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.
Do you have the name of the breeder in dothan?
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