All About The Beagle

One of the world's most popular breeds, the Beagle is an attractive, medium-sized dog with a solid build, an attractive face, and a cheerful disposition. Originally bred for tracking and hunting, they are now more commonly seen as family pets.

The breed has a short coat that comes in a number of standard colors, with tri-color the most common. Other variations that are accepted within the standard include, lemon, black and tan, orange and red and white.

Bred originally from the much larger Harrier, the Beagle first achieved widespread acclaim as a hunting dog in England during the 1500's. They were commonly used to hunt in packs for small game, like pheasants and rabbits.

The origin of the breed's name is said to come from the French word "be'guele", a reference to the sound that hounds make when hunting.

AKC recognition for the Beagle was first granted in 1885, but it would be another 60 years before the breed achieved mass popularity. These days of course they consistently rank as one of the world's best-loved breeds.

A standout feature of the breed is its cheery, playful and enthusiastic personality. Beagles are perpetually happy, and get on with just about everyone. They are good with children and tolerant towards other dogs. However, it should be remembered that these are hunting dogs, so the prey instinct and the urge to chase are very strong. It is therefore important to socialize your dog with cats and other small animals.

Beagles are, of course, notoriously difficult to train. Like most hounds, they are independent thinkers and won't just follow an instruction blindly. They also have a short attention span and are easily distracted by anything that catches their attention. So they'll follow any interesting scent they come across, even if it takes them off your property. It's therefore important to have a well secured garden or backyard.

Beagles are a relatively healthy breed who can live up to 15 years. Common health problems for the breed include intervertebral disk disease, thyroid malfunctions and eye problems. Other, less serious, health issues are epilepsy, glaucoma, patellar luxation, chondrodysplasia, cherry eye and hypothyroidism.

Grooming your Beagle is simple. Just give the coat a thorough brush down twice a week or so and your dog will always look his best. This will also reduce shedding. The Beagles ears are prone to infection, so you'll have to devote special attention to keeping them clean and dry.

If your Beagle regularly spends time outside, especially in open fields, you should check regularly for ticks and use a preventative, like Frontline.

As hunting dogs, Beagles love the great outdoors, provided they have human or canine company. They are not really suited to apartment living, but will tolerate it as long as they are exercised outdoors every day. Be warned though that an under-exercised Beagle will soon turn to destructive behaviors, like chewing and problem barking.

Beagles are companionable dogs who love being around people, so you should make every effort to involve them in family activities.

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