The
Beagle is a breed of small hound that is similar in appearance to the much
larger foxhound. The beagle is a scent hound, developed primarily for hunting
hare. With a great sense of smell and superior tracking instinct, the beagle is
employed as detection dog for prohibited agricultural imports and foodstuffs in
quarantine around the world. The beagle is intelligent but single-minded. It is
a popular pet due to its size, good temper, and lack of inherited health
problems.
Although
beagle-type dogs have existed for 2,500 years, the modern breed was developed
in Great Britain around the 1830s from several breeds, including the Talbot
Hound, the North Country Beagle, the Southern Hound, and possibly the Harrier.
Beagles
have been depicted in popular culture since Elizabethan times in literature and
paintings, and more recently in film, television, and comic books. Snoopy of
the comic strip Peanuts has been called "the world's most famous
beagle".
Appearance
The
general appearance of the beagle resembles a miniature Foxhound, but the head
is broader and the muzzle shorter, the expression completely different and the
legs shorter in proportion to the body. They are generally between 13 and 16
inches (33 and 41 cm) high at the withers and weigh between 18 and 35 lb (8.2
and 15.9 kg), with females being slightly smaller than males on average.
They
have a smooth, somewhat domed skull with a medium-length, square-cut muzzle and
a black (or occasionally liver) gumdrop nose. The jaw is strong and the teeth
scissor together with the upper teeth fitting perfectly over the lower teeth
and both sets aligned square to the jaw. The eyes are large, hazel or brown,
with a mild hound-like pleading look. The large ears are long, soft and
low-set, turning towards the cheeks slightly and rounded at the tips. Beagles
have a strong, medium-length neck (which is long enough for them to easily bend
to the ground to pick up a scent), with little folding in the skin but some
evidence of a dewlap; a broad chest narrowing to a tapered abdomen and waist
and a long, slightly curved tail (known as the "stern") tipped with
white. The white tip, known as the flag has been selectively bred for, as it
allows the dog to be easily seen when its head is down following a scent. The
tail does not curl over the back, but is held upright when the dog is active.
The beagle has a muscular body and a medium-length, smooth, hard coat. The
front legs are straight and carried under the body while the rear legs are
muscular and well bent at the stifles.
The
tricolored beagle—white with large black areas and light brown shading—is the
most common. Tricolored beagles occur in a number of shades, from the
"Classic Tri" with a jet black saddle (also known as
"Blackback"), to the "Dark Tri" (where faint brown markings
are intermingled with more prominent black markings), to the "Faded
Tri" (where faint black markings are intermingled with more prominent
brown markings). Some tricolored dogs have a broken pattern, sometimes referred
to as pied. These dogs have mostly white coats with patches of black and brown
hair. Tricolor beagles are almost always born black and white. The white areas
are typically set by eight weeks, but the black areas may fade to brown as the
puppy matures. (The brown may take between one and two years to fully develop.)
Some beagles gradually change color during their lives, and may lose their
black markings entirely.
Two-color
varieties always have a white base color with areas of the second color. Tan
and white is the most common two-color variety, but there is a wide range of
other colors including lemon, a very light tan; red, a reddish, almost orange,
brown; and liver, a darker brown, and black. Liver is not common and is not
permitted in some standards; it tends to occur with yellow eyes. Ticked or
mottled varieties may be either white or black with different colored flecks
(ticking), such as the blue-mottled or bluetick beagle, which has spots that
appear to be a midnight-blue color, similar to the coloring of the Bluetick
Coonhound. Some tricolor beagles also have ticking of various colors in their
white areas.
Sense of smell
Temperament
The
beagle has an even temper and gentle disposition. Described in several breed
standards as "merry", they are amiable and typically neither
aggressive nor timid, although this depends on the individual. They enjoy
company, and although they may initially be standoffish with strangers, they
are easily won over. They make poor guard dogs for this reason, although their
tendency to bark or howl when confronted with the unfamiliar makes them good
watch dogs. In a 1985 study conducted by Ben and Lynette Hart, the beagle was
given the highest excitability rating, along with the Yorkshire Terrier, Cairn
Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, West Highland White Terrier, and Fox Terrier.
Beagles
are intelligent but, as a result of being bred for the long chase, are
single-minded and determined, which can make them hard to train. They can be
difficult to recall once they have picked up a scent, and are easily distracted
by smells around them. They do not generally feature in obedience trials; while
they are alert, respond well to food-reward training, and are eager to please,
they are easily bored or distracted. They are ranked 72nd in Stanley Coren's
The Intelligence of Dogs, as Coren places them among the group with the lowest
degree of working/obedience intelligence. Coren's scale, however, does not
assess understanding, independence, or creativity.
Beagles
are excellent with children and this is one of the reasons they have become
popular family pets, but they are pack animals, and are prone to separation
anxiety, a condition which causes them to destroy things when left unattended.
Not all beagles will howl, but most will bark when confronted with strange
situations, and some will bay (also referred to as "speaking",
"giving tongue", or "opening") when they catch the scent of
potential quarry. They also generally get along well with other dogs. They are
not too demanding with regard to exercise; their inbred stamina means they do
not easily tire when exercised, but they also do not need to be worked to
exhaustion before they will rest. Regular exercise helps ward off the weight
gain to which the breed is prone.
Health
The
typical longevity of beagles is 12–15 years, which is a common lifespan for
dogs of their size.
Beagles
may be prone to epilepsy, but this can often be controlled with medication.
Hypothyroidism and a number of types of dwarfism occur in beagles. Two
conditions in particular are unique to the breed: "Funny Puppy", in
which the puppy is slow to develop and eventually develops weak legs, a crooked
back and although normally healthy, is prone to a range of illnesses; Hip
dysplasia, common in Harriers and in some larger breeds, is rarely considered a
problem in beagles. Beagles are considered a chondrodystrophic breed, meaning
that they are prone to types of disk diseases.
In
rare cases, beagles may develop immune mediated polygenic arthritis (where the
immune system attacks the joints) even at a young age. The symptoms can
sometimes be relieved by steroid treatments. Another rare disease in the breed
is neonatal cerebellar cortical degeneration. Affected puppies are slow, have
lower co-ordination, fall more often and don't have a normal gait. It has an
estimated carrier rate of 5% and affected rate of 0.1%. A genetic test is
available.
Their
long floppy ears can mean that the inner ear does not receive a substantial air
flow or that moist air becomes trapped, and this can lead to ear infections.
Beagles may also be affected by a range of eye problems; two common ophthalmic
conditions in beagles are glaucoma and corneal dystrophy. "Cherry
eye", a prolapse of the gland of the third eyelid, and distichiasis, a
condition in which eyelashes grow into the eye causing irritation, sometimes
exist; both these conditions can be corrected with surgery. They can suffer
from several types of retinal atrophy. Failure of the nasolacrimal drainage
system can cause dry eye or leakage of tears onto the face.
As
field dogs they are prone to minor injuries such as cuts and sprains, and, if
inactive, obesity is a common problem as they will eat whenever food is
available and rely on their owners to regulate their weight. When working or
running free they are also likely to pick up parasites such as fleas, ticks,
harvest mites, and tapeworms, and irritants such as grass seeds can become
trapped in their eyes, soft ears, or paws.
Beagles
may exhibit a behaviour known as reverse sneezing, in which they sound as if
they are choking or gasping for breath, but are actually drawing air in through
the mouth and nose. The exact cause of this behaviour is not known, but it can
be a common occurrence and is not harmful to the dog.
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