Breed: In the XIV century in England it was very popular to hunt the hare with the small dogs, that were looking very much like the modern Beagle. However, this breed did not yet have a name. Origin of the word "beagle" is not precisely determined. Maybe it was borrowed from the Old French, in which the word "begeule" means the "wide throat."

The title refers to the barking of this dogs, which they made in pursuit of a prey. Another version of the breed's name refers to the Old English or Gaelic word "beag", which was referred to the small size of these dogs, and means "little".

The first known mentioning of these dogs with the name "Beagle" can be found in English literature, published in 1475. In the book "Tetrapods" (written by Bewek in 1790) there are very interesting descriptions of the abilities of the dog of this breed and the purposes of it's use.

It is noted that this breed is the smallest of all the English hunting dogs and it is used solely for hunting the hare, although they concede their prey in speed, they pursue it due to the exceptional sense of smell, and clearly and aggressively go on the trail, despite all the "loops" of a hare . Voices of those dogs are pleasant and melodic, which makes the chase even more attractive.

Beagle indeed is the smallest of the hounds, but he has all the advantages inherent in his bigger "cousins". Greek author Xenophon in the 4 century BC is mentioning that the small dogs in the type of Beagles, are used for hunting hares on foot.

It is believed that later, during the conquest of Gaul and Britain, the Romans crossed their little hounds with the British small hounds. The little Beagle became one of the most favorite breeds of the British royal family.

Beagle was described as a hound of a small size with very melodic, mellifluous voice - "singing Beagle". Dogs in the pack were picked by their voices. In 1890, to promote the breeding of Beagles for sport or exhibition purposes there was founded the English Beagle Club.

Beagle Club was the only club representing this breed until 1961 and it was the ancestor of all the Beagle Clubs that came later. The working department of the Beagle Club was organized in 1963. Initially, the Club arranged the "real" hunting on the free beast, and later - on a blood trail.

For many centuries the Beagle was used to hunt very different animals - from the hare to the wild boar and deer. This little hound also does not consider shameful for himself to bring the owner a killed bird or swim for the wounded game.

Because of the small size Beagle does not require a lot of room in the house and in the carriage. His smooth, tight coat requires no special care. And the overflowing energy of your Beagle easily solves the problem of leisure time for you and your children.

All this has led to the fact, that now in the whole world the Beagle is attracting a great attention as a companion dog for his emotionality, motility, vitality and ease of maintenance - which is very important in terms of the big city. Furthermore being originally a "pack dog", Beagle loves big company and gets along well with almost any pets.

General Features: Beagle is a medium sized dog, who's appearance is very similar to the appearance of a Foxhound, but smaller in size, with shorter legs, shorter muzzle and long soft rounded ears. Beagle has a beautiful head with a large clear brown eyes.

Purebred Beagle stands an athletic body type, classical color - a combination of three colors - white, black and brown. Sometimes there is just a combination of black and brown. Beagle's coat is short and hard, easy to care for.

A characteristic feature of a Beagle - black pigmentation around the eyes. Because of this, people say that  Beagles "paint their eyes with mascara".

Temperament: Definitely, Beagle is a hunting dog. With him you can go hunting a variety of animals: rabbits, foxes and even a wild boar. Despite this, the modern Beagles are very much and very often valued as a companion dogs.  This is happening due to the fact that they are friendly, open, and always cheerful. They do not create any problems if kept in the apartment.

In the apartment Beagle does not take much space. If the dog have enough chances to run and play outside, in the apartment he will be most likely performing an exemplary behavior. Smooth coat of this dogs do not require any special care. No need to create for this dog a special diet, you only need to make sure that your Beagle will not overeat.

 Beagle needs a movement. For him, the movement is his life. If the rest for you means many hours of sitting in front of a computer or TV, then do not even think to start your life with Beagle. After all, he is active and curious. But if the rest for you means walking in the park, jogging or going for a bike rides, the Beagle will become your constant companion - he will be on the top of his happiness if you can take him out often.

Beagle is a small dog, radiating kindness and optimism. He will never even think to offend a little child and he is always ready to play with those children who are older. Very soon all your neighborhood will fall in love with your Beagle. Until the old age Beagle will look like a puppy, causing excitement for your family, friends, and even strangers.

Beagle should feel that he is a part of your family. And the more members of the family you have, the more happy your Beagle will be. In the family Beagle does not have just one master, he is easily communicating with everyone. Beagle can easily share the apartment with the other pets. Only food can get Beagle to show his aggression. In all other cases he will be the same sweet wonderful dog, with a wet nose and a small white brush on the tip of his wagging tail.

You must remember that if you want to train a Beagle, then you have to be prepared for some difficulties. Beagles are not just naughty, sometimes they are terribly naughty. In the list of intelligence, composed of 80 breeds, U.S. scientists have a Beagle on 72 place. Some judges say that Beagles are virtually "uneducable" dogs. It does not mean that the Beagle is not an intelligent dog - not at all! But it should be kept in mind, that Beagle is not a Collie or a Golden Retriever. He is very smart creature, but he needs to know, why exactly there is a need for him to perform this or another command. In some cases, despite the long workouts at the training classes, your Beagle may suddenly start to behave in such a way, as if there was no laborious exercises. There are also some pleasant exceptions, which only confirm the general situation.

If you go for a walk with a Beagle puppy or a young dog, he will need your constant attention and patience. Often, the dog can get too fond of some game, get away from you and get lost. In Beagle the instinct of a hunter is very well developed. This dog may happily put a rotten fish on himself (the smell of that fish will even be a lot stronger, than the smell of the Beagle) and will be running around, lowering his nose toward the ground. In addition Beagle will not respond to your call.

You have to be ready, that your Beagle, who conquers everyone with his irresistible charm, will try to impose his rules in the house. You will not have time even to turn around, when this cute little dog with the sad eyes will already be napping on your couch and running to your plate at mealtimes. If you do not have enough confidence that you will be able to cope with the Beagle, then maybe you should better conciser another breed. You will need to demonstrate him your toughness and character, to show the Beagle, who is the owner and teach your dog the rules of good a behavior.

Friendliness and attraction to companies may become the vulnerable spot for your pet. Beagle is not tolerating loneliness very well. He will mind if you want to leave him at home alone. The result is that Beagle can be a nightmare for the furniture, books and shoes.

You have only one option - to buy another Beagle. It is practiced quite often. Remember, that once accustomed to the Beagle, it will be very difficult in the future to replace him with the dog of another breed.

This small creature consisting of a coil of muscles and a cheerful bunch of energy, looks at you as if he knows about all your problems, and his whole appearance and behavior will show you - "it's OK, boss, we will make our break through, everything will be just fine!"

Health problems: In some breeding lines Beagles may be prone to epilepsy, however, that can be controlled by medications. The long ears of a Beagle should be taken care of, they are prone to different kinds of infections, due to the lack of the air circulation.

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