Beagle vs Harrier

A Beagle
Photo: Jonatan De Geest
A Harrier
Photo: Evforce

Side by side

Beagle
Harrier
Adult weight
Males 17.3–22.4 kg (38–49 lb); females 14.5–19 kg (32–42 lb) (measured in UK vet records, n = 19,906, middle 50%)1
Males 20–27 kg (44–60 lb); females 18–25 kg (40–55 lb) (breed club figure)2
Height
No sourced figure
Males 48–55 cm; females 48–55 cm (breed club figure)2
Lifespan
Median 12.5 years3
No sourced figure
Fully grown
10 months, both sexes4
11 months, both sexes4
Group
Scent hounds5
Scent hounds6
Coat
Short coat5
Short coat6
Shedding
Sheds through the year
Grooming
A brush once a week
Exercise
A moderate amount
Plenty
Health
Dry eye (much more likely); Blood-vessel cancer (more likely)7,8
No sourced figure
Class
Family
Field

Which suits you

Size
The Harrier is a little larger on average: about 23 kg (50 lb) as an adult, against 18 kg (40 lb) for the Beagle.
Exercise
Plan for plenty of exercise with the Harrier, and a moderate amount with the Beagle.
Alike
Both are rated the same on independence: decides for itself.
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
Take the breed matcher

What they're like

Beagle
Scent hounds · Medium

Bred to work in packs, the Beagle is sociable with people and other dogs, cheerful and inquisitive.

Harrier
Scent hounds · Medium

In temperament the Harrier is friendly, outgoing and active. Bred for pack life, it usually gets on with other dogs.

The Beagle page →The Harrier page →

Breed traits

Day to day
Beagle
Harrier
Activity
Differs
A good daily walk and play
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs steady training
Needs steady training
With people
Beagle
Harrier
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Friendly with everyone
Friendly with everyone
Independence
Decides for itself
Decides for itself
Around the home
Beagle
Harrier
Sensitivity
Average
Average
Voice
Very vocal
Very vocal
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour9. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home10,11.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The Harrier grows to the heavier adult, about 23 kg against the Beagle's 18 kg.
Beagle
Harrier
01020302m4m6m9m12m18m
01020302m3m4m6m9m12m18m

More comparisons

Compare the Beagle with
Beagle vs Jack Russell TerrierBasset Hound vs BeagleAmerican Foxhound vs BeagleBeagle vs English FoxhoundBeagle vs English Cocker SpanielBeagle vs Pembroke Welsh CorgiAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·