The beagle is a small breed of dog who is part of the branch of hound dogs.
Beagles are scent hounds that’s primary purpose is to serve as a hunting dog.
They make great hunting dogs because of their excellent tracking abilities.
Their hunting tracking abilities can be likened to those of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.
Beagles are often see mixes with Jack Russell Terriers to create the breed, Jackabee.
The purpose of Jackabees is because the combined tracking abilities of two great hunting dogs comes in good use for hunters.
Beagle History & Background
Beagles are believe to go back as far as other hound dogs, such as Bloodhounds.
But it is hard to tell due to the lack of documented history of Beagles.
They only real knowledge about Beagles in ancient times is that they don’t look the same as they do today.
In fact the Beagles that we know today, didn’t really see creation until the 1800’s.
There was a pack of Beagles in Essex, England during the mid 1800’s. These are thought to be the ancestors of modern Beagles.
The importing of Beagles to America took place around this time.
American Breeders began breeding Beagles to improve their looks, and make them smaller.
They wanted them smaller so they would be more ideal for rabbit hunting.
Beagles became a registered breed in America in 1885, the first registered Beagle’s name was Blunder.
Beagle Physical Characteristics
Beagles have an appearance the resembles those of an American Foxhound.
Male Beagles generally have a weight range of 22 pounds to 25 pounds on average.
Female Beagles typically have a weight range of 20 pounds to 23 pounds on average.
Height wise, Beagles of both genders share the same height.
On average they have a height range of 13 inches to 16 inches tall.
Beagles typically possess a quite muscular body frames.
They possess a coat of medium length that is smooth and hard.
With their shorter coat, they don’t shed very much, but still need a good weekly brushing.
Beagles will not do well in extremely cold weather since they don’t have a double coat.
The most common color pattern to see on a Beagle is a tricolor pattern.
The tricolor pattern typically features white with black areas on the body and light brown shading.
In some cases, Beagles will change color with age, and likely lose their black marking completely.
There are also dual colored varieties of Beagles. The dual color patterns features a white base with a secondary color.
The most common of the dual color pattern is white and tan.
There are a number of secondary colors to match the white of the dual color pattern.
These secondary colors consist of: red, light tan, orange, brown, liver, dark brown, and black.
Personality
Beagles often keep a level and cool head with a pleasant personality.
They are among the most lovable dog breeds out there.
Most of the time they carry themselves with a happy and jolly attitude.
This makes them great companions. Their constant happiness should be rewarded with the perfect name for the pup.
Typically, Beagles are friendly with all humans, they may seem somewhat timid with strangers, but they will quickly befriend them.
Due to their friendliness with human, they don’t make great guard dogs.
However, they do make great watch dogs since they have the tendency to bark at an anything that seems unfamiliar.
Beagles are very intelligent dogs, but this doesn’t make them easy to train, however they do respond well to food or treat rewards.
They can be difficult to train because they have a very single-minded attention span.
So when something has it’s attention, it is not likely to respond to anything else.
There short attention span is because of there tracking abilities.
This is in their nature because they have to be very focused while on a scent.
Health
For the most part, Beagles are quite healthy.
However, they are susceptible to certain health conditions such as epilepsy, hypothyroidism, and dwarfism.
There is a condition that is unique to the Beagle breed, this condition is known as “Funny Puppy.”
Beagles with funny puppy are slow to develop and this leads to having weak legs and a crooked back.
As with any dogs, their teeth need checking for infection and a cleaning every so often.
Soon to be mother Beagles that are pregnant often deliver a litter of 6 pups, each only weighing a few ounces.
Beagles have a lifespan of 12 years to 15 years. This is common for a dog of this size.
