12 Super Fun Ways to Exercise your Beagle

Are you bored with that good old walking with your dog? If yes, then I can relate to you, it’s no fun in walking every day.

So me being an enthusiast started looking for new ways to exercise my beagle and also have some fun. I have listed 12 Super Fun ways to exercise your beagle.

Go for a Hike

I know, I know, technically hiking is walking, but its a totally different experience. Taking your beagle for a walk around the same block daily is so boring.

Take your pet for a hike in a nearby forest or to a hill. Pack some sandwiches, take dog food, and get close to nature. Let the wanderlust flow. You can make it a monthly thing. Trust me, it’s a great experience. Just make sure to put your beagle on a leash.

Few things to remember:

ALWAYS PUT YOUR BEAGLE ON A LEASH. Don’t trust that cuddle monster. He will run away the moment he catches a scent.

Know the place you are hiking to. Hike on a trail and don’t go wandering around from woods, or else you might encounter other animals and snakes.
Always carry extra water for you and your dog. You both need to stay hydrated.
Carry a small first aid kit.

It’s always safe to attach a compass keychain to your bag.
Carry a knife, flashlight, and matchsticks.

Also, take a lot of pictures of the beautiful climate and your adorable dog. Send me a few. I would really like to see them.

Flirt Pole

Flirt Pole, weird name for a dog toy, right? But beagles love this toy. So it’s basically a chew toy tied up with a rope that is attached to a long stick. You hold the stick and make the toy move and then see your beagle go crazy. Move the toy, let your pooch struggle, and occasionally let him catch it.

Beagles are a hunter breed. In the past beagles and humans use to hunt side by side. Chasing prey is their natural instinct. And this toy gives them similar adrenaline. You can find a Flirt Pole on Amazon, or you can even create one yourself. It’s simple, get a rope, attach one end to the stick, and another to a toy of a small stuffed toy.

With this toy, your beagle will chase, jump, even roll around to catch it, and you don’t even need to move much. Or you can even run with this and let your beagle chase the toy. It sounds like a perfect exercise, right? Wait until you hear its benefits:

First of all, excellent exercise for your beagle as well as you.
Your beagle will jump like crazy. This will teach him some new moves and give better body coordination.
Great activity for puppy beagles. Playing with this pole toy could teach your beagle to always stick around you.

Perfect Backyard exercise.

NOTE: As I said, your pal will go crazy and might crash into something. So better play with this is an open area.

Blow Bubbles

Get a bottle of non-toxic kids’ bubble blow solution, and blow some bubbles and see your pet attack them. Not every kid’s bubble blow solution is safe for a dog even though it’s non-toxic.

You can even get flavored bubble blows specially made for dogs that are safe for consumption. There are various flavors available. My beagle’s favorite bubble blow flavors are peanut butter and chicken.

Getting started with this game:

If it’s your beagle’s first time, then kneel down and blow a few bubbles away from your dog’s face.

See how your dog reacts. If he responds positively, raise the level and blow again.
If he seems confused or uninterested, you go mad and play with the bubbles. Trust me, it works. Your dog would wanna do that too.
If your pal still doesn’t wanna play then, it’s okay, its just a game. You can try something else from this list.

Get a bottle and see if your pooch enjoys it or not. If he likes it, you can even get a small bubble blower that works on battery.

There are many recipes available on the net for making homemade solutions. I have tried making a non-toxic bubble blow solution myself, but it didn’t work as expected. You can give it a try and let me know if it works.

Visit Dog park

Beagles are pack animals. They like interacting with other dogs. Take your pal to a nearby dog park and let him play with other dogs.

Do not let your eyes off your beagle, not even for a second. Always remember that beagles are pro escape artists. Also, make sure your dog has an identity tag attached to his collar, just in case if something goes south.

Here are a few benefits of taking your beagle to a dog park:

Playing with other dogs is an excellent exercise for your beagle.

It will give your beagle a break from daily routine.
Connecting with other dogs will help your beagle develop better social skills.
I have noticed one thing when my beagle is out in the open playing with other dogs; he seems really happy, and he stays happy for the entire week.

Go swimming

Swimming is something that can benefit you as well as your four-legged pal. Swimming is a great exercise. But the thing is, most of the beagles hate water. So find out whether your beagle can swim or not.

Few benefits of taking your beagle for swimming are:

Playtime plus exercise.

Half an hour of swimming will exhaust your beagle for a day, which is great for a beagle’s health.
Swimming can help stimulate your beagle’s mind.
In summer, swimming is a great way to tackle the heat and cool down for your beagle.

Tug-of-war

Beagles love to interact with humans. Tug of war is one of those games that you can play with your little pal. Get a small rope or towel, offer one end of it to your pet. Your beagle would do anything to get that rope from you. It’s a fun game and a good exercise for you and your pooch.

Most beagles will play tug of war with a cloth or any kind of toy, but it is recommended to get a soft and good quality tug toy.

A few rules you need for better gameplay:

Your pooch cannot grab the toy without your command. Set a command like ‘take it’ and then invite your pal to grab the toy.
Teach him to leave the toy on your command.
Your pal cannot grab the human hand. If he grabs your hand by mistake, just release the toy and ignore him for a minute.

Hide and Seek

Hide and seek is a perfect workout for your beagle’s mind and body. Make someone hold your dog, and you hide somewhere. Call out your dog’s name and let him find you. Praise him and treat him when he finds you. Initially be easy on him and let him find you or else he might give up. Gradually make it harder.

You can even include your entire family in this game. You can hold your pal, and your kids can go hide somewhere.

Play Catch/Fetch

Throw a ball or a freebie, and let your beagle run to catch it and bring it back to you. If you are lazy like me, then this would be a blessing in disguise. Find a bench, sit there, and just throw the ball and let your pal bring it to you.

You can read this article on How to teach Fetch to your beagle.

NOTE: This game is for well-trained beagles who can walk off-leash and knows a proper recall command. And even then there’s always the risk that your dog will run away tracking the source of the scent. But better put them on a long retractable leash while playing this.

Doga (Dog Yoga)

Dog yoga, aka Doga, is an emerging new concept where you and your pooch do yoga together. Of course, a dog cannot do most of the yoga exercises. However, your beagle might enjoy a few stretches and massages. But if your pal is uninterested or tries to get away, then don’t force him.

After doing my share of research on Doga, I found out that are quite a few benefits of Doga.

Bonding: In doga, you and your pal do yoga exercises together. There are assisted poses that you need to work with your dog as partners. This helps your pal trust you. It could be a great bonding exercise.

I did a fair share of Doga, and I have felt that after every session, the bond between my beagles and me got stronger.

Physical Advantages of Doga for Beagle: Not enough research has been done on Doga, but it’s definitely a great form of exercise to make the muscles strong and burn calories. Great for overweight beagles.

Relaxation: Beagles are famous for being super active all the time. Doga can help them relax. Exercise helps them release their energy, and the stretching part can help them become mentally calm.

Trail Tracking

Beagles are hound dogs and have a fantastic sense of smell. You can play this game with your beagle, where you can ask someone to put a trail of scent, and you and your beagle track the source.

You will have to teach your beagle to track a trail:

Select a safe training area; let’s say a garden.
Most beagles are usually familiar with the scent of their favorite toy, so get your pal’s favorite toy.

Warm him up. You can play fetch with him (use a different toy).
Make your dog sit and stay. If your dog doesn’t already know these commands, teach them.
Place the toy further where he can see it.

Get the leash of your dog and let him grab the toy. When he grabs the toy, say a command like ‘search.’ Repeat this several times, until he grabs the toy by himself when you say ‘search.’
Hide the toy out of the sight of your dog and command him to search. This time your beagle should use his sense of smell to find the toy.

And that’s how you teach your beagle to track things.

Puzzle Toys

Puzzle toys are those interactive toys that are made to keep a dog busy when you are out. Beagles tend to have separation anxiety. To which these puzzle toys are the best cure.

You can just throw one of these toys, and your beagle will play with it for hours. This helps your beagle release his energy even when you are not around.

Benefits of using Puzzle toys:

If your beagle gets excited and eats his food too quickly, which later causes indigestion, then feed him with a Food Puzzle.
Beagles are energetic. They need at least 30 minutes of exercise daily. A puzzle toy could be an alternative way of exercising if you are busy that day.
They kill boredom and helps prevent the beagle’s separation anxiety.

Eating slowly will make your dog feel full with a smaller amount of food. It could be of great help if your beagle is over weighted.

Teach tricks

Teaching tricks to a beagle is not easy. But it’s a great way to exhaust him. You can refer to this list of 12 cool tricks that you can teach your beagle.

There are a few benefits of teaching tricks to your beagle:

It creates a strong bond between you and your beagle.
Improves your beagle’s ability to learn
Promotes obedience and discipline.

Teaching tricks is an excellent exercise for your beagle.

Why Is Exercise Important for a Beagle?

Beagles are from a hound family. They were hunters and helped humans to hunt. They have been programmed to run, chase, and attack other small animals that need a lot of energy. Beagles are an energetic breed, and they need to release their energy.

Plus, beagles love food, and they would eat all day long if it were up to them. To tackle this deadly combo of ‘Lot of energy’ and ‘love for food,’ exercise becomes a necessity for a beagle. A tired and drained-out beagle is well-behaved and calm.

Regular exercise can help prevent aggressive biting, chewing furniture, and unnecessary howling of your beagle. One more benefit of exercising is that it creates a better bond between you and your dog and builds trust. But how much exercise does your dog needs to stay healthy and fit?

How much exercise an Adult Beagle Needs?

Adult beagles would need daily exercise to stay healthy and happy. Healthy adult beagles are relatively active and would need at least 30 minutes of walk every day, combines with other small activities and free play.

Yoda, one of my beagles, is in his adulthood, and this is his daily exercising schedule:

20 Minutes of Morning Job in the morning
I leave a puzzle toy for him when I leave for my office. Which is like 20-30 minutes of his struggle to get all the food out.
When I get home in the evening, I revise all the tricks he knows, which takes about 15 minutes. And then 10-20 minutes I teach him some new trick.

I take him for a night-night walk around the block(20 minutes).
I throw another puzzle toy filled with frozen peanut butter before I go to bed.

How much exercise a Puppy Beagle Needs?

During the puppy age, a beagle’s joints, bones, and muscles are still under development. A hardcore workout should be avoided for a puppy. A puppy should not run excessively.

In fact, the beagle puppy doesn’t need any kind of special exercise. The best exercise for a puppy is free-play with toys appropriate for their age. At this stage, rather than concentrating on your pooch’s exercise, focus on socializing him with other puppies and friendly dogs. It would mold your puppy’s behavior.

You can take your puppy to walks. To find out the right amount of time for walking you can use the following formula:

5 minutes x number of months of age = Total Walking Time

For instance, if your puppy is 4 months old, then multiply 4 by 5 minutes, which equals 20 minutes of walk.

The right age to begin exercising your beagle pup

It takes 18 months to develop the beagle’s skeletal system fully. So excessive exercise is not recommended until your beagle is 18 months old.

How much exercise an Older Beagle Needs?

Beagles become less active as they get older, and they don’t need as much exercise as adult beagles. However, exercise is still necessary for older beagles to keep their joints and muscles active.

Consult a veterinarian for proper guidance regarding the amount of exercise required at that age.