Beagles are great dogs, they can be playful, energetic, fun to play with and very affectionate. With their breeding, they can easily outlive a larger dog breed. A lot will depend on how you feed and treat this pet.
While not every Beagle will live the same length of time, you can expect to have your trusted friend around for about 10 to 15 years. Some have been known to live 17 years so you may get lucky and have your beautiful Beagle around for a very long time.
A beagle’s longevity will depend on several factors. For example, if you let it wander off the yard a lot, it won’t live very long.
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How Long Do Indoor Beagles Live?
As you may already know, the Beagle was bred to be a hunting dog. That means that most of the dogs in this dog breed enjoy and love being outdoors. But their friendly and affectionate nature has led people to have them indoors more than outside.
They are great indoor pets because of the medium size and well-mannered personalities. But being indoors does not really extend their lives that long, if at all. You might be able to get that extra two years out of your pet by keeping them indoors instead of outside all of the time.
The real factor in their longevity will be their health. Most Beagles are not known to have genetic health issues and with a healthy diet coupled with lots of good exercise, they will live a long time.
What may help shorten their lifetime is their instinct to follow their nose. These dogs are hunters and they will go where their nose leads them. That nose may lead them into difficult situations that may cause them some harm.
One of the things to do to prevent that situation is to make sure your Beagle cannot escape from your yard.
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At What Age Do Beagles Slow Down?
This is a very active and curious dog breed when they are puppies. You may see them more active at this stage than when they are a year old. That does not mean that your Beagle is slowing down but just transitioning into its adult persona.
The time that your Beagle slows down will be when they reach their senior citizen status. That takes place around the 9-year mark and continues for the rest of their lives.
You will see more of a lazy nature in your pet and you should make adjustments. Your dog won’t go as fast as he or she used to and may not move from their comfortable spot until they are good and ready.
This is the time when they will sleep more and just take it easy. You may want to plan less strenuous exercise times and be prepared for your dog not jumping up and being ready to go when you are.
This will be their new life habits until the end.
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Factors that lower their lifespan
The biggest factor in having your dog live a long time will be its health. With a proper diet and exercise routine, you can help stave off those health issues. However, there will be some genetic issues that you cannot stop or control.
Here are some of those health issues that will affect your Beagle’s longevity:
- Canine cognitive disorder
- Exercise
- Weight
- Genetics
- Kidney failure
- Bacterial infection
- Diseases including heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, and congenital diseases
- Lung cancer
- Hip dysplasia
- Environment
- The quality of food they eat
Some of these you can’t avoid but if you are careful with their exercise time, you may be able to keep the Hip Dysplasia away for some time. Then watch how you clean your home.
A good clean house can keep bacteria away. Make sure to protect your pet from fleas and ticks as those bugs can bring disease to your dog. Unfortunately, even if you do everything right, there is no guarantee your Beagle will make 15 years of age.
You are just giving them the chance to live that long by making sure external factors are not given a free opportunity to harm your beloved Beagle.
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Some final words
The better you treat your Beagle the better chance you have of having them in your life for a very long time. Also, make sure that they do not get to wander on the streets. Cars and trucks are not your dog’s friends.
Make sure to feed your dog a healthy diet and keep certain food items away from him or her. That way you know you did everything you could to provide your pet with the opportunity to live long.
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