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This page is
"All about Beagles!" The
following information will hopefully help you understand the wonderful
breed of Beagle. Take the time to read this page and learn fact from
fiction.
The Beagle pictured on the
right is my wonderful, loving and attentive Chloe. Although Chloe
is no longer with me, her memory is with me every day of my life. Chloe
was extremely intelligent and was trained at one of the highest levels I
have trained dogs. The attention she gave me in obedience was
outstanding. This great picture shows the beauty of the well bred
Beagle. Her eyes are soft and full of expression. Her ears are
correctly set on her head. Chloe was a blue tri color Beagle.
This color is being bred now by irresponsible breeders capitalizing on
selling "rare"
colored Beagles. I have carried the blue tri color in my Beagles
since 1992. I bred my Blue Tri's for a darker eye and deeper colored
coat. Chloe's nose is grey as all Blue tri Beagles noses are. Be very
wary of breeders trying to sell rare colored Beagles. Chloe was out of
Grace (picture in the banner above) "Samantha's Gift Of Grace CDX" a
black tri color Beagle and
Bagel "Champion Echo Run Frolicsome Fella" another black tricolor
Beagle.
●Be wary if a
breeder refers to his or her Beagles as "rare colors",
Silver, Khaki, yellow or orange
and white. These breeders
mix dilute colors not understanding or caring that they are
misrepresenting colors and probably breeding dogs with light eyes or
skin health issues.
●For a detailed description of
the Beagle standard and true hound colors, go to:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/beagle/
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The description of a Beagle is one of
beauty, intelligence, loyalty and full of zest for life. A well bred
Beagle has a soft expression in it's eyes. A standard is the guide line used for any purebred
dog for purposes of judging or breeding that dog. There are reasons for
purebred standards and those breeding dogs with no care given to their
breed's standard. are irresponsibly breeding their purebred dogs.
The Beagle was originally developed to hunt rabbits. A large number of
Beagles kept today are still used for hunting. It is one of the oldest
breeds in the American Kennel Club's registry. There are two (technically
three) other breeds of hounds that given their size differences are almost
identical to the Beagle. They are the Harrier and the American and English
Foxhounds. Other than size differences, these breeds are very similar in
appearance. The Foxhound was developed to hunt fox. The Harrier was
developed for the larger faster hare and the Beagle was bred to be the
slowest of this group to be used on rabbits. Hunting Beagles have actually
been bred for different purposes by hunters. Some want their dogs to hunt
slower and have more mouth. I believe these are the field dogs. The brace
Beagles are used mostly for trials to test the quality of their noses on a
track. In other words, they pay more attention to every part of the track
and may be too slow to be used in actual hunts. They also have much more
mouth. They are bred to sound off on a track as much as possible. Beagle
sounding off on a track actually helps the hunter locate and follow his
Beagle or pack of Beagles. I believe the Beagle gun dog's main purpose is
to get to the rabbit. Many of these dogs run fast and learn to "cheat" on
a track in order to keep up on the hot track. They usually get to the
rabbit much faster than their slower counterparts. It has been quite a
while since I had much to do with hunters so if a hunter reads this and
wishes to correct me, please contact me. All Beagles from hunting lines
tend to have more mouth (they bark or howl more). They can also have a
deep drive to put their nose down and follow that rabbit sent. The hunt
well in packs (groups).
If your dog is not specifically bred from show lines it IS from hunting
lines. Some hunters are now waking up to the importance of correct
conformation in their hunting dogs and working to develop a physically
correct hunting Beagle. Many hunting dogs do not look like the AKC
standard calls for. They have poor conformation (bad back, high rears,
crooked legs, bad joints, and poor heads) which can lead to skeletal
problems and joint breakdown. Dogs with poor conformation tend to break
down more with physical problems as they grow older. If you want to
purchase a Beagle for hunting I would urge you to find the hunter
dedicated to breeding physically sound Beagles with correct conformation
as well as good hunting traits. If anyone has references for this type of
breeder, I would be happy to link to their site for those looking for
Beagles to hunt with.
When Beagles were first introduced into my life in 1980, they were used to
hunt. My experiences with our Beagles led me to fall in love with the
breed. I loved the size, hardiness, easy keeping coat and the ever fun
loving temperaments of these wonderful little dogs. I was horrified by the
fact that hunters seemed to be of the belief hunting dogs HAD to be kept
outside. Most of them kept their Beagles far away from their houses (where
the wife kept her Poodle inside) in kennels or many times in rabbit type
hutches. These hutches even had wire floors to them for the poor dogs to
walk on. This was their life. I can go on, but these are just a few of the
reasons I breed away from nose and for correct conformation and a
trainable temperament. I want my dogs in homes on the sofa with the family
where they are truly happy, warm and safe.
Dogs bred primarily from show lines are bred for correct conformation as
directed by the AKC Standard for the Beagle. They tend to not be as mouthy
or bark as much as hunting dogs. They don't have as strong as a drive to
put their nose down and take off to the fields after the rabbits. But ALL
Beagles need trained or they all can go sniffing their little selves into
trouble. I believe in general that the Beagle bred for show is more
attentive and therefore easier to train. All Beagles hunting, if given the
chance and training, can make wonderful loving pets.
I have worked for many years to correct much of the bad image given to
Beagles from hunters and backyard breeders (and even poorly written books). My dogs are loving and
trainable. That is why I my first goal was to title a Beagle in Obedience
with the American Kennel Club. I have gone far beyond that now. After
training thousands of dogs I am of the belief that my dogs are just about the
easiest to train!
IMPORTANT FACTS AND DESCRIPTIONS
First of all. If anyone tries to sell you a "pocket Beagle" or miniature
Beagle, turn and walk away. There is no such thing. I have looked at the
site/s that claim to have "pocket Beagles". Queen Elizabeth I had a pack
of Beagles referred to as "Pocket Beagles" she kept for her amusement.
They stood 9 inches in height, were short legged and pointy nosed. They
were not very appealing looking nor did they have very healthy
conformation. These dogs are no longer in existence and died out with the
Queen's pack. One site I've viewed claiming to have these dogs actually
has dogs that look like Dachshund, Beagle, Pug mixes. I am positive they
are not of true pure bred bloodlines. I would love to see the dna studies
behind these dogs. The conformation I saw was very poor. A couple of
the dogs used for breeding in this kennel looked unhealthy with sever
joint and bone issues. I did not see one
dog with straight legs or anything near the Beagle standard. Many of the
colors these dogs came in are not carried in Beagle bloodlines. The
site I viewed had nothing more than "Designer Dogs" mixed breeds they were
selling using a pure bred name under the ruse of creating a new breed.
Well, so does every other Designer Dog breeder!
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***For more factual information regarding the
AKC Beagle standard, please refer to this National Breed
Club link.
THE NATIONAL BEAGLE CLUB WEB PAGE
This link is for those who wish to view the true American Kennel Club's
Breed Conformation Standard for the Beagle!
THE BREED STANDARD OF THE AMERICAN KENNEL
CLUB/NATIONAL BEAGLE CLUB
(Also see our "Advice for puppy buyers" page for more helpful
information.)
When dogs are bred more for the tiny sizes you can expect many more
skeletal problems as well as other problems. Become informed before
purchasing your Beagle. Learn the truth and don't be mislead by sites
taking advantage of those who just don't know any better. If I do have a
very small Beagle puppy with good sound confirmation, I will not place it
with families with small children as these puppies are too fragile. I feel
the Beagle is a great pet for most children because of its small but
sturdy size. Breeding dogs down in size isn't always the best thing for
the breed.
BEAGLES
Come in two varieties. The 15 inch Beagle and the
13 inch Beagle.
These are the only Beagle varieties.
Beagles in Europe can be as high as 16 inches. 15 inch
maximum height at the shoulder is the American Kennel Club standard for
the 15 inch variety.
●The Fifteen inch Beagle is ANY Beagle that is
over 13 inches at the withers but NO MORE than 15 inches.
●The Thirteen inch Beagle is ANY Beagle that is 13 inches or under at the
withers.
Beagles should be more square in the frame when viewed from the side.
Beagles are "big" for their inches. Their legs should be straight, not crooked..
The Beagle should move freely with little effort over the
ground. The preferred Beagle temperament is a happy temperament as well as easy going, affectionate
with people. Beagles enjoy children and at times may prefer to spend most
of their time with children. At times Beagles are great clowns!
A Beagle can come in any hound color. The most recognized would be the
black, red and white tri colors. There are lemon and whites, tan and
white, blue tan and white, liver and white etc. The universal Beagle
identifier is that white tipped tail! Beagles do not come in solid colors.
The Blue Tri Color Beagle is NOT a new color and I have bred Blues in my
own bloodlines for almost 20 years.
The Beagle coat is short and somewhat dense with an undercoat. It is
almost effortless to keep and NO they do not shed excessively. Shedding is
affected by coat type inherited, quality of food fed, age of pet, bathing
and time of day the dog is exposed to outside light or indoor artificial
light.
Please view the entire Beagle standard at the American Kennel Clubs
website. Breed dvds and videos are available to the public for purchase.
The link to the left will take you to the AKC site.
Books I suggest reading:
The New Beagle
by Judith M. Musladin, M.D., and A.C. Musladin, M.D., and Ada Lueke
published by Howell Book House
The Beagle
by Marcia A. Foy and Anna Katherine Nicholas
published by TFH Publications. Inc.
These books should be available in most libraries and book stores. You may
also find it on Barnes and Nobles Store on the internet.
Below are pictures of the correct movement for the Beagle from a side view
as well as the view for coming and going. A dog which moves with correct
movement has good conformation and passes on healthy sound conformation
traits to it's offspring. The show ring or "breed ring" judges dogs based
on correct movement. Every breeder should strive to breed the best Beagle
they can with the best conformation as a goal in their breeding program.
* Dogs of all
breeds with crooked joints and legs cannot move freely and usually develop
structural problems earlier in life.
Signs that your dog may
have joint/structural problems.
*Some signs of
joint problems are skipping, moving to the side (side winding) when
moving. Choppy narrow movement when viewed from the side. If
you can feel or see a "pop" on your dog's hind legs when pushing
down you probably have a dog with knee problems "luxated patellas".
Your dog may also appear cow hocked or bow legged when standing.
This is to compensate for the discomfort caused by the knee (patella)
popping and laying on the inside or the outside of the groove the patella
should lay in. This is a very common problem in small dogs and most
people are not aware of this condition until their dogs limp badly.
By that time arthritis may already be a problem. Most of the time
this is a hereditary defect. Surgery to correct patella problems can
be very costly. A good breeder will have the ability to spot this
problem in his or her lines and will not use these affected dogs in their
breeding program.
CONFORMATION IS VERY IMPORTANT!
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Correct side movement |
Correct movement coming and going |
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