10-15 lbs
11-15"
United States
The Crested Beagle is a hybrid mix between the Chinese Crested and the Beagle. This unique breed can vary greatly in appearance and personality, even within the same litter. While there can be a variety of outcomes when it comes to this breed, the Crested Beagle tends to be a small dog with wiry fur like the Chinese Crested and the color pattern of the Beagle. These dogs are going to be a blend between playful and laid back, as both parents are extremely different when it comes to energy level. The Crested Beagle may be very shy around strangers, but will love his family unconditionally, following them around everywhere. Relatively easy to train and low maintenance to care for, the Crested Beagle is a great dog breed for any size of home; however, due to the thinness of his coat warmer temperatures are recommended. This is a great breed for beginner dog owner and those who may have small pets or young children.
Although the Crested Beagle is still a bit too new to a breed to have an in-depth history, his parent breeds have quite a lot of interesting facts about them. For instance, the Chinese Crested actually doesn’t originate from China at all but from either Africa or Mexico. These toy breeds have been bred to be virtually hairless, however, there can be a few dogs born with a recessive gene (even within the same litter) which are completely covered in fur and are known as Powderpuffs. This breed didn’t actually come to be associated with the Chinese culture until around 1953 when they were taken aboard boats by Chinese Sailors to act as vermin hunters during and between times of plague. Around the 19th century, the Chinese Crested found its way into the heart of Europe where it was primarily bred for its ratting skills. The Chinese, on the other hand, valued the Crested for its companionship and even believed the breed to have magical healing powers. While this may not be true, the Chinese Crested is definitely a unique breed. The Beagle is part of the scent hound family and therefore live by their nose. They were first created in England around the year 1475 and were thought to have been named after the way that they bay after their prey (Beagle meaning “loudmouth” in French). In the early 19th century, the breed was developed to be the standards that we seem to see today, a small and athletic dog with an astute nose for hunting game. They are a playful and friendly breed who have been popular for generations, first making their way to America around the early 2000’s. Ever since, the Beagle has been much loved as a family dog, even despite their high hunting drive. When these two breeds are put together, the typical outcome is a lovable companion dog who tends to be more on the laid back side. The Crested Beagle is a great family dog that will do well in any sized home, is low maintenance, and very easy to train. If you are a first-time dog owner who wants a low maintenance pet or an experienced dog lover looking for a faithful companion, the Crested Beagle may be the perfect fit for you.
Because the Crested Beagle is a mix between the Chinese Crested and the Beagle, he is going to have a variation of outcomes that could appear for his appearance, even within the same litter. More often than not, this hybrid breed keeps the color pattern of the Beagle with a mixture of black and brown marking on a white background. The Crested Beagle also always has hair, unlike the Chinese Crested, yet he does seem to be either a wiry fur like the Chinese Crested or a simple short and soft coat like the Beagle. His body type is lean and athletic, but not very large, keeping with the smaller stature of the Chinese Crested breed. The ears of this hybrid mimic that of the Beagle and are folded against the dog’s head, falling just below the jaw line and short but well structured muzzle. The eyes are round and always full of life with a beautiful dark brown color.
Both the Chinese Crested and the Beagle are low maintenance dogs, meaning that you can expect your Crested Beagle to be low maintenance as well. Because this breed does have a shorter coat, you can expect some shedding but the Chinese Crested tends to shed infrequently even when it is a Powderpuff, so that should help with the amount of shedding that occurs. Brushing a couple times a week with a metal comb and rubber brush should be more than enough to keep the shedding to a minimum and remove any loose dirt that may be lying on the body. Bathing only needs to occur every few weeks or if your dog gets especially dirty, as neither parent breed has a bad doggy odor. Besides brushing and bathing, it is important to clean your dog’s ears frequently as the Crested Beagle tends to have folded over ears. Any moisture that remains within the ears after swimming or bathing may cause irritation and infections. So, careful cleaning and drying of the ears will help to prevent this issue from occurring. Trim your Crested Beagles nails every month, or when you hear the nails clicking on the floor to ensure that your dog’s paws stay healthy and free of cracks and tears.
The Crested Beagle is a bit of a mystery to uncover. This is because both parent breeds are so different when it comes to personality. The Beagle, for instance, is loving and high energy; loving nothing more than the hit the road on a hunting or hiking trip with their owner. This breed is friendly to strangers and makes the perfect house pet as he is gentle with children of all ages and good with other pets. The Chinese Crested on the other hand, while not aggressive in any way, is completely different from the Beagle. This dog loves his family unconditionally, but he has the capability of lying still for hours, simply enjoying the day. Although the Chinese Crested does have energy and enjoys a good play time, he would much rather stay cuddled up in your lap or in your bed and spend time with you in that manner. Despite this, the Chinese Crested can be an escape artist, so keep that in mind when setting up the yard for your Crested Beagle. With the combined personality of these two parent breeds, you can expect that your Crested Beagle may be a low to moderate energy level, who is very in tune to your emotions, loveable, loyal, intelligent, playful, and a bit stubborn. This is a breed that should be relatively easy to train and doesn’t bark too often, so living in a neighborhood shouldn’t be a problem. Just keep in mind that early socialization and training will be the key to ensuring that your dog behaves well around strangers, children, and other pets; it may not be fool proof, but this method will help to encourage good behavior.
Because the Crested Beagle has a mix of moderately active and low active parents, you can expect that your dog will need around 20 to 30 minutes of physical and mental stimulation a couple times a day. This should be more than enough to keep this breed happy and occupied. Some suggestions of activities that would work for this breed would be playing with toys in the house, a long walk, a short jog, fetch in the yard, and training. Training is very important as it not only encourages good behavior, but also helps to mentally tire your Crested Beagle. Whether your dog takes after the Chinese Crested or the Beagle, it is important to socialize early and train with a gentle yet consistent hand. This breed will do well in any area, and tends to prefer warmer weather due to the shorter coat.
Written by Loreziel Ortega
Published: 10/19/2017, edited: 02/24/2021
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