A True Beagle...

[dave404]

Im setting here looking at some pictures of my beagles of the past. Going back about 30 yr ago when i 1st started . What amazes me is how beagles looked then comparing them to todays beagles.
Most were grade hounds then, so bloodlines unknown, blocky heads, broad chest, etc..
Todays beagles you see more long spindly legs, long slim made, long nosed, etc... makes me think somewhere some foxhound, greyhound, or whatever got crossed.
i got a striker, branko male that is pure ugly imo, black and white like a holstein cow, long spindly legs, long nose. lol Hes a consistent track hound with line control and has never ran deer since a pup. he will tell on deer runners everytime,
lets hear your opinions
happy new year !

[crittergitter]

i like the blocky heads , broad chest , short thick legs and big feet ,built to hunt , low to the ground , the long legged spindly lookin hounds that are built for speed never done nothing for me , lifes to short to get in a hurry just my opinion !

[deadeyebeagle]

i think it depends on what beagles you are comparing to.imo thare is all shapes and sizes today.you can come see mine fat and out of shape or maybe they take after thare ansesters ya thats its it. lol

[Dr. Chris]

I am with you, I would love to find out the truth about many dogs, and why so many dogs from the same “line” are so different when they come from different breeders. There is a test. It is called the Canine Heritage XL Breed Test. Through DNA they can tell what primary breed your dog is, which of course with most of us on here would be “beagle”. But it does more, it also tells you the 2nd primary breed in your dog, and then 3rd and on and on …. It can do it up to 100 breeds. Each "breed" of dog has it's own DNA "code". Honestly, what do you think the odds would be for a beagle today to come back 100% Beagle? I mean, it could have been 20, 30, 40 or 50 years ago that somebody crossed another breed in to increase {or decrease} size, nose, speed, hunt, color or anything and registered the pups falsely. Better question, what “big kennel” with a lot of $$$ invested would dare take and reveal the test? But most people don't care as long as they run a rabbit right. Though it would be interesting.

The Link to that test is: http://www.canineheritage.com/

[Bev]

i like the blocky heads , broad chest , short thick legs and big feet ,built to hunt , low to the ground , the long legged spindly lookin hounds that are built for speed never done nothing for me , lifes to short to get in a hurry just my opinion !

No offense -- don't be mad at me, but think about it. Wouldn't that be the description for a basset hound? I know several who hunt rabbits with them.

I tend to be of the mind that when it comes to beagles, there's nothing new under the sun. The AKC beagle breed standard says to this day, "A sturdy hunting dog, the Beagle should look like a foxhound in miniature" but as far as I can go back, we have the same old differences in our likes and types that folks did many decades ago. Here are some pics from old H&H mags:

June 1953:




October 1953:




January 1948: (check out the ears and muzzle on this fella - ((the dog)).




And then we have this guy...June 1949:



Now I'm rarely one to judge dogs, and this was probably a great old hound, and his owner was probably and rightly very proud...but he looks like he was put together by a committee, lol.

I think people were dinkin' with the breed long before now.

[Newt]

It would be interesting to see Forgers pedigree and pictures of those hounds.
I started looking at Hounds and Hunting Magazine in the 70's and beagles were very unimpressive looking breed judging from those photos. Tom Dornin"s advertisement of LI Binkey was about the only hound advertised that was close to the AKC standard except for a few LPH Champions.

[crittergitter]

lol Bev , now that last one is my kinda hound , i like em short and stocky without the 4 ft body length on the basset dont get me wrong i like all beagles , just prefer a stout one , there are some great rabbit dogs out there but if you went by looks alone you would think they woud be better suited for a race track and if some of them get any thinner built i will have to question there sturdiness, hope it dont get that far , but they can only get so thin built and spindly before it starts to affects there sturdiness, beagles have always been a tough little critter , just hope he stays that way but i really do like them all , just have a preference

[crittergitter]

hey newt , just look at plateuabeaglers thread on his 17 wk old pups and i think you would have that, and i mean no disrespect to those hounds either they are my kinda hound , but very similar looks , dontcha think

[HLC_Kennel]

Im setting here looking at some pictures of my beagles of the past. Going back about 30 yr ago when i 1st started . What amazes me is how beagles looked then comparing them to todays beagles.
Most were grade hounds then, so bloodlines unknown, blocky heads, broad chest, etc..
Todays beagles you see more long spindly legs, long slim made, long nosed, etc... makes me think somewhere some foxhound, greyhound, or whatever got crossed.
i got a striker, branko male that is pure ugly imo, black and white like a holstein cow, long spindly legs, long nose. lol Hes a consistent track hound with line control and has never ran deer since a pup. he will tell on deer runners everytime,
lets hear your opinions
happy new year !

I too had grade hounds before my striker male. They were just as good as my new dog. I like the registered dogs a lot because it shows where they came from and who they came from. It all depends on the sire and dam on grade hounds and registered hounds.

[Buckeye Blues]

After umteen hundred years of inbreeding dont you think you'd look a little different from your ancestors???????

[KesslerBeagles]

I am with you, I would love to find out the truth about many dogs, and why so many dogs from the same “line” are so different when they come from different breeders. There is a test. It is called the Canine Heritage XL Breed Test. Through DNA they can tell what primary breed your dog is, which of course with most of us on here would be “beagle”. But it does more, it also tells you the 2nd primary breed in your dog, and then 3rd and on and on …. It can do it up to 100 breeds. Each "breed" of dog has it's own DNA "code". Honestly, what do you think the odds would be for a beagle today to come back 100% Beagle? I mean, it could have been 20, 30, 40 or 50 years ago that somebody crossed another breed in to increase {or decrease} size, nose, speed, hunt, color or anything and registered the pups falsely. Better question, what “big kennel” with a lot of $$$ invested would dare take and reveal the test? But most people don't care as long as they run a rabbit right. Though it would be interesting.

The Link to that test is: http://www.canineheritage.com/

Just a question, I went on this link: http://www.canineheritage.com/ and if DNA proved my dog {or anybody's dog} to not be "full" beagle, could AKC eliminate all paperwork? Do any of you think that AKC could go to this type of testing and if so what would it do to Beagling? Most of this is hypothetical, but I am just curious.

[Dr. Chris]

It would never happen, Too much money is involved and would be lost. And you would be asking people to be punished and held accountable for what someone else may have done years ago. But, wouldn't be neat to be able to find out how and where some of these lines got their "edge" from? Years ago a touch of: Fox Hound, Terrier, Basset, Harrier, Coon Hound, Jack Russell etc…???

[Bev]

Don't forget Blue Heeler...

[Pike Ridge Beagles]

I like them built like a minature Foxhound.
Bit, I do love a houndy head and the bigger ears.

[JesandDeb]

All of ours have always looked just like the top 2 pics . We have some pet beagles that come into the vet where I work, and they are suposed to be beagles, and they do look like beagles, but these dogs are HOGS! .....Got one of them that's a female that weighs 60lbs.!....she's on a diet . Maybe they are "Shrek" bloodlines . Not really sure why these dogs are so big . One thing I see a lot is the different coat textures. I like the sleek and shiny coat myself.