Beagle

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12.02.2008 | admin

Beagle = small… modest… friendly…

temperament… hunting… dog.

His story

The Beagle is believed to have been established as a separate and distinct breed in Great Britain prior to the Roman occupation of that country. Some records seem to point to the breed’s origin as being in ancient Greece and France. It is a historical fact that the Beagle was an established hunting hound at the time of the Crusades.

The Beagle was used by nearly all English country estates. For those who wished to have a dog that they could follow on foot, rather than with the aid of horses, the Beagle was ideal. The Beagle was used to hunt hares. The difference between hunting hares and hunting rabbit is when hunting hares they do not go to ground, they tend to backtrack, parallel trails, and circle about. Rabbits on the other hand, go to ground, which means they enter their dens and wait until the dog and hunter are committed to one entrance, and they escape by means of a “back door”. Early in the morning, the hunter would take the Beagle to a known habitat of the hare, and release the dog. Once the Beagle found the scent, it would begin to “sing” and the hunter would allow the dog to work the scent, and would position himself based on his knowledge of the terrain, where he believed the hare would most likely end up. It is an accepted fact that the English breeders of the Beagle did more to develop and preserve the breed than any other nation.

The Beagle was imported to the United States, but was not really cared for as a breed as it had been in Great Britain. The American Beagle was considerably smaller than the English, and did not have the physical attractiveness that the English variety possessed. In the 1870’s a few fanciers became interested in seriously developing and preserving the Beagle as originally intended. A General Richard Rowett, of Illinois, arranged to buy and import some excellent English type Beagles. He set up a record keeping that would track the sire, dam and get of the breedings that took place. His efforts became the turning point in the improvement of the American Beagle’s appearance. The American Kennel Club first registered a Beagle in 1885. The National Beagle Club was formed in 1888, and the Breed Standard was accepted in the same year.

Characteristic

The Beagle is a well-muscled, small-to-almost-medium-sized dog with a keen sense of smell and a wanderlust that can lead him into trouble. He comes in two sizes — under 13 inches tall and 13-15 inches tall. Weight for the smaller dogs is 18-20 pounds; for the larger dogs is 20-30 pounds. The Beagle’s soft brown eyes are probably his most appealing feature. One long gaze into the eyes and the potential owner is likely to become an actual owner, for the breed has mastered the trick of looking as if he doesn’t have a friend in the world. Ears are long — but not as long as the Basset’s. When pulled forward, they should almost reach the end of the nose; when at rest they should tip over and lie close to the head. The Beagle’s compact body is longer than tall. He carries his moderately-long tail like a flag above his back, providing a marker when he follows scent through tall grass. ↑

Coat and colour

Beagle coat is hard and short but sheds. It is a double coat, with fine undercoat and coarser top coat; it is generally thicker in winter and sheds most heavily in spring. The standard allows “any hound color,” which includes tri-color (black, brown, and white), red and white, lemon and white, and tan and white. Solid white or tan is possible but very rare. The color pattern can include mottling, ticking, or grizzling.

Character

The Beagle is a very adaptable breed, enjoying the company of other dogs and humans, they are loyal, playful, inquisitive, affectionate, gentle, and versatile. Although the Beagle was developed as an active hunting dog it is also makes a good house pet providing it is given lots of exercise and attention. It is, however, an independent and strong willed breed and may run off to follow a scent trail.

Living conditions and Exercise Requirements of the Beagle Dog Breed The Beagle dogs and puppies requires a substantial amount of exercise. It is well suited to living in the country and even outdoors in kennels. It is a natural scent hound which will be inclined to follow and scent trails and can be difficult in getting them to return. The Beagle has also been described as an escapologist who will attempt to dig their way out of any confinement. ↑

Conditions

The Beagle requires a minimum amount of grooming. Regardless of the breeds, a certain amount of grooming and care is necessary to keep dogs and puppies looking at their best. Grooming consists of not only brushing out the coat and bathing but also giving attention to the eyes, teeth, ears, feet and nails. A regular routine also ensures that any potential health problems are identified as quickly as possible, especially important in puppies and older dogs.

Suitables sports

Agility; fly-ball; flygility; dog-trekking… We can say, so any mooving activity with junket is perfect for beagles. ↑

Different sports

- of beagles was write in the past. But today is beagle strictly descript in standard FCI - and this is just one:

FCI-Standard

N°161 /24.07. 2000/GB - BEAGLE

ORIGIN : Great-Britain.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 24.06.1987.
UTILIZATION : Hound.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 6 Scenthounds. Section 1.3 Small-sized Hounds. With working trial.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : A sturdy, compactly-built hound, conveying the impression of quality without coarseness.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : A merry hound whose essential function is to hunt, primarily hare, by following a scent. Bold, with great activity, stamina and determination. Alert, intelligent and of even temperament. Amiable and alert, showing no aggression or timidity.
HEAD : Fair length, powerful without being coarse, finer in the bitch, free from frown and wrinkle.
CRANIAL REGION : Skull : Slightly domed, moderately wide, with slight peak. Stop : Well defined, dividing length, between occiput and tip of nose, as equally as possible.
FACIAL REGION : Nose : Broad, preferably black, but less pigmentation permissible in lighter coloured hounds. Nostrils wide. Muzzle : Not snipey. Lips : Reasonably well flewed. Jaws/Teeth : Jaws should be strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Eyes : Dark brown or hazel, fairly large, not deep set or prominent, set well apart with mild appealing expression. Ears : Long, with rounded tip, reaching nearly to end of nose when drawn out. Set on low, fine in texture and hanging gracefully close to cheeks.
NECK : Sufficiently long to enable hound to come down easily to scent, slightly arched and showing little dewlap.
BODY : Topline : Straight and level. Loin : Short in the couplings, but well balanced. Loins powerful and supple. Chest : Let down to below elbow. Ribs well sprung and extending well back. Belly : Without excessive tuck-up.
TAIL : Sturdy, moderately long. Set on high, carried gaily but not curled over back or inclined forward from root. Well covered with hair, especially on underside.
LIMBS FOREQUARTERS : Forelegs straight and upright well under the hound, good substance and round in bone, not tapering off to feet. Shoulders : Well laid back, not loaded. Elbows : Firm, turning neither in nor out. Height to elbow about half height at withers. Pasterns : Short. HINDQUARTERS : Upper thigh : Muscular. Stifles : Well bent. Hocks : Firm, well let down and parallel to each other.
FEET : Tight and firm. Well knuckled up and strongly padded. Not hare-footed. Nails short.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : Back level, firm with no indication of roll. Stride free, long reaching in front and straight without high action; hind legs showing drive. Should not move close behind nor paddle nor plait in front.
HAIR : Short, dense and weatherproof.
COLOUR : Any recognized hound colour other than liver. Tip of stern white.
SIZE : Desirable minimum height at withers 33 cm (13 ins). Desirable maximum height at withers 40 cm (16 ins).
FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog. Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.