in areas where temperatures are pretty steady, seasonal shedding won't be as obvious.
Type of Coat
Beagles have short bristly fur and are relatively small animals. It is because they were bred in the English countryside for hunting, where it's wet and cold.
In order to adapt to the climate, they developed a double coat, which means they have two layers to their coat. The under layer is soft and keeps them warm, while the outer layer is coarse and dense to help them remain somewhat waterproof.
Your beagle has two coats of fur to maintain: shedding is inevitable.
And it's not just the two layers; beagles also have a very dense coat to keep it waterproof. And with more fur, there is, of course, more shedding too.
How Often and Well You Groom Him
Of course, if you are not maintaining your beagle's fur, it is going to do its best to maintain itself. It means if you don't manage to brush it away first, it is going to fall out somewhere else in your home.
You can significantly reduce shedding by brushing your beagle every day. Brushing will loosen all that fur that is ready to fall out and capture it between the bristles. Not only will it help you control the shedding, but it will also keep your beagle clean and healthy as well.
Health
Health is a significant factor when it comes to how much your beagle sheds. Just as people have shiny, healthy hair when they are taking care of themselves, a dog's coat will reflect his diet and daily life. The same is true of the inverse. An unhealthy dog will have an unhealthy coat and will shed more.
Baths
Perhaps a branch off of grooming, the number of baths your pet gets will affect how much they shed. Massaging the shampoo into the coat will help loosen up any hair that is about fall out, which makes bathing a great way to minimize shedding. After the bath, brushing and deshedding will be even more effective.
Genetics
Just as men with male-patterned baldness inherit their unfortunate hair genes from their mother, beagles get what their parents gave them. Every dog is unique, and some may just genetically shed more than others.
It doesn't mean that you should not get excessive shedding checked out, however.
What Can You Do to Reduce Your Beagle's Shedding?
Grooming
- You should begin regular grooming when your beagle is a puppy so that they get used to it. You don't want to have to chase a sighthound around the house every time he spots the pet brush.
- Brush your beagle every day. It doesn't have to be more than a couple of minutes - that is enough to catch the hair that is falling out. The best option is to use a gentle slicker brush that reaches through the thick top coat to remove loose hair from the undercoat.
- Once a week, bring out the deshedding tool for a more thorough grooming session that removes all the excess loose hair from the undercoat.
- Regular grooming is one of the best ways to reduce the amount of dog hair floating around your house.
- Brush your beagle outside when the weather allows it, so you don't end up with fur all over the place. When grooming inside, keep him wrapped in a large towel to catch falling fur.
- Brushing your pet also helps keep his skin and coat healthy by combing his natural oils throughout his fur. Brushing also promotes blood circulation, which helps keep his hair follicles feeling good and ready to work.
- Don't shave your beagle! Fur is necessary for dogs, and his double coat will not grow back the same.
Bathing
A good bath not only cleans your pet and keeps his skin healthy, but it also removes dead fur that is lingering around. Massaging your dog while adding dog shampoo will do the trick, and after the bath, there will be heaps of loose hair for you to brush off.
After the bath is the perfect time to deshed your dog, just remember to let the coat dry completely before getting out the deshedding tool.
Beagles are very clean dogs, and usually, they don't need frequent baths. However, if your pet is visibly dirty, he has a nasty odor to him, or it's the shedding season, you can bathe your beagle once a month or when needed.
Normally your beagle needs a bath about once every two to six months - with a good dog shampoo. It will help reduce some shedding. Excessive bathing can strip your dog of the natural oils in his coat, which your beagle needs to maintain a healthy coat and good skin.
Healthy Nutrition
Just as people work hard to maintain healthy nails and hair with various fish oil supplements and the right foods, your beagle also needs a balanced and nutritional diet to maintain a healthy coat.
Using high-quality dog foods and treats keep your pet's skin healthy and happy, which means his hair follicles are also feeling well. On the other hand, poor nutrition can cause his fur to become brittle, so it breaks off and falls out more often.
Omega-3 supplements can also help you keep your beagle's coat healthy and glossy. It is a fatty acid often found in fish, which helps maintain healthy skin, nails, and hair.
As with all nutritious and balanced diets, make sure your beagle is drinking enough water. And replace his water daily to make sure it's clean. Water is everybody's method of washing away things we don't need, like toxins and bacteria we might have ingested. Fresh, clean water will keep your pup's coat shiny and healthy.
Other Causes of Fur Loss Include:
- Acanthosis Nigricans, which is a rare medical condition that causes fur loss due to hormonal imbalances, hypersensitivities, or friction. Once again, if you feel like your dog is shedding more than he should be, go see your vet.
- Allergic Dermatitis, which causes fur to fall out when your dog is in contact with an allergen. Most often, the causes of these allergic reactions are cheap dog shampoo (or people shampoo), carpet cleaner, or any other chemicals your dog may have gotten into, such as lawn care pesticides, etc.
- Alopecia, which is a condition that causes hair loss. We don't yet know what causes it, but it is thought to be an autoimmune disease. Sometimes it's permanent; sometimes it's temporary. Alopecia affects people as well as dogs.
- Dermatomyositis, which is a rare disorder that causes fur loss due to a negative reaction to sunlight or UV rays. Imagine getting a sunburn and then going bald. This condition can be confirmed with a small biopsy of affected skin. The fur coat will grow thin, and the skin will also have signs of a negative reaction.
- Food and Flea allergies, which are kind of self-explanatory. It's always a good idea to go to the vet to find out your pet's allergies so that you know you aren't unintentionally giving him anything that can do him harm.
- Hypothyroidism, which is actually a relatively common condition in both people and their pets, cats included. Not only a slow thyroid can cause a dry and brittle coat, but it can also make your beagle grow weak and gain weight. Hypothyroidism is absolutely treatable, but your pet probably has to remain on thyroid medication for the rest of his life. Luckily, while on his medication, he should soon get back to his old furry, lean self.
