The Beagle is a dog breed known for its extraordinary sense of smell and a curious personality. If you’re planning to keep a Beagle, you’ve made a great decision. But did you know that there are 25 different Beagle colors? You have options to choose from!
Beagles are special. But not just because they’re ultra-talented tracking dogs, or that their wonderful companions with their adorable goofy ears. Among all breeds, they have one of the largest selections when it comes to coat color and markings.
Picking out a Beagle is more than finding the right breeder, though a reputable breeder is very important. These 8 Beagle colors give you plenty of options for finding a coat variation that matches you and your personality best. Read on to learn my favorite Beagle colors.
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Beagle Coat Colors
These are the most common and popular colors of Beagles. Though there may be other colors of the Beagle, they are extremely rare and excluded from this list. Based on our forum surveys, we narrowed it to the 8 most popular.
While it may seem special or trendy to own a “rare-colored” Beagle, it’s not always a good idea. It could end up costing you money, as they generally have more health issues. Breeders aiming to breed for rare colors often forgo health and temperament traits.
For more information on the official colors of these dogs, check out the official standard colors provided by the American Kennel Club.
The 10 standard colors of the Beagles include:
Beagle Colors | Standard? | AKC Registration Code |
Black & Tan | Yes | 018 |
Black Red & White | Yes | 027 |
Black Tan & Bluetick | Yes | 029 |
Black Tan & White | Yes | 030 |
Black White & Tan | Yes | 034 |
Blue Tan & White | Yes | 291 |
Brown & White | Yes | 063 |
Brown White & Tan | Yes | 066 |
Lemon & White | Yes | 115 |
Red & White | Yes | 146 |
Tan & White | Yes | 197 |
The above colors are standard colors of Beagles. However, the AKC recognizes 14 other colors for the breed, giving us a grand total of 25 Beagle colors. But unless you plan to show your dog or have them participate in competitions, it doesn’t matter.
Beagles are typically multi-colored dogs. It’s extremely rare to find a solid single color Beagle. At the very least, a Beagle will have two colors. But many times, they’ll have three colors, such as the: classic tri-color, faded tri-color, black back or the dark tri-color.
1. Black Tan & White Beagle
The black, tan and white Beagle (tricolor) is by far the most popular color for these dogs. They’re the “classic” tri-colored Beagle that we’ve all grown to know and love. However, these dogs are initially born with just white and black.
However, in just a few short months, some of the black color starts to fade and develops into a brown or tan color. Thus, creating the three-colored coat. Despite the prevalence, the classic tri-colored Beagle is both spectacular and stunning.
They develop the same colors in roughly the same areas for all dogs with this variation. So, you can expect some form of consistency in the coats. For instance, you will always see tan on the face, ears, body and sometimes legs and tails.
In addition, the black color is usually always on the Beagle’s body and tai, though black may sometimes appear on the head, ears and tails as well. It all depends on your individual dog. Keep in mind, there will be opportunities for slight variations.
As for the white, the color is usually seen on the legs, bottom, chest and muzzle of the Beagle. It’s not impossible to see variations of these colors occurring in other regions. However, this is pretty standard for the black tan and white Beagle.
2. Black and Tan Beagle
The black and tan Beagle is another popular color variation, though not as popular as a classic tri color. These beautiful Beagles have both tan and black, but are missing the white to complete the typical tri-color variation.
For the most part, these dogs are mainly black. But even so, you will see the brown or tan color on the bottom, chest, face, legs, ears and tails. However, the black color is certainly dominant and covers the body, back, tail, sides, ears and sometimes face.
Fortunately, the black and tan Beagle is officially recognized by the AKC under the 018 code. Thanks to their inclusion into the standard, finding one won’t be hard. That being said, these dogs can make great show dogs, but also family companions.
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4. Chocolate Tri-Color Beagle
The chocolate tri-colored Beagle sports a coat that’s another unique combination of colors commonly seen in the Beagle breed. As if Beagle colors weren’t confusing enough, the chocolate tri color has many shades to it as well.
Some chocolate tri-color Beagles will have a lighter shade that resembles a light brown or red color. As a result, they’re often called the Liver tri color Beagle. Their nose can be also be a brown or reddish color, and have light colored eyes too.
It’s rather difficult to tell the difference between a chocolate and liver tri-colored Beagle when they’re in the early days of puppyhood. In fact, it may not be possible to tell until they’re at least a few months old to a year.
5. Blue Tri-Color Beagle
The Blue tri-colored Beagle can also be called the blue, tan and white Beagle. Some breeders may also call them the silver tri color Beagle. But despite the unusual color combo, this color variation is officially recognized by the AKC.
They look very similar to the classic tri-colored Beagle, however, the black is diluted to create a “blue-ish” or silver color. It is possible for a blue tri color to lose their silver color as they age. In this case, we call them “dark silver” Beagles.
As for their noses, they’ll usually be a dark-blue grayish color. Furthermore, they’ll have lighter colored eyes too. It’s worth noting that “blue Beagles” can develop color dilution alopecia. In this case, they may lose patches of fur and develop skin conditions.
This health issue is not exclusive to blue Beagles, but to all blue dogs, including Frenchies and Doberman Pinschers as well. But the good news is that this condition is extremely rare in blue-colored Beagles. So, there’s little to worry about.
6. Tan and White Beagle
In some cases, these tan and white Beagles are called “hare pied.” These dogs sport a basic bi-color tan and white coat without the black on the back and body of the Beagle. This means they’re just left with a white base containing patches of tan.
However in some cases, they can have black tips on the top of the hair and along their backs. Though this black is subtle and not enough to justify calling them classic tri-colored Beagles, it can be argued that they’re a tri-color.
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7. Lemon and White Beagles
Another popular color combination is the lemon and white Beagle. As you may have guessed, the lemon is not the bright yellow that we see in the actual fruit. Rather, it refers to a yellowish golden color when it comes to Beagles.
The lemon and white dog will have a white-colored base coat, with golden patches that can vary a lot in size and shape. Each dog will have unique patches, though the lemon patches are typically seen on the back and body, tail, face and ears of the Beagle.
The white base can also vary in color. It tends to range anywhere from an off-white, to a more creamish white, and even a clear solid white. Lemon and whites won’t have any coloring on the tip of the hair, but will have a solid black nose.
The color of the lemon can change drastically from puppyhood to adulthood. If you suspect you have a lemon and white puppy, there is a decent chance he or she may develop into a tan and white Beagle once fully grown.
8. Black Tan & Bluetick Beagle
Though not as popular as other colors, the black tan and bluetick Beagle is an awesome color combo. It’s truly a unique color combination, but still recognized by most of the kennel clubs. The “tick” refers to freckles on the coat of the dog.
Though different, the pattern looks extremely similar to the blue merle coats of the Australian Shepherds. It’s just that merle Aussies have larger patches of colors instead of small “freckles” on their beautiful yet lavish coats.
These bluetick Beagles have the classic black and tan color seen in the classic tri-color. But instead, they’ll have a diluted black (that looks like blue) ticking all over the body, bottom, legs, parts of the face and the tip of the tail.
It’s worth noting that the ticking (freckles) usually don’t start developing until 3 weeks after birth. In some cases, it may take much longer for the bluetick to appear. Just be cautious if a breeder is trying to sell you extra on a young ticked pup.
The Other Colors of Beagles
This resource is not a comprehensive guide to Beagle colors, but rather, information on the most popular colors. There are simply too many color combinations. Though not all officially recognized, the AKC believes there are 25 color variations with the Beagles.
The other Beagle colors include:
- tan
- white
- brown
- lemon
- red
- blue
- black, black & white
- blue & white
- red & black
- black & tan
- brown & white
- lemon & white
- red & white
- tan & white
- black red & white
- black tan & white
- black white & tan
- black tan & bluetick
- black tan & redtick
- black fawn & white
- brown white & tan
- blue tan & white
- red black & white
- white black & tan
In terms of markings on the coat, these are the 6 types of recognized markings for Beagles:
- Ticked
- Black Markings
- Brown Markings
- Spotted
- Tan Markings
- White Markings
While these markings are recognized by the AKC, the “ticked” marking is standard with Beagles. Some of these are common, while others are extremely rare. If your heart is set on a specific color & marking combination, it may be difficult to find.
What About Merle Colored Beagles?
First of all, there’s no such thing as a merle Beagle. Despite this, I’ve seen many breeders try to promote these “ultra-rare” merle colors with their Beagles. They simply don’t exist, though the bluetick Beagle looks very close.
If your breeder claims to have developed a merle Beagle, they are likely not purebred Beagles or they’re deceiving you with a young bluetick. However, Beagles can be crossed with other dog breeds, such as a Dachshund, to create the merle pattern.
Sometimes, breeders will attempt to create “pocket Beagles” by breeding in smaller dogs. As a result, genes from other dogs get mixed in, thus creating strange and unusual coat variations not typically seen in purebreds.
Though this may be good for gene diversity, know that you may not be getting a purebred dog. There’s a good change you’re just getting a blue or redtick Beagle. The freckle pattern can often be confused as a merle pattern to the novice dog owner.
Always do your research when shopping for a Beagle, including the several color variations. Though there are many great and reputable breeders for this breed, it’s still great practice to look into things yourself.
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Sajeesh Kumar
Tuesday 18th of August 2020
Informative