Are you planning on adding a new member to your family but unsure of what type of dog to bring home? A Beagle Catahoula mix would be an excellent choice.
The Beagle Catahoula mix is a less popular crossbreed of Beagle and Catahoula leopard dog. It’s also one of the most interesting breeds because of its appearance and personality.
In this article, we’ll know more about the Beagle Catahoula mix and how they make an amazing candidate for a family dog. Keep reading!
Origin: Beagle and Catahoula Leopard Dog
The Beagle and Catahoula leopard dog have different personalities, which makes their mixed breed quite interesting.
The Beagles are known as one of the sweetest breeds in the world. They’re perfect for those who want to own a dog for the first time.
On the other hand, the Catahoula leopard dogs are one of the most energetic and hard-working dogs. They’re powerful and serious when working and hunting, but definitely playful at home.
An Overview of the Beagle Catahoula Mix
The Beagle Catahoula mix is a hunting dog known for its strong sense of smell. It’s considered a medium to large dog and can grow from 15 to 22 inches (39-56 cm). It can also weigh between 30 to 50 pounds (14-23 kgs) depending on the dog’s health condition.
This mixed breed needs socialization and requires training as well as plenty of exercise. They’re perfect house dogs, but they hate living in apartments. These dogs require big, open spaces where they can play and explore outdoors.
Personality
If you’re planning to own a crossbreed, it’s essential to know their parents’ personalities. This way, you’ll be able to have an idea of what to expect and how to raise your new dog.
Since the Beagle is a friendly dog, it helps balance out the natural wariness of the Catahoula dog to strangers. Mixing their opposite personalities, though, comes with the dog’s stubbornness, so you need to be more patient when training a Beagle Catahoula mix dog.
This mixed breed is remarkably playful too, which makes them suitable for families. However, if you have young children, a Beagle Catahoula mix puppy may not be a good choice right now. It requires a lot of time and effort to train and socialize a puppy.
Like other hybrid dogs, the Beagle Catahoula dogs tend to be destructive when left alone. Leaving them for a long period of time can also develop separation anxiety and excessive barking. For this reason, this breed doesn’t make great guard dogs.
Socialization
The Beagle Catahoula mix is actually a late-maturing breed. A puppy can take two years or more to be fully grown mentally and physically. Remember to socialize them with other pets while they’re young. Both Beagle and Catahoula dogs have a strong urge to hunt for prey.
Grooming
The Beagle Catahoula mix dogs have short and smooth coats that moderately shed all year round. You can brush their fur every week using a medium-bristled brush. This is a good way to get rid of loose hair and to promote new hair growth as well.
Give these dogs a bath only when needed to avoid drying their skin. Don’t forget to trim their nails regularly too. Long nails can be painful when they walk and run.
Health Issues
Most of the dogs’ health conditions are genetic, but this doesn’t mean your dog will have them. Part of taking good care of your dog is knowing these health conditions so you’ll know what to do once you notice any signs and symptoms.
1. Hip Dysplasia
This disease is commonly found in medium to large dogs and it occurs during their growth stage. When a dog is diagnosed with hip dysplasia, it means that the dog’s hip didn’t grow properly. This can lead to a loose, unstable joint.
The usual sign of hip dysplasia is evident weakness and pain in the dog’s hind legs. When a dog with this disease moves around with a loose joint, it can develop osteoarthritis which has no cure.
2. Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism affects all breeds and it usually appears in middle-aged dogs (4-10 years old).
The thyroid gland, which is found in the neck, produces a hormone called thyroxine. This hormone controls how much energy the body uses.
If a dog has hypothyroidism, this means that the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroxine, causing the pet’s metabolism to slow. Most dogs with hypothyroidism experience unexplainable weight gain, excessive shedding, and get cold easily.
If left untreated, hypothyroidism can threaten your dog’s life.
Training and Exercise
It’s recommended to take your Beagle Catahoula mix dog for a long walk to keep their energy level down. An hour of this exercise will make them happy and healthy. Keeping them active will also prevent them from being destructive.
In addition, crate training the Beagle Catahoula mix dog minimizes the risk of destruction. This prevents dogs from chewing furniture. It gives them a safe place where they can go if they’re tired or stressed too.
Life Expectancy
The lifespan of a dog, no matter if it’s a purebred or mixed breed, is greatly influenced by diet and care. However, genetics also determine how long your dog can live.
With good care and proper nutrition, a Beagle Catahoula mix can live between 10 to 15 years.
Diet
Since Beagle Catahoula mix dogs are prone to hip dysplasia; fish oil, glucosamine, and chondroitin are essential parts of their diet.
A raw diet is highly beneficial to them too, as it promotes shinier coats, healthier skin, increased energy, and so much more.
Pricing and Expenses
The Beagle Catahoula mix puppies cost from $600 to $900 if you buy them from professional breeders. Of course, you have to also take into consideration how much you’ll be spending when taking care of these dogs.
You should expect to spend about $3,000 on the puppies’ first year. This includes high-quality dog foods, shelter, medical needs, toys, leashes, etc. Puppies will need more medical care during their first few months.
Paul has been creating content for the dog niche for many years. The information he shares comes his first hand experience growing up in dog lovers household and then owning multiple dog breeds of his own as an adult. Paul enjoys doing the hard research to collect, analyze and present our dogtemperament.com readers with the best answers to their questions.