Beagle, an energetic, cheerful and sociable dog

HISTORICAL

One of the most famous and appreciated dog breeds is the beagle. With large eyes and protruding ears, they are preferred by many people as pets. Like many other dog breeds, beagles were once bred to have a completely different role than that of a pet. Bred to aid in hunting, the origin of the breed is somewhat uncertain.

There is a theory that the first beagles were used for hunting in ancient Greece, around the 5th century BC. Xenophon’s writings mention the use of a dog similar in appearance to the beagle for hunting small animals. With the development of the Roman Empire the breed began to expand especially in the territories that today belong to England. The name beagle belonged to all small greyhounds used to hunt small animals, although physically there were obvious differences, they were also different from today’s beagle. In the 11th century, William the Conqueror brought the greyhounds St Hubert and Talbot to England. Repeated crossbreeding with other types of English greyhounds has been carried out to give them speed, hunting resistance and a fantastic sense of smell.

Queen Elizabeth I developed a passion for the beagle breed. At that time there were two miniature versions of the breed. Pocket beagle and glove beagle, small dogs that fit in a pocket and a glove respectively. Having a maximum size at the withers of 23 cm, the dogs could be placed in the hunter’s pockets and ride at his side. The larger greyhounds chased their prey to the ground, then the hunters released the beagles to follow it into the undergrowth and bushes. Nowadays, these breeds have disappeared.

Basically the breeds that contributed to the formation of the beagle are the Talbot greyhound, the southern greyhound, the northern greyhound and the Harrier. In the selection process, an attempt was made to preserve a distinctive and very important characteristic for the breed, namely the highly developed sense of smell. This is why beagles are still used successfully today by the police or customs authorities to detect narcotics or prohibited substances. Being medium-sized dogs, they can easily squeeze into small or narrow spaces that are inaccessible to humans or other large dogs.
The Beagle Club was founded in 1890 and the breed standard followed shortly thereafter.

Currently, according to the American Kennel Club, the beagle breed is one of the 10 most popular breeds in the world. Although they are independent and training can present some difficulties (they were not bred to please their owner, like German shepherds or retrievers for example), they are excellent as pets, especially for families with children. The breed’s popularity grew not only in England, but also throughout Europe and the United States of America, and the animations Wallace and Goomit, the children’s film Shiloh or the TV series Wonder Years made important contributions. A cartoon character known throughout the world is Snoopy, the most famous beagle, protagonist of the Peanuts comics. His fame made people or families with children want their own Snoopy at home.

PERSONALITY

Bred to hunt with other dogs, the beagle is a cheerful, sociable and outgoing dog that gets along well with other dogs. He is a docile dog with children and can accept other pets around him (e.g. cats) if he has socialized with them from an early age. It is atypical for a beagle to be aggressive or violent, but it is essential to socialize from a young age with people, children and other pets.

Since he is an independent dog and can be easily distracted by external stimuli, his training can be difficult. Like most hunting breeds, they were not bred to please their master, but rather to think independently. A specific characteristic of the beagle is stubbornness. They will completely ignore their owners in favor of their favorite activities, especially following a scent. Similar to other hunting dogs, beagles suffer from “selective hearing”. In hunting, selective hearing is fundamental and allows the dog to concentrate better on what he has to do, ignoring other noises. In everyday life, selective hearing occurs when the dog totally ignores the owner’s calls and concentrates on other activities. This is why it is essential to teach the dog to come to us when called. With patience and delicious rewards we will have a very obedient dog. It is essential that training is started as soon as possible.

Despite being a dog that prefers nature, the beagle can live comfortably in an apartment. He is an energetic dog, he needs at least an hour of exercise in nature, although ideally it should be more. He will love running, exploring new smells, rolling in the grass.

A characteristic of beagles is that they like to bark a lot. Being very friendly, they will never make good watchdogs, but will always alert the owner if someone enters the yard. Beagles like to “sing”, they will try to imitate the sound of ambulances or police car horns as best they can. Not all beagles howl, but they certainly bark. Beagles left alone for long periods of time or bored ones bark excessively.

Being pack animals, beagles will always prefer the company of their owner and will suffer if left alone for too long. They may suffer from separation anxiety. They get bored easily and can become destructive if they do not receive regular mental stimulation and physical exercise. Although they are quite energetic dogs outside, they are calm indoors. It is very difficult to tire a beagle, they were bred to withstand hours of hunting. Regular exercise and streamlining food are important to maintaining a beagle’s optimal weight. They are known to be greedy.
He is an extremely expressive dog and will be able to convey his feelings exactly to his owner.

As with any other dog, early socialization with different people, situations, sounds and experiences is essential and this will help us have a balanced dog.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

The Beagle is a medium-sized dog with a muscular and compact body. It has short and rough fur, being bi-coloured or tri-coloured. Its head is long with round ears that hang down. It has a strong tail usually arched upwards. It can be between 33 and 40 cm tall and reach a weight between 10 and 18 kg. He has very muscular legs, legs that give him special resistance when running.

TREATMENT

Having short and shiny fur, it is very easy to maintain. It needs to be brushed once a week to remove dead hair. It sheds fairly consistently throughout the year, which is why it requires regular brushing. Ears need regular checking because they are prone to infections.

HEALED

Although beagles are robust and healthy dogs, they still have some diseases to which they are subject:

– Beagle pain syndrome – is an inflammatory disease of the spinal cord associated with severe pain
– Epilepsy
– Hip dysplasia
– Ataxia – neurological condition also called canine degenerative myelopathy. Degenerative inflammation of the spine and gray matter in the brainstem manifests as movement disorders and spastic paralysis.
– Lafora disease – hereditary metabolic disease. Due to a genetic defect, the conversion of glucose to its storage form, glycogen, is disrupted in affected dogs. The so-called Lafora bodies are formed, which are deposited in the liver, muscles and, above all, nerve cells. There is a test on the market that can be used to check if the dog is predisposed to this hereditary disease.
– Glaucoma is common in this breed
– Obesity – being a very active dog, it is also very voracious. A healthy and balanced diet will protect him from weight gain, which can put his health at risk.
– Ear diseases. Since this dog breed loves to roll in the grass, mud, various foreign bodies can enter the ears, which can cause painful inflammation. That’s why it’s a good idea to check and clean them regularly.

PERSONALITIES THAT BEAGLES HAD

Hélio Castroneves, KayCee Stroh, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Frankie Muniz, Miley Cyrus, Bob Dylan, Andy Cohen, Barry Manilow, Meghan Markle, David Hasselhoff, Donald Trump, Elaine Lui, George Clooney, Keith Moon, Ronnie Wood,