The Beagle is a member of the hound dog group, best known for its exceptional sense of smell and goofy personality. Another thing that sets Beagles apart from other dog breeds is their coats that come in many different color combinations.
But what colors are Beagles born with? Beagles will change coat color several times as they grow. Tri-colored Beagle puppies are born black and white, and the brown on the head, hips, and legs develops as the puppy grows. Lemon and tan bi-colored puppies are born almost pure white with almost no colored patches or only a hint of color.
If you are looking to adopt a Beagle into your family, and want to know everything about their coat colors, you are in the right place. Read on to find out in how many colors Beagles come and what are the most popular and rare Beagle colors!
How Many Colors of Beagles Are There?
The American Kennel Club officially recognizes 11 Beagle colors (more colors may receive official recognition in the following years).
However, there are a total of 25 different Beagle colors. To make things even more diverse, within each color group there are different shades of the same color.
For example, a red coat color can range from a light dusty red to a deep mahogany red. For this reason, it’s safe to say that Beagles come in more than 25 color combinations.
In fact, the color combinations are almost endless and you’ll hardly find two Beagles that look exactly the same!
Standard Beagle Colors – Recognized by AKC (American Kennel Club)
According to the breed standard, the Beagle can come in 11 different coat colors and one standard coat marking (source). If you plan to show your Beagle in a confirmation dog show, they’ll have to have one of the officially recognized Beagle coat colors.
The AKC’s breed standard accepts the following colors:
1. Black Red & White
A black red and white tri-color Beagle has a large black “saddle” across its back that reaches all the way to its neck, sides, and tail.
The red color on these dogs isn’t actually red, but a deep dark orange which some breeders refer to as mahogany. This color is present on a Beagle’s head, ears, around their eyes, thigs, rear end, and the underside of the tail.
Red black and white Beagles have white on their paws, chests, muzzles, and tips of their tails.
2. Blue Tan & White
Blue tan and white tri-color Beagles, also known as blue Beagles look similar to classic tri-colored Beagles but they express the dilute gene. This turns the black patches of the coat into bluish or light gray.
Silver Beagles usually have lighter eyes and differently colored heads than classic tri-colored Beagles. They can also sometimes inherit color-dilute alopecia, a skin disease associated with the color-dilution gene (source).
3. Black & Tan
Black and tan Beagles don’t have any white markings and are almost completely black. They usually have tan markings on the tips of their tails, parts of their faces, chests, legs, and their rear ends.
4. Black Tan & Bluetick
The black tan and bluetick Beagle color isn’t as popular as other color combinations but is no less beautiful. Tick refers to a freckled pattern of small dots on one area of a Beagle’s coat.
Bluetick is, in fact, a faded shade of grey with nearly black-grey dots and patches. A black tan and bluetick colored Beagle has black patches on its head, face, ears, back, and base of its tail. The bluetick covers the remaining parts of the Beagle’s body except for the muzzle and paws which are tan in color.
5. Black Tan & White
Black tan and white is the most common Beagle coloration. These Beagles have a black patch that starts on their backs, curves towards their chests and goes halfway up their tails.
Their heads, ears, and upper legs feature tan patches and white markings cover the muzzle, neck, chest, paws, and the tip of the tail.
6. Black White & Tan
Black white and tan Beagles generally have a larger black patch than black tan and white Beagles. However, they still have white markings on their chests, legs, and tails. Tan markings are usually present only on the head or as small markings on other parts of the body.
7. Brown & White
A brown white, bi-color Beagle has a mostly white coat with patches of brown. These brown patches can be usually found around the eyes, ears, back, and the base of the tail. While some of these patches can get big, bi-colored Beagles generally have less brown than white.
8. Brown White & Tan
Brown white and tan Beagles have a large brown patch on their backs that stretches all the way from their necks to their hind legs and goes halfway up their tail.
All four legs, chest, the tip of the tail, and sometimes the muzzle are white. Tan marking can be found on the head, ears, and areas not covered by white or brown patches.
9. Lemon & White
When it comes to Beagle colors, lemon isn’t used to describe the bright yellow color of the lemon fruit. Beagle lemon is in fact a pale golden color that might appear yellow in certain light conditions.
Lemon and white Beagles are generally born pure white and develop lemon-colored patches of fur as they grow. They usually have lemon patches on their ears, around the eyes, and on the sides and back of their bodies. The rest of the coat is white.
10. Tan & White
Tan and white bi-color Beagles are very similar to lemon and white Beagles, but they may be cream-colored at birth. These Beagles have tan patches on the ears, lower tail, and anywhere on their sides and backs.
11. Red & White
The red and white Beagle is the last of the official Beagle colors. Similar to lemon and white, and tan and white Beagles, they have red-colored patches of fur on the ears, backs, sides of the body, and lower portion of the tail. Beagles with this coloration can come in various shades of red, from light to deep mahogany red.
Non-Standard Beagle Colors & Markings
Besides the official 11 colors, Beagles can come in additional 14 colors and 5 patterns that aren’t eligible for showing. The AKC recognized the existence of all of these additional colors but doesn’t officially recognize them for a variety of different reasons.
Let’s check out all non-standard Beagle colors:
- Red black & white
- Red & black
- Black
- Red
- Lemon
- Blue & white
- Brown
- White
- Tan
- Black & white
- Black tan & redtick
- Black fawn & white
- Blue
- White black & tan
When it comes to Beagle markings, the American Kennel Club only recognizes ticked as the show-worthy pattern. Beagles with any other type of markings won’t be able to compete in conformation shows.
Other coat markings seen in Beagles include:
- White markings
- Brown markings
- Tan markings
- Black markings
- Spotted
What Is the Rarest Beagle Color?
While Beagles can come in many different coat colors and combinations, some colors are rarer than others. Generally speaking, solid-colored Beagles are the rarest of them all.
Though solid color Beagles are hard to come by, some are born with completely black, blue, tan, lemon, brown, or white coats.
Be prepared to shop around for a while if you are looking for a Beagle with a solid-colored coat. And if you manage to locate a reputable breeder, know that you’ll only be able to register your puppy with the AKC, if it is a purebred Beagle. However, you won’t be able to exhibit it at dog shows.
What Is the Most Common Beagle Color?
The black tan and white, tri-color Beagle is the most common coat coloration seen in this breed. Known as “classic” Beagles, these dogs have the breed’s signature black patch on their backs that stretches all the way from their necks halfway up their tails.
They have white on the muzzle, chest, all four legs, and the tip of the tail. Tan patches are usually located on their ears, heads, and upper portions of their legs.
Conclusion
Beagles come in a variety of different coat colors and combinations. While you may have a preference and like some colors more than others, all Beagles are essentially the same!
Regardless of their coat color, Beagles are curious, energetic, and goofy dogs that make fantastic companions to active people and families with children. If you don’t plan to exhibit your Beagle at a dog show, their coat color won’t matter.
However, if you do plan on entering your Beagle in conformation shows, you’ll have to find a puppy that has one of the 11 officially recognized Beagle colors listed above.
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