Walking a Beagle

Walking a beagle is not what you might expect. You see lots of dog breeds in the park, but not so many beagles. There are good reasons that you don’t often see someone walking a beagle in the park. Beagles are not ordinary dogs.

Sandy explains.

Sandy's Advice for Walking a Beagle

If you are thinking of walking a beagle, you need to know a few things.

If you want to enjoy the experience, you need to adjust your definition of a walk. Forget a steady paced continuous step by linear step. Not gonna happen.

Do not expect to take a brisk walk if there are any interesting smells in the area. And there are always interesting smells!

Beagle rules for smells

1. Smells must be smelled

2. The source of the smell might need to be eaten

3. Or rolled in

4. Or peed on

5. At the very least it will need a thorough sniff

Change your expectations

Walking a beagle won’t be a leisurely stroll either. We are busy dogs and there is no time to waste. We move quickly when leaving one smell behind in search of the next smell. (We live by our noses!)

Walking a beagle is more like High Intensity Interval Training. You will move along at a quick pace, then FULL STOP. You will learn agility and coordination as you master this. Or you will trip and nearly fall. Don't worry, you will catch on!

You have stopped because your dog has detected a smell. Perhaps another dog was here.

Or a cat.

Or a rabbit.

Or if it’s a really good day: food.

I can pick up the scent of a single piece of cereal from 10 feet away. Pro tip: It is a good idea to walk near playgrounds as there are often stray snacks waiting to gobbled up.

Suzanne was impressed enough by this skill that she usually lets me eat those tidbits.

She’s not so reasonable about other things – like the slice of pizza I found once. Such a waste!

One Last Tip

Be prepared to meet new people. Why else (besides the smells and food) would you take a walk? Everyone is a potential admirer. I wag my tail at everyone. It’s my ikigai.

Some people smile at my greeting and move on without stopping. That’s okay. I’ve done my job.

Some ignore me completely that’s okay, too. Those are not my people.

I work extra hard to get the attention of children. They love me – and they carry snacks.

You can learn more about beagles here.