Can you over exercise a Beagle

How Much Exercise Does A Beagle Need? (And FAQs)

Originally bred for beagling, a beagles role through the centuries has been to track and sniff out game like hares. Would it then surprise you to learn that beagles are gloopy reservoirs of energy? Youll always see them running around behind some scent they picked up. Whether its on the trails or the treadmill, working out with your Beagle is always a fun thing to do.

While exercise is key to keeping your beagle pup happy and healthy, there is such a thing as too much exercise.

Lets explore to understand how much exercise a Beagle needs.

How Much Exercise Does A Beagle Need?

Beagles and exercise work like a pair. If they dont get the suitable medium to burn their energy, beagles can get destructive. But, not all beagles require the same amount of exercise. It depends on their age as well as the individual.

Another factor to consider is age, as adult beagles and puppies have different exercise requirements. This is why youll find that some beagles can run and walk for hours, while others need to be dragged out of the house for even a short walk.

How Much Exercise Does A Beagle Puppy Need?

Puppies have delicate bodies as their skeletal systems arent fully developed. Not until they turn 18 months of age. If your pup is younger, it should not walk more than a mile in a day, divided between multiple short outings. Any activity that puts pressure on the joints should be avoided till your pups body has matured.

How Much Exercise Does A Senior Beagle Need?

Adult beagles should have around two walks in a dayeach walk should be for a minimum of 20-30 minutes. And if your Beagle has begun to grey, limit their exercise time to 30-60 minutes, divided into two or more sessions.

Why Is Exercise So Important For Beagles?

It is a known fact that proper exercise can increase the life expectancy of a Beagle. A breed that was earlier used to help men hunt small game is meant to be active, even after theyve transitioned into furry companions.

So, its not surprising to know that they still have their ancestral instinct of being dynamic. Their unparalleled sense of smell is why they are used as scenthounds at airports, among other roles.

If you want your Beagle to be physically fit and mentally stimulated, then you must take some time off from your busy schedule for your Beagles daily exercise.

A Happy Dog

You might have heard from dog trainers that a tired dog is a happy dog. And thats quite true for us humans, too, isnt it?

After a productive day, we get the best sleep, while lazing around the whole day instills a sense of guilt and restlessness by sundown. So put away your house slippers and take yourself and your Beagle out for a much-needed stroll around the neighborhood.

A Happy You

Your pooch uses up all his energy in sprinting and hoppingleaving no energy for any mischief. You wont find him emptying your fridge or jumbling up your laundry as long as he has been tired out. And what does that do for you? Good dog = Happy You!

Your Beagles Overall Health and Weight

A well-exercised beagle remains toned and fab in shape. It keeps obesity at bay, shooing away all the problems that come with it. Not just that, but with proper regular exercise, a beagle has a healthier heart and lungs, lesser adipose, better mobility, a healthier digestive system, and lesser aches and pains due to better resistance.

What does this mean for you? Better quality of life for your bud and you, not to mention a fatter wallet!

Balance And Calm

The right amount of exercise helps your Beagle remain calm and balanced. An intelligent breed, the Beagle requires mental stimulation as well. Taking your Beagle for regular walks or switching trails will ensure that he has a healthy, well-balanced mind.

Quality Time with You

Another great reason for exercising your Beagle is that he gets to spend time with you! Beagles being social animals, love the company of their pack leaderyou.

When you play with him, make him run with you, and just keep him physically active, youre essentially bonding with your dog. Isnt that the reason that you brought him home? So that you can also enjoy their company?

How to Exercise Your Beagle?

It would be best if you tried to provide your Beagle with three main types of exercise:

• Daily walks
• Cardio short, intense activities like running, swimming twice or thrice a week
• Mental exercises such as agility circuits, tug of war, etc.

Walking Your Beagle

Walking is the best form of low-intensity exercise for your Beagle. You must take your dog for a minimum twenty-minute walk, around two times a day. But remember to consider your dogs walking pace rather than your own. If your pooch starts to pant and needs to stop to catch his breath, theyre probably done. If theyre happily hopping around like a bunny, then walk a bit more with them.

Walking Your Beagle Pup

It would be best if you didnt walk too fast with your puppy. Your puppy would run to match your pace, and that could pull a muscle or put unnecessary strain on their fragile joints. Avoid brisk walks. Instead, opt for something more moderate and controlled.

Cardio

There are so many ways to engage your Beagle in cardio-based exercises. Throw him a ball and see his beaming face when he runs to catch it. Along with playing ball, you can also train him with command words such as fetch and return.

Most beagles love to just run around. If you take them to a park or a vast expanse of land, youd see the delight in their faces when theyre running free.

But, you must be very careful when you let him off his leash. As hounds, theyll follow their nose until theyre well out of hearing range.

Cardio exercises like running and swimming must be short and a tad bit intense. Twice a week is ideal for your adult beagle. Dont forget to incorporate fun into your Beagles cardio workout. Keep in mind, though, that your Beagle can be injured if they jump from a heightespecially puppies.

Agility

You can teach your dog some agility moves even if theyre not participating in a dog show. A homemade obstacle course can add much-needed stimulation to your dogs usual exercise routine.

Teach him how to jump over a wheel or through a hoop (a hula hoop works well) and how to navigate through agility circuits. You can always keep a tasty treat at the end of the course to make it more fun.

Agility circuits keep your dog active both physically and mentally.

Frisbee

All dogs love to play catch, and your Beagle is no exception. The game doesnt mean limiting yourself to a ball. Train your pup with frisbees and enjoy the game as your Beagle matures. A baby Frisbee is desired initially, and make sure never to snatch it out of their mouths. Teach or train your dog to drop it when you command.

Hide and Seek

Who doesnt love a simple game of hide and seek? Even more so when there are treats involved.

You can command your Beagle to sit and watch while you hide their treats all over the house. The treats should be small tucked away under a cushion, behind a shoe, on the first step of the staircase, or behind his favorite plush toy. As soon as you give him the commands go or find, he can run around the house, picking up all his treats. He has earned them all for sure!

Fetch

A game of fetch is one of the most common ways of playing with your doggo. You throw the ball and command him to fetch. But, my friend, dont expect him to bring it back to you promptly. Your Beagle is more likely to run with the ball or bury it into the earth.

Beagles are stubborn little punks, so be patient with them as you teach them to bring the ball back so you can throw it again. Or you could just run behind them and start a game of catch me if you can.

Tug of War

A tug of war is a superb combination of physical and mental exercise it involves manners and is a great way to work on impulse control. While playing, you teach them that the game stops when their teeth touch your hands.

Youd need a good rope or rubber toy that they can tug away at and terrain where he can dig his claws as anchorage.

If your dog has not been trained to control their basic bite, they may struggle to play by the rules. In such cases, its better to work on their bite inhibition first.

Canine Freestyle

Lift your pooch like Johnny did Baby to the tunes of Hey Baby in a fun and interactive dance class that teaches your Beagle a cute way to move his tushy.

Want To Train Your Beagle With Peace Of Mind?

If you havent trained your Beagle properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your shepherd has, whether its barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.

The training program I love and highly recommend is Brain Training For Dogs.

With Brain Training For Dogs, youll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog wont listen, youll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and most importantly, thats given proven results. Not to mention the fact that youll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.

So instead of worrying about whether theyre going to be well-behaved or not, youll only have to worry about how much fun youll have with them!

And in most cases, its still going to be:

• Cheaper than hiring a professional.
• Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
• And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.

Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your Beagle completely and never worry whether theyll be naughty or not. Instead, youll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them will always be there, EVEN IF YOURE NOT.

And the best part is it also has a 60-day money-back guarantee! So theres no reason not to give Brain Training For Dogs a try!

So if youre tired of your dogs bad behavior or how they react around other people and pooches, then give it a try! Youll be amazed by the results!

(You can also check out a full review here to learn exactly what the course has to offer!)

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What Happens If They Dont Get Enough Exercise?

Hyperactivity

If your Beagle begins acting weird, like hes in jail and wants to be set free its an indicator that he needs more exercise. No matter where you live, remember that this high-energy breed loves to spend time outside.

If the only exercise hes getting is following you while you pick up the trash, then youre going to have a very sad Beagle.

At least two walks of 20 minutes each are a basic need for your Beagle. Hed like to walk or run more than that, so determine what is best for the both of you. And remember, irrespective of the weather, your Beagle needs to go out.

Training

If youre busy with several commitments and cannot dedicate enough time to your beagle puppys exercise routine, youll find it challenging to train him. Not only will you lack consistency, but your Beagles hyperactivity would distract him very easily.

If you cannot commit to exercising every day, its a good idea to get him to exercise in any intensive training class to cut down on his hyperactivity.

Anxiety and Depression

When beagles dont get their daily dose of physical activity, they can easily slip into anxiety. Physical exercise is strongly linked to mental health, and when you lack exercise, it automatically affects your mind.

Similarly, when beagles arent made to exercise every day and are kept indoors for too long, it leads to a canine equivalent of cabin fever causing despair. Their mind soon begins deteriorating, spiraling down to anxiety and ultimately depression.

Destructive Behavior

Beagles who are deprived of their daily walk or run often get bored and frustrated. This could result in destructive behavior.

So, if you dont wish to come home to a torn armchair, a ransacked fridge, or worse, then its best to take them out and exhaust them.

Non-stop Barking

Beagles are known to be vocal dogs. Add lack of exercise to that, and youve got a recipe for many, many nights of pitiful howling. If you arent exercising your dog, youll notice an increase in barking incidents. After all, that pent-up energy needs to be released in whatever form possible.

Barking is any dogs way of communicating, even your Beagle. So, if your Beagle barks non-stop or keeps you up until the middle of the night, you both will benefit from a little walk.

Restlessness and Irritability

Your Beagle keeps looking outside, but you dont take him out. Hell scratch the door, but you dont pay heed. Youve just taken him out for a short walk, and hes still enthusiastic, but youve brought him back far too soon.

Youre probably a bit tied up with other things, so you dont notice the extreme feeling of restlessness that your Beagle experiences.

If you dont take him out for a good long walk or run, he will soon start feeling uneasy and irritable. That wouldnt be great for the environment of your house.

Signs Youre Overworking Your Beagle

Too little exercise does much harm to your Beagle but so does too much of it. Anything extreme isnt good for your Beagles health.

Regular exercise is fab it keeps your dog hale and hearty. But if you suddenly OD him on exercise, simply because he has gained weight, you could seriously cause joint or back injuries and compromise his respiratory functions.

Consulting your vet is a good idea so he can check your Beagle and tell you how much exercise he needs according to his health.

Here are some signs that tell you if youve overworked your Beagle:

Bruised Paw Pads

Your Beagle will prioritize playtime over any injuries. Even if he has blistered his paws after running, hell continue to remain active till he can.

Check his paws for signs like blisters, flaps, and swelling. Even pus is an indicator of an overworked paw pad.

Soreness in the Muscles

If your beagle dog finds it difficult to get up after a workout, chances are his muscles are sore. He may refuse to even walk after that. He would not eat much either because any form of movement hurts.

Do not expect your Beagle to do crash workouts as you do on weekends. Their muscles arent conditioned for sudden exercise, and their body could revolt. If he has overdosed, give him a break for a few days till he recovers and jumps right up on his own again.

Severe conditions can cause exertional rhabdomyolysis. In simple terms, it is the breakdown of tissues that could sometimes cause kidney damage or failure.

Heatstroke

Dogs cant cool themselves off by sweating like humans. They pant, yes. But is that enough? If your Beagle is trying to keep pace with you, especially your beagle puppy, hell soon start panting and gasping for air. The heat can even lead to heatstroke or heat exhaustion.

You must watch out for these signs and immediately stop if youve over-exhausted your dog. Take them home and help them cool off.

Joint and Back Injury

If your Beagle isnt walking well after returning home with you, examine his paws. Since dogs carry most of their weight on their front limbs, this is where youll find the first signs of injury.

If your Beagle has exerted himself too much, he could start limping. This could also be an indicator of a soft tissue injury.

Make these checks to rule out the cause of his limping:

• Broken toe or nails
• Cuts or visible bleeding on the paw
• Foreign objects in the paw
• Visible swellings

If you cant see any of these signs, but your Beagle is lethargic and isnt eating, its best to make an appointment with the vet.

Sometimes we may not be able to catch on quickly when our Beagle has gone off further in his exercise regime. More so because they cant tell us when theyre tired or in pain just like infants. But as responsible parents, we must be vigilant and watch out for our wagging buddies.

FAQ

How Fast Can a Beagle Run?

Adult beagles can be quite fast. In fact, the average human will struggle to keep up with them. If you prefer numbers, consider thisan average adult Beagle can run as fast as 20 miles per hour (32.2 km/hr). In comparison, a man jogs at 8.5 mph and a woman at 6.5 mph.

How Many Miles Can a Beagle Walk

Much to its own detriment, your Beagle will walk as long as you let it, even when completely exhausted. Thats why its essential to keep a check. A puppy should walk a total of a mile a day in multiple walking sessions. On the other hand, adult beagles are more accustomed to running several miles in a day, thanks to their ancestors who were bred to hunt.

Even so, limit their exercise to 60 minutes a day. Senior beagles require a walk or run of at least 30-60 minutes daily.

Can Beagles Run Long Distances?

Since every Beagle is different, this is hard to exact. Beagles can run for a few miles, but dont force them if they look fatigued. You can gradually increase their running distance and see how far they can go.

Recap

Your Beagle takes great delight in their exercise, but its vital to know how much they require for their overall health and well-being. Puppies, adults, and senior beagles have different stamina levels and exercise requirements. It would be best to learn how much they can walk, run, or play with you safely.

Since beagles love their active lifestyle, any change can trigger mild to adverse reactions in them. If they dont get their daily workout dose, they can get cranky, destructive, and irritated. On the other hand, if theyre made to over-exercise, they can get injured.

Either way, you must ensure your Beagle gets all three food, companionship, and exercise to thrive.

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