Why do beagles have big ears?

Beagles have big, long, floppy ears to help them track smells better. Bred as hunting dogs, their big ears aid them in their tracking skills. If you look closely at a beagle, you will notice how their big long ears are actually set a little bit lower than most dogs too. This lets them hang even lower than they would normally, and even look longer than they are.

These dogs' big, long, floppy ears help them to track interesting smells and scents! That means when your beagle gets a sniff of something interesting, his head gets close to the ground, and those amazing floppy ears can get to work.

Their ears are comparable to a catcher’s mitts, and this is a great analogy; they sweep along the floor kicking up invisible smell particles, and sweep them towards their nose – and they have an incredible sense of smell that is far better than most other dog breeds… those ears help them out a lot! As well as kicking up all those interesting smells, a beagle’s long ears also reduce the far-off sounds interfering with their hunting – meaning they learn to rely a lot more on their excellent sense of smell.