Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Common Beagle Characteristics

Title: Common Beagle Characteristics
Author: Jake Kennedy

Common Beagle Characteristics
Have you heard of characters such as Snoopy from the Peanut
comic strips, Underdog from the cartoon series, or Shiloh
from Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's book? All of these are
examples of the Beagle, a dog that has been in the top 10
list of most popular dog breeds in the United States for 30
years. If you have not read or seen any of these examples
and are unsure what this breed of dog looks like you can
read below to find the common Beagle characteristics.

You may not know what a Beagle looks like but a Foxhound
looks extremely similar. Beagles are miniature versions of
the Foxhounds but have broader heads, shorter muzzles, and
the legs are shorter in proportion to their body. They are
typically between 13 to 16 inches in length and weight
between 18 to 35 pounds.

The common Beagle characteristic of the skull is that it is
domed, with medium-length, square-cut muzzle and a black
nose. Their eyes are large and either hazel or brown. The
have long, large ears that turn toward the cheeks and round
at the tips. Their upper teeth fit perfectly over their
lower teeth with both set aligned square into their strong
jaw.

These dogs have a medium length neck, just long enough for
them to pick up a scent from the ground, and there is
sometimes a dewlap in their skin. The Beagle has a broad
chest that narrows to a smaller abdomen and waist. At the
end of its body is a short tail that curves to a white tip.
The white tip has been selectively bred as it allows for
the dog to be easily seen when its head is down sniffing.

One of the biggest characteristics of the Beagle is their
sense of smell. These dogs have the best developed senses
of smell of any dog, next to the Bloodhound. Starting in
the 1950s John Fuller and John Paul Scott began a 13 year
study into the behavior of canines.

Part of the research they did was testing the scenting
abilities of a variety of breeds by putting a mouse in an
acre of field and they timed how long it took for the dogs
to locate the mouse. A Scottish Terrier was unable to find
it, a Fox Terrier found it in 15 minutes, and the Beagle
found it in less than one minute.

The problem with this breed is that they are extremely good
at ground-scenting, but they are not very good at
air-scenting. For this reason they are not used for
mountain rescue teams and rather collies are used because
they are able to use their sight in addition to their
air-scenting, making them the best choice.

These are just some of the Beagle characteristics that
should help you identify this breed without doubt.

About the Author:

Jake Kennedy is an avid Beagle lover providing valuable
advice at http://www.iluvbeagles.com/ for fellow Beagle
lovers, where he shares Beagle dog info and training tips
with Beagle lovers worldwide. Visit our Beagle Photo
Gallery too: http://www.iluvbeagles.com/gallery/main/

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