A cheerful disposition, a smart look and devotion to its master - these qualities characterize the Beagle breed in the best way possible. The dog is small, getting along with all domestic animals and family members, it needs only your love and tolerance to forgive puppy pranks. You can calmly go about your business while the children play with the beagle, because they can do this forever. Recommended as a companion dog for the whole family.
Origin of breed
It is still in doubt. As well as Blathuands and Basset Hounds, there are references to similar hounds in Roman and Greek chronicles. According to other information, this is one of the varieties of English hounds that the nobles kept in their entire packs. Larger ones were cultivated for hunting wild boar, deer, and small ones ran after hares.
Already at the end of the XIX century, people became interested in the exterior of these wonderful, fast and agile, but ugly hunters. Around this time, the modern beagle began. The dog is small, strong, okay, capable of tirelessly chasing prey for many kilometers, until it falls from the hunter's bullet or larger dogs overtake it. The beagle is not a killer, his job is to show the trail correctly.
Appearance
A small hound that looks similar to foxhound or bassethound, but smaller in size. The legs are short, the ears are soft, hanging, reaching the tip of the nose. Height at the withers about 35 cm, weight 10-16 kg. Any colors are acceptable; three-color beagles predominate.
Puppy purchase: Pros and Cons
If you become the owner of a dog for the first time, then dog handlers of elite clubs may refuse to buy you a puppy of this particular breed, being afraid that he will not repeat the fate of hand-to-hand transfers betrayed by beloved owners and mentally injured animals. Among the often given are not only beagles, but also bassets, as well as many other hunters. The reason for this is an irrepressible thirst for movement, energy and unwillingness to carry out the owner's command at the first nod.
This is not stupidity or stubbornness, but a cultivated quality for centuries, because the dog cannot rely on commands on hunting, only his own intuition and conclusions suggest to her how to drive the beast. Of course, high-quality training smoothes out innate willfulness, but this happens gradually and requires a lot of patience.
You may be offered a compromise, given the opportunity to study literature and invited to attend a series of classes so that you can make an informed decision.
Before acquiring you have to make an important choice and decide: you need a pet and hunting companion or a show class dog. If you stop on the first option, then flip through private ads to find out how much a beagle dog without a pedigree costs. Usually, this is 7-10 thousand rubles, a puppy will cost about 20,000 with documents. Do not forget to visit the breeder first, look at the condition of the mother (this will say a lot, because the health of the puppies also depends on the quality of care for her).
If you need a winner of the exhibitions, then this is a completely different beagle - a dog whose price starts from 30 thousand rubles.
What bonuses do you get when choosing this breed:
- This is a kind and cheerful, loyal dog that will never offend even the smallest member of the family. An outgoing dog is ready to play with your children all day.
- Spectacular appearance: the beagle looks good on the couch and on a walk, and for the languid look of sad eyes you will forgive him all the pranks.
- It does not require complex, special care and is undemanding to food.
- Not at all a decorative, sofa toy. He has excellent health, always an optimistic mood and a lot of energy.
What to consider:
- If you like calm and imposing dogs that walk with the owner in the foot and protect with one formidable gaze, then the beagle is not a dog for you. This is not a rottweiler or a German shepherd.
- When buying a puppy for a child, keep in mind that a young beagle is very energetic and can be difficult to keep on a leash. Having escaped, he can take the trail that interested him and get lost.
- Left alone (in general, like a baby of any other breed), beagle puppies can gnaw at furniture, palace, carry and tear everything that they find and reach. By the way, this tendency is reduced if you have two dogs, they do not suffer from loneliness so much, remaining without you.
Care Features
Beagle puppies are amazingly curious. They will scurry after you all day, interfere with cleaning, clinging to a rag or broom, and poke their black nose everywhere. Basic care for babies includes timely feeding, walking (increasing in duration as the dog grows), as well as attention and affection. Nothing inflicts such grief on a puppy as leaving the owner for the whole long day.
Kids, of course, are charming with all their spontaneity, serious look and sonorous barking. Stock up on a reliable camera so that the beagle dog breed is captured in detail. Photos, as a rule, have tremendous success with friends and relatives.
Hair care is also simple. It is enough to wipe the dog during molting with a damp terry towel. You can bathe no more often than with an interval of six months.
Dog place
This is a sore point, because it’s very difficult to teach a beagle to it. He will fall and get enough sleep where fatigue overtakes him, not bothering to search for his bed. And often they choose a sofa or a bed of the owner with their berth. Allow once the unfortunate baby to sleep with you - and do not expel him again. Therefore, from the first day a puppy appears in your house, remember that the beagle is a hunting dog that will not freeze in its cozy house, and there is no need to take it to your bed and cover it with a blanket.
Feeding your dog
Today there are two areas:
- natural diet;
- dry food and canned meat.
Each of them has its pros and cons. But if you choose ready-made, dry food, then pay maximum attention to quality, usually cheap, popular brands - this is not at all what is needed for normal growth and development. Natural feeding is a bit more profitable, but more costly in terms of cooking time. It should include meat, up to 70%, cereals and vegetables, as well as full vitamin and mineral complexes.
A beagle will never refuse to eat, but if it’s normal for a puppy, then an adult dog will quickly gain weight during overfeeding, which will negatively affect her health.
Walking and physical development
Since it is a hound, it needs movement as air. And the point is not only to remove the leash and sit on the bench while the pet is frolicing. He needs constant contact with the owner, so immediately stock up with balls, sticks and other toys for outdoor games. Today the breed of Beagle dogs is just starting to gain popularity, you will be asked more than once for a memory photo with a handsome man in the yard or in the park.
Be sure to go out for a walk twice a day, and once for a long time, in any weather and season. Having run well, the beagle will sleep peacefully at home.
Parenting and training
Beagles are very smart, it would seem that they should grab everything on the fly and without extra effort. Apparently, it’s the quick wit that tells the dog that by playing a little trick, you can get encouragement without making the effort that the owner requires.
You need to start classes almost from the first day, when the baby crossed the threshold of your home. Accustoming to the place, feeding clearly according to the schedule, toilet, obedience - all this requires consistency, confidence and firmness. And there shouldn't be any “let me go once”. If the dog is croaked, it should be punished, acted well - encouraged. Of course, love, affection and encouragement should be as much as possible, then the number of misconduct will automatically decrease.
If there is no experience in training, then sign up for courses at the nearest dog training center. A specialist will give you a lecture on each specific case, help to resolve all difficulties.
Disease prevention
With the appearance of a puppy in the house, be sure to choose a veterinarian who will observe him. He will draw up a schedule of vaccinations and mandatory visits. At any other time, you can turn to him if disturbing signs appear in the dog’s behavior.
In general, beagles have an enviable health. Except for obesity, which may be due to excessive feeding or lack of physical activity, they have no characteristic diseases. They live long enough, 12-15 years.
Hunting Use
Today, few people believe that a beagle on a hunt is appropriate, but its purpose is precisely to sniff out traces. It should be noted that representatives of this breed were released into the beast as a whole pack, while now few people even keep two dogs.
The dog is distinguished by an enviable tenacity: having left the track, she will tirelessly follow it, giving a voice, which allows the hunter to follow her. Today there are lovers who appreciate this quality. Beagles are used alone in hunting for hares and rabbits, and a pack can also be released for wounded boar or deer. Almost perfect sense of smell allows these dogs to work in the most difficult conditions.
Another destination is the search for drugs and explosives at the border. They serve well, but due to their cheerful nature and tendencies towards pranks, it can be difficult to train them.
Brief conclusions
A true friend and companion is needed - this is a beagle, a dog, reviews of which you can find the most controversial. Remember that when you acquire a puppy, you take on great responsibility, and how it grows is up to you. If you are a very busy person, then neither this nor any other breed will suit you, any dog ​​requires a lot of time. Attention, affection, and at the same time consistency and rigor - these are the principles that you should be guided by so that the puppy grows obedient and you do not have a desire to give it in good hands.