How Do I Know My Beagle Loves Me & is Happy? (21 Reasons)

happy loving beagle

It’s not always that easy to read a dog’s emotions, and sometimes we wish they could tell us how they were feeling. It’s not always obvious whether they are happy or sad. You might also struggle to understand if your Beagle loves you.

Firstly, I am sure your Beagle loves you a lot, so please don’t worry. Secondly, I wanted to put together a list of signs to look out for so you can tell if your Beagle is happy or not. Firstly, a quick explainer though on Beagle love and happiness…

How do I know if my Beagle is happy? There are lots of ways you can tell a Beagle is happy and loves you including wiggly bottoms, a relaxed body, being playful, a good appetite and no destructive behavior. These and more are how you know your Beagle loves you and is happy.

How can I tell if my Beagle is happy and loves me?

If you’ve been out for a while and come through the door to an excitable Beagle jumping up at you, that’s a sign your Beagle loves you. But aside from the obvious, what else should you be looking out for?

Here’s my top list of signs on how to know your Beagle loves you.

1. Your Beagle has what appears to be a smile

Beagle will often relax their mouth, lips, and tongues to give you what looks like a happy grin. It’s a smile where their lips curl up, their eyes soften, and their tongue pops out.

2. Your Beagle does bottom wiggles and tail wags

Beagles will wag their tails when they are in the mood. What you will also notice how they love to wiggle their bum when happy.

If you come home through your door to be greeted by a shuffling, butt-wiggling pooch, you can be sure your Beagle loves you and is happy as Larry.

3. Your Beagle gives you the big puppy dog eyes

Beagle have some of the most expressive eyes of any dog, and not just because of the unique appearance. Like all dogs, they can give you the classic puppy dog eyes, which is a sign of a happy Beagle.

But why do dogs do this?

There’s actually some science behind it; apparently dogs have developed the ability to make your heart melt with a simple gaze as part of their domestic evolution. It’s a response behavior as dogs know it triggers a positive response in humans.

Happy dogs will relax their eyes, angry and scared dogs will narrow their eyes. So, if you see those soft Beagle eyes, you know yours is happy and loves you.

5. Your Beagle shows no aggression

Unhappy Beagles will be aggressive and will show their teeth. Whilst they might be small, they can still snarl, put their ears back slightly, and act defensively.

happy beagle
This happy Beagle shows no aggression. (Image licensed via StoryBlocks.com).

6. Your Beagle has a relaxed body

Loving and happy Beagles will be relaxed, and you will visibly see this in their body. A Beagle that loves you will show happiness with a relaxed body including those bum wiggles I mentioned earlier.

If you have ever seen one of those Beagle happy dances where their whole body starts wiggling, you will know what I mean. On the other hand, a rigid body is a sign of stress.

7. Your Beagle has plenty of reasons to play

Playful Beagles are happy Beagles. If you have a Beagle who doesn’t want to play, then get him checked out by a vet.

It’s also one of the best signs to look for to see if your Beagle loves you. They will come up to you and try to initiate a game of play; that could be fetch, ball, tug of war, tickles, the Beagle zoomies, you name it.

For recommendations on what your Beagle should play with, take a look at these Beagle toy suggestions on Amazon.

8. Your Beagle does not exhibit destructive behavior

Unhappy Beagles can be destructive. When stressed and sad they will chew, bite and destroy anything in sight. This should not be confused with your puppy’s teething stage though when it’s completely natural or them to want to chew things.

One of the more common reasons for destructive behavior is separation anxiety. Dogs thrive on human company – being left home alone can have a huge impact on the way they behave.

If you are out at work, or even away from home for a couple of hours, you might come back to a scene of destruction. This can include barking, digging holes, chewing, tearing, ripping and other bad behavior.

To mitigate this, and to make your Beagle love you more, make sure you keep your Beagle active and exercised, play with them, and consider how long you might be leaving them home alone.

We bought a Furbo dog camera for when we go out. You can buy a Furbo on Amazon; they are great for dog separation anxiety… and will make your Beagle happy.

10. Your Beagle has a healthy appetite

You can tell your Beagle is happy if he’s eating well.

Dogs who lose their appetite, act lethargic, and are reluctant to play and more often than not, sick. Your Beagle puppy should be eating 3 small meals a day, whereas an adult should eat twice daily.

Handy Hint: Happy dogs will respond to their name, but just how do dogs learn their name in the first place?

11. Your Beagle sticks their tongue out

Whilst there is a condition called hanging tongue which can result from neurological and structural defects, a little tongue poking out can signal happiness.

You might notice it when your Beagle is asleep. The tongue poking out means that are completely relaxed and in a happy state.

The next time your Beagles tongue stick out, it could be a sign they are totally relaxed, content and happy with life.

12. Your Beagle has a healthy coat

A healthy coat means a happy dog… well, in most cases. But in all seriousness, a heathy looking coat is usually a sign that most is alright with your Beagle. When your Beagle’s in great shape, he or she will definitely love you for it.

On the flip side, a stressed-out Beagle can lose their hair. Signs to look out for include flaky skin, obvious signs of hair loss, and excessive scratching. If you do see this, it’s unlikely that you Beagle is happy.

13. Your Beagle wants to be close to you

When a Beagle leans into you, it’s a sign that they love you and are happy with everything you are doing as their owner. You please them so they want to get up close and personal!

14. Your Beagle follows you like a shadow

When you have earned the trust of your Beagle, you will soon notice that they follow everywhere, from room to room, and even if you shift on the couch.

As I mentioned earlier, Beagles can suffer with separation anxiety, so keeping close and following you around makes them feel secure. Beagles love to follow their owners; it’s one way for a Beagle to show it loves you.

New Beagles soon become very attached to their owners and will fall in love with you quickly providing you give them security they need.

15. Your Beagle will give you Beagle kisses

How do I know if my Beagle loves me? Could it be any clearer than with a big sloppy a kiss?

Beagles show affection to their owners by getting their nose and mouth up close to yours and administering their version of a kiss. It’s not a lip thing, instead getting their face right into yours and doing some rapid-fire sniffing or a lick.

But, play safe with this one. You don’t really want to encourage your Beagle to lick your mouth, despite how much it shows they love you and are happy for you to be their master.

16. Your Beagle will bring you their toys

If your Beagle keeps bringing toys to you, it’s a dog way of showing you love and affection. If it’s your Beagle’s favorite toy, you can’t get a higher recommendation than this!

Why? It’s their way of wanting to play with you, but also showing that you are the leader of the pack. By offering you their well-loved toys, it means they trust you to be responsible for their favorite possessions.

If your Beagle gives you a toy, it means your Beagle is happy and loves you.  After all, if they share that toy, it means they want you to like and enjoy it just as much as they do.

Sharing is caring, and it’s one way of telling your Beagle is happy for you to be in their life.

17. Your Beagle will yawn back at you

You must have seen a friend or family member yawning back at you when you do one. This is a biological response triggered by empathy, leading to contagious yawns.

However, a recent study I found on ScientificAmerican.com explains that dogs also do this. But interestingly, they only tend to yawn back at their owners, and not strangers – because it’s all based on empathy.

If you do see your little dog yawning when you do, you know your Beagle loves you.

18. Your Beagle will raise their eyebrows

This isn’t an easy sign to see but can still be a very subtle way for your Beagle to show that they love you. I’ve personally not seen this in my own dogs, but did read about a study in Japan that founds when owners walk into a room, their dog will raise their eyebrows

The research found that dogs don’t do this with strangers though, only their close humans. That means if you walk into your lounge and your Beagle looks at your and raises an eyebrow, he’s bound to be happy and love you unconditionally.

19. Your Beagle will want to jump up on you

I know we’re meant to train our dogs not to jump up, but it’s still one way in which your Beagle shows how affectionate they are to you.

beagle love
How do I know my Beagle loves me? Because he will love jumping up at you! (Image via https://pixabay.com/photos/beagle-dog-puppy-pet-animal-young-3877121/)

Whilst jumping up can be an adorable trait with a Beagle puppy, as they get older it’s can be problem behavior you should not really encourage.

20. Your Beagle will roll over

If your Beagle rolls over in front of you and asks for a belly rubbing, it’s a sure sign they trust and love you – not to mention being in the throes of happiness!

When a dog rolls onto his back and exposes his belly, it means they trust you as they make themselves vulnerable. This is classic submissive behavior that only secure and happy Beagles will display.

21: Your Beagle will let out a little sigh

Beagles can make little noises that let you tell they love you or they are in a happy mood.

For example, there’s one sound that shows your Beagle is happy to be around you. It’s a little sigh of content. Some have compared it to a low moan, and it tends to happen when your Beagle is settling down to relax.

If your Beagle does this in your company it means they feel safe and happy around you, with no worries over threats.

Signs of a depressed Beagle

I’ve already touched on a number of factors in my guide to Beagle happiness, but what should you look out for if your Beagle isn’t happy, but instead has depression?

Here are some signals that could point towards Beagle depression:

  • Growling and aggressive behavior.
  • Narrowed eyes.
  • Lack of appetite.
  • Increasing panting.
  • Howling and whining.
  • Indoor urination and/or defecation.
  • Fearful behavior such as cowering and hiding.
  • Destructive behavior including chewing.
  • Overall disobedience.
  • Lack of interest in playing and their toys.
  • Disturbed or irregular sleep patterns.
  • Too much sleep compared to usual.
  • Excessive licking of themselves.
  • No longer responding to love and affection.

Conclusion

Some people will get a dog without really thinking about the commitment involved. Raising a healthy and happy Beagle can be very hard work.

But how do you know if your Beagle is happy?

Well, I’ve detailed what I believe to be the main signs, but the bottom line is this; are they happy to see you, content, and healthy. If they are, your Beagle probably loves you and will do as long as you keep your side of the bargain up.

Image in header via https://pixabay.com/photos/beagle-dog-puppy-animal-pet-5375285/

Marc Aaron

I write about the things we've learned about owning dogs, the adventures we have, and any advice and tips we've picked up along the way.

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