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Beagle Dog Breed

A Beagle is a medium sized dog breed and a member of the hound group, similar in appearance to a Foxhound but smaller with shorter legs, and with longer, softer ears. Beagles are scent hounds used primarily for tracking rabbit and other game. Beagle-type dogs have existed for over 5 centuries, but the breed as popularly known was developed in the United Kingdom about 150 years ago

Appearance

The Beagle has a smooth, somewhat oval skull; a medium-length, square-cut muzzle; a black, gumdrop nose (the AKC Beagle standard states that for colours other than tri, for instance, red & white, a liver coloured nose is acceptable); large, hound-like hazel or brown eyes; long, velveteen, low-set ears (big), turning towards the cheeks slightly and rounded at the tips; a medium-length, strong neck without folds in the skin; a broad chest narrowing to a tapered abdomen and waist; a short, slightly curved tail; an overall muscular body; and a medium-length, smooth, hard coat. The Beagle’s droopy ears should be very soft on the outside and fabricy on the inside. One standard calls for ideally shaped beagles to be twice as long as tall, and twice as tall as wide.

They appear in a range of colors, not limited to the familiar tricolor (white with large black areas and light brown spots). Some tricolored dogs have a color pattern referred to as “broken.” These dogs have mostly white coats with slightly circular patches of black and brown hair. Two-color varieties are always white with colored areas, including such colors as “lemon”, a very light tan; “red”, a reddish, almost orangish brown; and “liver”, a darker brown (liver is the only colour not allowed in the British Standard). “Ticked” varieties may be either white or black with different colored spots (”ticking“), such as the bluetick beagle, which has spots that appear to be a midnight-blue color, similar to the Bluetick Coonhound. Some tricolor beagles also have ticking of various colors in their white areas.

Tricolor beagles are almost always born black and white, with the brownish areas developing later. The brown is usually the last color to appear, taking sometimes 1-2 years to fully develop. Some beagles gradually change color throughout their lives. Beagles typically have a white-tipped tail, or “flag”, which is important in locating them in the field due to their short height

Temperament

The Beagle has a very good temper and gentle disposition. Beagles are intelligent. Females tend to be less aggressive before their first heat cycle, but afterwards are protective of their puppies and families. They also get along with other dogs and people, provided that they have been socialized correctly by remaining with their siblings until 6 weeks of age.

Being scent hounds, if released, beagles may occasionally follow a scent (having tags or a microchip implanted helps prevent permanent loss).

Beagles are pack animals, and can be prone to separation anxiety. A common misconception is that all Beagles howl incessantly.  In reality, most bark only on rare occasions. Puppies also will yelp if not fed when they are hungry. However, if a beagle barks too much, it is probably because it is not often corrected, and can take on the assumption that that type of behaviour is acceptable. The breed has thousands of representatives and each has his or her own personality. Over all, the beagle is one of man’s most amiable companions.

History

The first mention of the beagle in English literature by name dates from 1475. The origin of the word “beagle” is uncertain, although it has been suggested that the word derives from the French begueule (meaning “open throat”, or more colloquially, “loudmouth”) or from an Old English, French, or Welsh term beag, meaning “small.” Other possibilities include the French beugler (meaning “to bellow”) and the German begele (meaning “to scold”).

Beagles are often used for hunting. They appear to have been used for hare hunting in England as early as the reign of Edward III, who had a pack of up to 120 hare hounds with him on the battlefield during the Hundred Years’ War. Beagling has been referred to as “the poor person’s foxhunting,” as a Beagle pack (30–40 dogs) is followed on foot, not horseback.The beagle also hunt for deer or mostly track down deer. Beagles will bay in a similar fashion to foxhounds when in pursuit of their quarry. This is generally referred to as “speaking” or “giving tongue”. Many traditional aspects of Beagling, like foxhunting, are banned in England, though beagles may still pursue rabbits. In countries such as Norway, Canada, United States of America and Sweden, Beagles are also used for hunting Snowshoe Hare, Roe Deer and in some cases Red Deer and Fox. In these situations Beagles are not always used as a Beagle pack. The Hunter(s),strategically placed in the terrain, wait while the Beagle is chasing. The quarry tend to circle within a certain area while using one dog, increasing the odds for success with few hunters. Drag hunting is another Beagle sport. In the United States, particularly down in the deep south, Beagles are used in groups of two with one hunter. The hunter lets the dogs go and they pick up on the trail of the game that they are hunting for, mostly deer sometimes bear and boar. Then when the Beagle chases them by the hunter the hunter takes aim and brings down the game.

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