I have been breeding beagle for the past 10 Years. 

   I am a member of the Canadian Kennel Club.

 

The Beagle is a breed of small to medium-sized dog. A member of the Hound Group, it is similar in appearance to the Foxhound but smaller, with shorter legs and longer, softer ears. Beagles are scent hounds, developed primarily for tracking hare, rabbit, and other game. They have a keen sense of smell and tracking instinct that sees them employed as detection dogs for prohibited agricultural imports and foodstuffs in quarantine around the world. They are popular as pets because of their size, even temper, and lack of inherited health problems. These characteristics also make them the dog of choice for animal testing.

Colouring

Beagles appear in a range of colours. Although the tricolour (white with large black areas and light brown shading) is the most common, Beagles can occur in any hound colour.

Tricoloured dogs 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 tricoloured dogs have a broken pattern, sometimes referred to as pied. These dogs have mostly white coats with patches of black and brown hair. Tricolour 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 colour during their lives, and may lose their black markings entirely.

Sense of smell

Alongside the Bloodhound, the Beagle has one of the best developed senses of smell of any dog.  In the 1950s, John Paul Scott and John Fuller began a 13 year study into canine behaviour. As part of this research, they tested the scenting abilities of various breeds by putting a mouse in a 1-acre (4,000 m²) field and timing how long it took the dogs to find it. The Beagles found it in less than a minute, while Fox Terriers took 15 minutes and Scottish Terriers failed to find it at all. Beagles are better at ground-scenting (following a trail on the ground) than they are at air-scenting, and for this reason they have been excluded from most mountain rescue teams in favour of collies, which use sight in addition to air-scenting and are more biddable.  The long ears and large lips of the Beagle probably assist in trapping the scents close to the nose.

Temperament

Beagles are happy to rest without being exercised to exhaustion.

The Beagle has an even temper and gentle disposition. Described in several breed standards as “merry”, they are amiable and generally neither aggressive nor timid. 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.  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 are generally obedient but 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.

Beagles are excellent with children and this is one of the reasons they have become popular family pets, but they are pack animals, and can be prone to separation anxiety.   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 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, though regular exercise helps ward off the weight gain to which the breed is prone.

Health

The median longevity of Beagles is 12.35 years, which is a typical lifespan for a dog of their size.

Although bred for hunting, Beagles are versatile and are nowadays employed for various other roles in detection, therapy, and as family pets.  Beagles are used as sniffer dogs for termite detection in Australia, and have been mentioned as possible candidates for drug and explosive detection.  Because of their gentle nature and unimposing build, they are also frequently used in pet therapy, visiting the sick and elderly in hospital.  In June 2006, a trained Beagle assistance dog was credited with saving the life of its owner after using his owner’s mobile phone to dial an emergency number.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beagle