Beagles, as a breed, have been in existence for quite some time, although their precise origins are only vaguely known. Beagle-type dogs are described in documents dating from 400 B.C. Greece and A.D. 200 Britain. The Romans are also thought to have transported small rabbit hunting hounds to England with them and bred them with the local hounds. Talbot Hounds were brought to England from France during the Norman Conquest in 1066 and are considered to be ancestors to the Southern Hound, the Beagle and the Foxhound.

Beagles became quite popular with the British monarchy in the 1300's and 1400's. Edward II and Henry VII both kept packs of Glove Beagles, so named since they were small enough to fit on a glove. Elizabeth I kept packs of Pocket Beagles which were only nine inches high at the withers. By the 1400's Beagles existed in Britain, Italy, Greece and France.

By the 1700's two types of hounds existed for hunting rabbits: the Southern Hound and the much quicker North Country Beagle. Since fox hunting was becoming increasingly popular, Beagles were being kept less and less in favor of Foxhounds. Fortunately for the continuing existence of the Beagle, farmers in England, Ireland and Wales continued to keep packs to hunt with.

Beagles were officially imported into the United States in 1876, but some records show that they could have been here in the late 1700’s. The Beagle was accepted as a breed by the American Kennel Club in 1884, and they have pretty much been in the top 10% of registered dogs ever since.

The Beagle should be a sturdy, compactly-built hound, conveying the impression of quality without coarseness. Considered a merry hound, their essential function is to hunt, primarily hare, by following a scent. These hounds are bold, with great activity, stamina and determination.  They are alert, intelligent, and are of even temperament and show no aggression or timidity.

The head should be of fair length, powerful without being coarse, finer in the female, and free from frown and wrinkle. The skull should be slightly domed, moderately wide, with a slight peak. The nose should be broad with wide nostrils, preferably black, but less pigmentation is permissible in the lighter colored hounds. Their eyes should be dark brown or hazel, fairly large, not deep set or prominent, and set well apart with a mild appealing expression. The ears are long, with rounded tip, reaching nearly to the end of their nose when drawn out. The ear set should be low, fine in texture and hanging gracefully close to cheeks.

The neck needs to be sufficiently long to enable it to come down to scent easily, and needs to be slightly arched and showing little dewlap. The shoulders should be well laid back and not loaded. Forelegs should be straight and upright, well under the hound, with good substance, and round in the bone, not tapering off to feet, pasterns short, elbows firm, turning neither in or out. The height to elbow should be about half height at withers.  The top line should be straight and level, chest let down to below elbow, ribs well sprung and extending well back. The beagle should be short in the couplings but have well balanced loins that are powerful and supple, without excessive tuck-up.

The hind quarters need to be tied well into muscular thighs, stifles well bent and hocks firm, well let down and parallel to each other. The feet should be tight and firm, well knuckled up and strongly padded; they are said to have “catlike” feet with nails short. The tail should be sturdy, moderately long, set high, carried gaily but not curled over the back or inclined forward from the root.

The coat needs to be short, dense and weatherproof. Any recognized hound color is acceptable. The most common color you will see is tricolor. It means a black saddle, white legs, chest, and belly, with a tan head, and often around the edges of the saddle. Many dogs have a white blaze on their face, but a solid tan face is common too. Tricolor puppies are born black and white, and the tan develops as the puppy gets older.  Red and white is an acceptable color and means there is no black at all, and the red can range from a tan to a darker red and even chocolate. These puppies are born red and white with shading of the color developing later.  Lemon and white is another color, and the lemon varies from an off-white, to a dark lemon/yellow to a light tan. These puppies are often born completely white, with the color developing later.  Black and white, gray/silver and white, all white and all black are rare but not unheard of.  With all of these colors, you can have freckling, mottling, ticking, and grizzling.

Beagles are divided into to size divisions 13 inches (Not exceeding 13 inches at the withers) and 15 inches (Not exceeding 15 inches at the withers) in the United States.  In Canada and the United Kingdom the taller division extends to 16 inches.

Beagles are primarily bred and kept in packs. This has resulted in a near genetic need for companionship. If they don't get it from another dog, they will demand it from you. This is not to say that a lone Beagle will be underfoot, begging for attention all the time, but they will require a substantial amount of your time in play and companionship. If they are not given enough stimulation from their 'pack', they will find ways to amuse themselves, and this can mean trouble!

The Beagle's independent and stubborn nature makes obedience training a necessity prior to training the Beagle to be a hunter or a pet. Beagles neither respect, nor acknowledge physical force. To say the least Beagles love kids and make great companions for children and for older adults after the initial obedience training.  Beagles are very scent oriented, and if you decide to keep one as a pet, a fenced yard is almost a must because they tend to follow the scent, and that will also “get them in trouble”.

Yes, the photos are all of our "Packs" and one of our Grand Champion.

By Luanne Bragg

TalkHunting Pro Staffer, Luanne "Beaglepup" Bragg, started hunting (going hunting) with her Grandfather in the fall of 1965.  He loved to squirrel hunt and would carry her into the woods and sit her on a rock and let her hold his prizes.  He took Luanne on her first Pheasant and Rabbit hunts when she was 7.  Shortly after that he had a massive stroke and was never able to return to the woods again.  When Luanne was 9 her Father, who was about to retire from the Marine Corps after 20 years active duty, and Uncle decided that since she could shoot she could remove the ground hogs and crows from the farm fields.  Luanne spent the next few years watching all the wildlife and removing varmints from the farm.  She took herself deer hunting for the first time when she was 15 and took her first deer at 17.  There was a long time between Luanne's first deer and her next deer due to college and work and general life.  She did a lot of small game hunting with her ex-husband starting in 1985 and killed her next deer in 1988.  She has not missed a deer or turkey season since.  When not hunting she is fishing or working in her garden (when not WORKING...).

Luanne has raised, trained and field trialed Beagles in the UKC and ARHA formats for 20 years and has produced several Field and Show Champions and Grand Field and Show Champions.  There is usually at least one litter of puppies born on her place every year.

She holds a Real Estate License in Virginia and owns a Dog Boarding Kennel.  Luanne belongs to the National Association of Realtors, Central Virginia Beaglers Association, NRA, NWTF and Buckmasters.  She was born in East Liverpool, Ohio,  and started showing Appaloosa horses in 1969 and was the Pennsylvania Appaloosa Queen in 1980 and runner up to the National Queen Title the same year. When she gets the chance she still enjoys a long trail ride.  She graduated from Kent State University in Kent Ohio in 1982 with a degree in Applied Science. Luanne relocated from Ohio to Virginia in 1984.