Beagle care on Cape Ann

The AKC is direct about it: walks must always be on a leash, because a scenthound with a strong hunting instinct will not be able to resist running off after a compelling scent. It also calls beagles escape artists and suggests a fence at least five feet tall that extends underground. None of that means a beagle cannot learn a recall. It means the recall competes with the strongest thing in the dog's head, and on an open beach the scent usually wins.

The off-season beaches are tempting. At the time of writing Gloucester allows dogs off leash on Good Harbor on even-numbered days from October 1 to March 31 and on Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days from October 1 to April 30. For a beagle, a long line gives the freedom of the sand without the chase into the dunes; our how-to on teaching recall on the beach explains the method. The fenced Gloucester Dog Park at Stage Fort Park is the safer place for an off-leash run.

The AKC notes that beagles can be prone to getting overweight and that too many treats cause obesity. VCA defines a dog 10 to 20 percent above its ideal weight as overweight and more than 20 percent above as obese, and links obesity to diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis and a shorter life. VCA's advice is to keep treats to no more than 10 percent of the day's calories and to stay consistent with portions and meal times.

That matters at daycare too, because several enrichment add-ons involve food. If your vet has your beagle on a diet, tell us, and lean on the add-ons that work the nose and the legs. The AKC says beagles need at least an hour of exercise every day, and a full day in a matched playgroup covers that many times over.

The AKC describes a smooth, dense double coat that grows heavier in winter and sheds in spring, with moderate shedding year-round, and says beagles rarely need a bath unless they get into something messy, which on a Cape Ann beach is likely. Weekly brushing with a hound glove or rubber mitt keeps the shed down. At Dogtown a bath is $55 up to 25 pounds or $65 from 26 to 50, Shed Release adds $10 in spring, and nail clipping is $16.

The AKC suggests checking a beagle's ears weekly and brushing its teeth regularly, and lists hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, epilepsy, luxating patella and eye disorders among the conditions responsible breeders screen for. Ask the breeder for the results. From April to November, after a nose-down ramble through Dogtown Common or Ravenswood Park, check the head, ears and legs to the skin for ticks before you drive home.