Beagle FYI

Years ago we had a Beagle Harrier mix named Diamond. She was the best dog and was our introduction to beagles. When the children asked if they could get another Beagle we spent a lot of time researching them and talking to breeders all over the southeast. We found out a lot of interesting things about Beagles.

In the 1500s, most English gentleman had packs of hounds. Larger hounds tracked deer, while smaller ones went after rabbits. These were the first Beagles. *

A sturdy hunting dog, the Beagle should look like a foxhound in miniature. His hunting ability, combined with a merry personality, has made the Beagle one of the most popular dogs in the United States according to AKC® Registration Statistics. *

Today’s Beagle comes in two height varieties (13 in. and 15 in.) and any true hound color, including tri-color, red and white and lemon. *

(All * sites are from the American Kennel Club, http://www.akc.org/breeds/beagle )

We knew that Beagles came in two sizes but were only familiar with the tri-color (tan, black, white). We talked with a breeder in Florida and she educated us a little. Her Beagles are ‘blue tick’ and ‘red tick’. Those are color variations included in the “any true hound color”. I had heard of ‘blue tick hounds’ but thought they were a breed. Off to research some more… blue tick and red tick are colors not a breed. They are found in almost all hounds. Isn’t that interesting? There is a breed called a Blue Tick Coonhound though which, interestingly enough, originated in the southern US.

So a Beagle can, according to the American Kennel Club, be any hound color or variation including any combination or variation of black, white, tan, lemon, chocolate, khaki, mocha, blue fawn, lilac, red, silver, patched, pied, or ticked.

According to http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/ “The Beagle is lively, active and extremely intelligent, making a devoted friend and companion. Hardy and resilient, it can be happily kept as either a house or a kennel dog. Beagles have a short, dense, weatherproof coat which comes in many attractive colorings, and requires very little grooming. Beagles tend to keep themselves extremely clean.”

A little more info on ticking from http://www.crbeagles.com/ : “Ticking refers to freckles on the legs and in the colored areas. If there are black ticks on the barrel/back of a dog, it can be referred to as "blue ticked." If the freckles are red/brown, it is "red ticked." Ticking can also occur on the legs. Hunting bloodlines are more often ticked, as the show bloodlines have been selectively bred for white legs more so than with ticking.”

It’s just fascinating! The more I read the more interesting I find Beagles to be. This page (http://www.crbeagles.com/misc/beagle_colors.htm ) has a ton of photos of many of the color combinations and pattern combinations of the Beagle.

This site http://www.beaglejewel.nl/beaglecoloursenglish.html has some really neat photos too! I love the Blue Hera!

Beagles can also have mottled and brindled coats http://www.lemon-drops.de/hound_colours.htm . They are just lovely!

From Beagle Pro http://www.beaglepro.com/Colors.html ... finally a list: Overview

The Beagle comes in a large variety of colors. There are 25 AKC color combinations.

Making up those 25 color combinations are 10 colors.

There are also 6 distinct markings that a Beagle may have.

What are the Beagle colors? Let's look deeper into the possible colors of this amazing dog breed.

The 25 Possible Color Combinations

1. Tan

2. White

3. Brown

4. Lemon

5. Red

6. Blue

7. Black

8. Black & White

9. Blue & White

10. Red & Black

11. Black & Tan

12. Brown & White

13. Lemon & White

14. Red & White

15. Tan & White

16. Black, Red & White

17. Black, Tan & White

18. Black, White & Tan

19. Black, Tan & Bluetick

20. Black, Tan & Redtick

21. Black, Fawn & White

22. Brown, White & Tan

23. Blue, Tan & White

24. Red, Black & White

25. White, Black & Tan

The Colors That Make Up the Combinations

1. Tan

2. White

3. Brown

4. Lemon

5. Red

6. Blue

7. Black

8. Bluetick

9. Redtick

10. Fawn

The 6 Possible Markings

1. Ticked

2. Black Markings

3. Brown Markings

4. Spotted

5. Tan Markings

6. White Markings

Go to this page, really --- http://www.beaglepro.com/Colors.html  This is just amazing! Color Explanation

Even with the 10 basic Beagle colors that make up the 25 possible AKC colors, there are even more colors. Why? Because a color also has a shading. For example, red can range from a light, dusty red to a deep, dark red.

For this reason, the color combination are almost endless and it is safe to say that "No two Beagles every look exactly alike"

Here is an overview of the colors of a Beagle's coat. Information on how to see all of the photos is below.

Some of the color terms may be a bit misleading. Let's talk about a few of the most confusing ones for owners:

Red: A red Beagle will be a reddish-orange colored dog. The two colors will not be distinct. The coat will be one blend of a red-orange color. Red will not mean red as in an apple. The fur will be any color from a dusty orange to a deep dark red

Blue: This is a diluted (faded) black. A true Blue Beagle will have blue pigmentation; thus making the distinction between black or blue. It's fur will be a dull black color but his nose will a blue tint/sheen to it. This often is not noticeable unless the dog is outside in the bright sunshine.

Lemon: A pure solid lemon Beagle is very rare. More common is the Lemon & White. As the pure white lemon Beagle puppy grows, to an adult dog, the base color will be a pure white or an off-white with light golden patches.

Bluetick & Redtick: The term of tick refers to freckle-like spots on the dog. Bluetick is a diluted (faded) black and redtick can range from light orange to a deep, dark red spots.

Fawn, Tan & Brown: There is a distinction between these three Beagle colors. Fawn is the lightest color in this range, tan is in the middle and brown is a color similar to that of a chocolate candy bar.

What About Chocolate? Many people (even some breeders) refer to chocolate Beagles. This is not an official AKC color. These beagles will fall into the fawn, tan or brown categories.

What About Lavender or Lilac? Again, as like the chocolate, there are some people (and even some breeders) who dub a Beagle to be lavender or lilac. These are not AKC official colors. Many breeds are dubbed to be these colors the Chihuahua and the Pomeranian included. However, this is a diluted black, which is actually a blue. If a Beagle is referred to as a lavender or lilac, the pup will most likely be registered as blue.

Here’s another site with tons of Beagle photos… http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/beagle.htm

I hope you have found this to be as interesting as I have. Beagles are truly beautiful dogs! Our female Buttercup came from a home in Alabama. We met both of her parents, they are both tri-colored, the female is 13 in and the male is 15 in. I think she will be small like her mother. Our male Westley came from Georgia. His breeder has been breeding Beagles for nearly 50 years. Westley’s mother is a 15 in tricolor and his father is a 15 in blue tick. His father is from a very prestigious line of Beagles bred by a 84 year old man in Dothan who has been breeding Beagles for over 50 years. He puts a lot of thought and time into improving the line. His Beagles are sought after throughout the southern US for their excellent hunting abilities.

1 comment: