Beagles have an incredible sense of hearing. Their ears are long and floppy. They are very important to a beagle for tracking . A beagle tracks by a combination of senses. They use the sense of smell and the sense of hearing. Beagles put their noses close to the ground .

Their long ears also flop close to the ground. The ears have folds that capture sound and point them in the direction of the thing they are tracking. They are amazing hunters and a joy to watch when they are tracking. When they get close to the thing they are hunting, they let out a long howl and continue this until they have trapped their target. Then, they will point with their tails straight up . The beagle is beautiful to see in this pointing stance. They will hold this position and continue howling until you reach them or call them off. Beagles thoroughly enjoy this activity and rejoice at every opportunity to hunt.

Keeping your beagle’s ears clean and healthy is an important task that will keep him happy and able to enjoy tracking. During bath time, use a washcloth to clean the inner ear and folds. Wash with mild soap and rinse thoroughly, taking care not to let water drip down into the ear. When you have been outside for a hike or if it has been very windy, dirt may have gathered in the folds the ears.

Use a soft, moistened cuetip to clean the folds gently rubbing off the dirt. For imbedded dirt, moisten a cuetip with rubbing alcohol or other gentle disinfectant and rub the folds gently. Then, follow with another cuetip moistened with water to get the alcohol off. This is a good time to inspect your beagle for ear infections, ticks and other critters that may have gotten into the ear. If you find a tick, you can kill it by putting crisco or vaseline on the entire critter. Then, pull the entire tick out with tweezers and dispose of it. Be sure to get the head out. A little alcohol diluted with water will heal the entrance area up quickly. If your beagle is scratching his ears excessively and whining when he scratches, check to see if he has an ear infection. The ear may be red and warm. There may be an odor. You should take him to the vet for the possibility of an ear infection.

Doing these few, simple procedures should keep your beagle’s ears healthy and keep your beagle happy. You will enjoy your times out playing or hunting and tracking without an unhappy pup. And these activities will bond you and make you closer as he learns that you care about him.