German Shepherd Beagle Mix – Two Popular Breeds Combined

And not everyone sets out to buy or adopt a mix breed dog. Very often people hear about a litter of German Shepherd Beagle mix puppies, pay a visit, and fall in love! Either way, it’s a great idea to find out as much as you can about your new friend’s needs and characteristics.

However, looking at the history of the two parent breeds can give us some insights into the German Shepherd Beagle cross.

Beagle History

Scent hounds of similar size and build to the Beagle, have existed since ancient Greece, and the term “Beagle” began to be used as a general term for small scent hounds in the medieval times. The modern Beagle appears to have originated in the mid-1800s when British hunters began to cross breed scent hounds like Harriers, North Country Beagles, and Southern Hounds, in order to combat the decreasing numbers of small scent hounds.

German Shepherd History

The German Shepherd’s history is much better understood. The breed is descended from a widely distributed European herding dog, the Continental Shepherd. The broad distribution and lack of standardized breeding traits meant that there was massive variation among dogs within the Continental Shepherd breed.

Therefore, when standardized breeding became popular in Germany around 1890, breeders realized that it was no longer accurate to consider the Continental Shepherd one breed. And instead started defining it as three distinct breeds: the Belgian Shepherd, the Dutch Shepherd, and, of course, the German Shepherd.

German Shepherd Size

German Shepherds are large dogs, with males ranging from 24 to 26 inches in height and from 65 to 90 pounds in weight.

Females range from 22 to 24 inches in height and from 50 to 70 pounds in weight.

Beagle Size

Beagles are lighter and less tall, usually ranging between 13 and 15 inches in height and between 20 and 30 pounds in weight, but even smaller Beagles are not uncommon.

How Big Will My German Shepherd Beagle Mix Get?

German Shepherd Beagle mix weight and height could be anywhere in between the two parent breeds. So a male Beagle German Shepherd mix could be anywhere from 13 to 26 inches tall and 20 to 90 pounds in weight. While a female Beagle German Shepherd mix can be between 13 and 24 inches tall and 20 to 70 pounds in weight.

See what we mean by unpredictable?

With that said, a Beagle Shepherd cross will usually (but not always) fall close to the middle. Males are usually between 16 and 24 inches tall and 22 and 56 pounds. Females are usually between 15 and 22 inches tall and 22 and 49 pounds.

Fur around the neck may be longer and thicker and the fur on the back of the legs may be a little longer, traits that can be inherited from the German Shepherd. The Beagle German Shepherd mix may also inherit the German Shepherd’s double coat.

Both the Beagle and the German Shepherd can be bi-color or single color, and can have black, blue, liver, red, tan, or white coloring. The Beagle can also be tri-color and also have lemon or fawn coloring as well as ticked patterns or mottling. The German Shepherd can also have cream, silver, gray, or sable coloring, so the Beagle German Shepherd mix may also inherit these colors and markings.

Many Beagle Shepherds have very similar coloring to the German Shepherd and typical patchwork hound colors are seen less often.

German Shepherd x Beagle Grooming & General Care

If the German Shepherd Beagle mix inherits the Beagle’s hanging ears, which can be prone to infection, they need to be checked weekly for moisture and infection.

This breed will shed lightly throughout the year, but more profusely in the spring to remove its heavier winter coat.

The Beagle German Shepherd mix needs brushing every few days (daily during shedding season) and occasional bathing.

Beagle German Shepherd Mix Temperament & Behavior

Like any German Shepherd Hound mix, temperament can also be difficult to predict since the two parent breeds have very different personalities. Herding dogs like the German Shepherd Dog (GSD) tend to be highly co-operative and trainable, they like to work alongside humans, spend time with them, and learn from them. They can also be wary of strangers and protective. The GSD is renowned for its intelligence, but what about the Beagle?

Beagle intelligence

Beagles are more outgoing and friendly, happy-go-lucky, and excitable. As pack hounds they have never been bred to work closely in co-operation with humans, rather the Beagle works as a team with other dogs and many lack protective or guarding instincts.

These characteristics can make the Beagle seem less intelligent than the Shepherd, but it’s more a case of personality type, than problem solving ability. And Beagles can be trained, though it may take a little more persistence on your part to get the basics of obedience established.

Some Beagles can be shy with strangers at first, but are easily won over, especially with treats. They can also be extremely noisy! The Beagle and Shepherd mix could have any of these traits.

Beagle x German Shepherd Exercise & Training

The German Beagle mix is active and requires plenty of exercise.

The Beagle Shepherd cross needs at least an hour of exercise each day and should be walked a total of about 12 miles per week.

A German Shepherd Beagle mix that isn’t properly exercised will have mental, physical, and behavioral problems.

It may also have the Beagle’s need for companionship, in which case a constant human or canine companion is also necessary to avoid problems.

The German Shepherd Beagle cross should never be allowed off leash outside unless in a properly fenced area because of its strong scent drive.

Fortunately, the Beagle and German Shepherd mix loves his family and is eager to learn and please.

Consistent, reward-based training is key to good results, as is early socialization.

Exposing the dog to strangers early in life can help prevent problems with strangers later.

Health Issues of the German Shepherd Cross Beagle

Both German Shepherds and Beagles are prone to hip dysplasia, degenerative myelopathy, and epilepsy, so these conditions are of particular concern for the Beagle and Shepherd mix.

According to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), hip dysplasia impacts about a fifth of both German Shepherds and Beagles.

So it can be expected to affect roughly the same amount of German Beagle mix dogs as well.

Dysplasia occurs when the joint doesn’t properly form, causing the joint to grind when it moves, leading to pain and mobility issues.

About a fifth of German Shepherds experience elbow dysplasia, according to OFA, so there is also some risk for this in a German Shepherd Beagle cross.

Degenerative myelopathy causes poor nerve functioning in the hind legs of senior dogs.

Leading to loss of coordination and paralysis, while epilepsy is characterized by seizures without any apparent cause.

German Shepherds are also at particular risk for bloat, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, panosteitis, degenerative lumbosacral stenosis, and anal furunculosis.

Beagles are disproportionately likely to face hypothyroidism and obesity, eye conditions like glaucoma and corneal dystrophy, and factor VII deficiency.

So you can expect some risk of these in a Beagle Shepherd cross.

How to Choose a Beagle German Shepherd Mix Puppy

Now that you know a little bit more about the German Shepherd Beagle mix, let’s talk about how to choose a healthy Beagle Shepherd mix puppy.

First and foremost, make sure the puppy comes from healthy parents by making sure the parents have undergone genetic testing for health issues.

Health testing

For registration, CHIC requires that Beagles undergo a hip dysplasia evaluation, eye exam, Musladin-Lueke Syndrome test, and either a cardiac exam or a thyroid evaluation.

CHIC requires German Shepherds to undergo an evaluation for hip and elbow dysplasia and a temperament test.

They also recommend, but do not require, a cardiac evaluation, autoimmune thyroiditis evaluation, eye exam, and degenerative myelopathy test for Shepherds.

The more health testing the parents have undergone, the better.

The Breeder

The breeder should also allow you to meet the mother and all puppies in the litter that are still available, as well as the father if he is present.

All dogs should be healthy and well cared for, and the mother should either be a working dog or a pet.

Both parents should be at least two years old and the mother should be the larger dog to reduce the odds of complications during pregnancy and birth.

The breeder should be able to provide references and a guarantee of their puppies’ health.

They should be willing to take time to answer all your questions and let you interact with the dogs.

Designer Dog Controversy

Designer dogs are the result of intentional crosses of two purebred dogs of different breeds or the offspring of two of the former with the same mix. Some breeders and fans of purebred dogs claim that breeding designer dogs is inherently unethical and produces unhealthy, unpredictable dogs, which breeders then overcharge for.

In reality, mixed breeds are less likely than purebred dogs to face genetic health problems. Because of the strict conformity standards required for most purebred dog breeding, and the closed gene pool, inbreeding is inevitable, leading to unhealthy dogs with genetic predispositions for numerous health problems.

Mixed Breeds

On the other hand, mixed breeds inherit their DNA from two distinct breeds, making them less likely to inherit health problems from either – or both – of their parents. Where purebred advocates do have a point is that the traits of mixed breeds are somewhat unpredictable.

Because they’re inheriting their DNA from two distinct breeds, mixed breeds can get the traits of either parent breed with no way to predict which trait they’ll receive from which parent. The more similar the two parent breeds, the more easily predicted the traits of their offspring are, but also the more likely that the breeds share common health issues.

References & Further Reading

• The American Kennel Club
• The Canine Health Information Center
• The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
• Bastien, B., A. Patil, & E. Satyaraj. ‘The impact of weight loss on circulating cytokines in Beagle dogs.’ Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, 2015.
• Credille, K. et al. ‘The effects of thyroid hormones on the skin of Beagle dogs.’ Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2008.
• Graham, K., C. McCowan, & A. White. ‘Genetic and Biochemical Biomarkers in Canine Glaucoma.’ Veterinary Pathology, 2016.
• Keeshen, T. et al. ‘Outcome of laparoscopic ovariohysterectomy or ovariectomy in dogs with von Willebrand disease or factor VII deficiency: 20 cases (2012–2014).’ Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2017.
• Lohi, H. et al. ‘Expanded Repeat in Canine Epilepsy.’ Science, 2005.
• Zeng, R. et al. ‘Breed Distribution of SOD1 Alleles Previously Associated with Canine Degenerative Myelopathy.’ Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2014.