Beagle - The Facts Every Owner Of This Dog Breed Should Know
by: Robert W. Benjamin


Made famous by the Peanuts character, Snoopy, Beagles were bred in England as trail hounds, used to hunt rabbits and hares. Beagles are scent hounds and have a tendency to ignore everything but the interesting scent when hunting. A very energetic breed of dog, Beagles are social, curious, intelligent and brave. They are also likely to get into trouble as their hound dog instinct can take over in an instant should a Beagle catch a whiff of an exciting or interesting scent.

Male Beagles will grow to an average height of 14 to 16 inches and average weight of 22 to 25 pounds; females, 13 to 15 inches and 20 to 23 pounds. On average, a Beagle will live 12 to 15 years. Most Beagles have a tri-color coat, consisting of red and white, orange and white or lemon and white. It is a short to medium length coat that requires no more than minimal care – regular brushing and bathing only when necessary.

Beagles will shed, but not excessively. They have long, wide ears and brown or hazel eyes that often times look like pleading 'puppy dog' eyes. They have a distinct, and often times, familiar baying sound that they make when hunting prey. It is this distinctive howl and ability to pick up on strange scents that make them excellent guard dogs.

Beagles are good with families and children and love to play, but care should be taken with other family pets. If a Beagle is not properly socialized early, it may try to hunt and capture the other pets; however, they do not like being left alone and may bay excessively (annoying the neighbors). Beagles do well traveling and adapt quickly and easily to new experiences, thanks to their fearless nature, but also need strong and consistent training to ensure they do not run off. Beagles will do well in almost any living environment, provided they are given plenty of opportunity to run and exercise.

A leash is a must with a Beagle, or a well fenced in yard as well as consistent obedience training. Their hunting instinct will take over when a scent comes their way and will run off in search of the prey. Ears should be checked and cleaned regularly, as Beagles are prone to painful ear infections. Beagles are also prone to heart disease, epilepsy, eye and back problems, and chondroplasia - dwarfism that results in warped front legs.

There is a website that has great information on Beagles and most other breeds of dogs. It has details that pertain to a dog breeds health, grooming, living conditions, best food choices and more, the website is called: Dog And Cat Facts, and can be found at this url:

http://www.dogandcatfacts.com

Post edited by: hedvig, at: 2009/06/01 04:49

Author: Daniel Millions

The Beagle is a sturdy and attractive dog with a full blast of energy. Originally bred to track fox, this breed has a great sense of smell and like other scent hounds, will likely to ignore you and everything else when hot on a scent trail.

For this reason, extra care must be taken to make sure that he does not wander off. He is a happy dog that loves children and gets along well with other pets.

The breed standard describes this dog as 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 - a sturdy and compactly-built hound, conveying the impression of quality without coarseness.

Although this breed is affectionate and intelligent, he requires patients and persistent training from the first day of training because of its stubborn nature in which he is easily distracted.

It is very rare to find scent hounds, including the Beagle, in the obedience ring because their nose often overrules their brain. Also similar to other scent hounds, the Beagle was bred to bark, bay, and howl to alert the hunter to his location during the hunt.

He may run away and is not likely to come when called so you may need a secure fence that he cannot get under or over. Always keep him on leash whenever you take him out, otherwise he may take off the second hi picks up a scent.

Size: Beagles are among the smaller scent hounds which com in 2 varieties, the first stands about 13in at the shoulder and the other is more than 13 but not exceeding 15in. He weighs between 18-30lb.

History and origin: This breed is one of the smallest of the hounds. He is an ancient breed that has been a great companion to sportsmen for hundreds of years. The Beagle was first mentioned by name in writings published in 1475.

They were used to hunt in packs for hare and were first imported into the United States for this purpose. They have hunted many different quarries in different climates including jackal, wild pig, and deer.

In the United States and Canada, they are used as gun-dogs to seek out and retrieve game and to hunt by scent in competitive Field Trials.

Feeding: Because this breed is likely to put on weight, 1-2 meals per day are sufficient for an adult Beagle with no tidbits. Recommended amount of feeding is 1-1 cans (13.3oz size) of meat diet with added biscuits in equal amount or 3 cupfuls of a complete dry food.

Exercise: Daily exercise such as walks and occasional runs is required for this breed.

Grooming: Their shedding coat is tough, weatherproof, and requires very low maintenance grooming.

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Post edited by: hedvig, at: 2009/06/01 04:49