end of the Beagle matches the rear not
only in angulation but also in mass. We are
seeing too many Beagles who are heavier
in their front ends than in their rears. The
rears should have good depth of thigh
and second thigh. They should not look
like Bulldogs. The topline and underline
should mirror each other.
Although the standard calls for a slight
rise over the loin, the top line should be
level. The rise comes from the muscling
around the loin and not the spine. You
want to feel good muscling around the
loin. Short rib cages with long loins are
a huge problem in this breed. Due to the
short rib cages, we are seeing too much
tuck up. Beagles hunting in thick brush
need to have the protection of long rib
cages with good spring of rib for lungs and
short loins for agility.
The first thing to catch my eye from the
front is expression. They should have a soft,
pleading, hound expression. When you
look at a Beagle’s face, you should want to
hug it! The Beagle is not a head breed, but
the head is a hallmark of the breed. Most
of the expression comes from the eyes.
They should be large, set well apart, with
a soft and hound like expression, gentle
and pleading, brown or hazel in color. You
want a full eye but certainly not round or
almond. We are seeing a lot of round eyes,
small pig eyes and light colored eyes. This
destroys the soft, hound like expression
that is so important to our breed.
The skull from the occiput to the stop
should equal the length of the muzzle.
The skull should be slightly domed at the
occiput with the cranium broad and full.
In other words, you do not want to see too
much dome with an exaggerated stop or a
flat skull, and no wrinkles! You want plenty
of back skull without it being coarse, and
it should not be too narrow. The muzzle
should be straight and square cut with a
moderately defined stop. We do not want
to see heavy brows, snipey muzzles or
large flews. Since this is a scenting breed,
it goes without saying they should have
a nose with large, open nostrils. There is
no mention of the bite in the standard,
however, it does refer to level jaws, which
will produce a scissor (preferred) to
level bite.
In profile you want to see the skull
and muzzle parallel to each other. There
are quite a few down faced Beagles. This
throws off the expression. The ear set
should be in line with the corner of the
eye, long enough to almost reach the end
of the muzzle, fine in texture, rounded at
the tip and lying close to the head. When
checking for ear set, always look at them
when they are relaxed. We do not want to
see small, high set ears.
The Beagle’s neck should be of medium
length. A lovely crest of neck flowing
smoothly into well-Iayed back shoulders
extending into a level topline ending at
the base of the tail is gorgeous! The front
assembly should have well-Iayed back
shoulders plus the return of upper arm to
match. There should be some prosternum.
The front legs should be set back under
the Beagle in a direct line with the well-
Iayed back shoulders. Another huge issue
in this breed are fronts that are set too far
forward. Also, the distance from the top
of the withers to the elbow should match
the distance from the elbow to the ground.
The chest should come to the elbow. We
are seeing way too many Beagles with
chests reaching far below the elbow giving
the appearance of short legs.
The legs should be straight with short
pasterns and plenty of bone. Beagles with
slightly curved front legs are showing up
in the ring. Check the legs from the front
as well as the side. You never want to see
knuckling. Sometimes dogs on the table
will knuckle over. If you see this, look at
them on the ground to confirm or deny
your observations on the table. Beagles
should be examined on the table and
judged on the ground!
The feet should be round and firm with
full, hard pads. No flat feet, splayed feet
or hare feet. Feet are very important to a
hound that has to run all day.
The standard calls for a short back. If
you have an animal with a short back and
short loin, it can only be assumed that you
have a Beagle that is square. I can forgive a
little length as long as it is accompanied by
two things: the extra length must be seen
in the ribs and not the loin, plus the dog
has to be able to move. If a Beagle is a little
off square and still minces around the ring,
I cannot forgive the length. I am talking
about a little length and not a freight train!
The Beagle’s coat should be a close,
hard, hound coat of medium length. With
today’s improved shampoos you will most
likely never see a hard coat. There should
be a sufficient amount of coat to cover the
body and tail for protection from harsh
brush and brambles. When you run your
hands over a Beagle, the coat should not
feel thin. Having personally witnessed
Beagles coming in from the field with
blood flying from their tails and scrapes on
their bodies, I now realize the importance
of proper coats. One of the things that
offends me as a Beagle breeder and judge is
the practice of what I call poofing out the
tails. Beagles are not Poodles! The opening
up of that tail coat defeats the exact purpose
for which it is intended. An open coat does
not protect. My last comment about coat is
to remind judges to check the topline with
their hands. Many Beagles carry extra coat
over their shoulders and in front of the tail
area. Often times the Beagle will have a
level topline but due to excess coat it will
appear to be the opposite.
Strong, well-muscled hips and
thighs are very important in this
breed. I look for good turn of stif le
f lowing down to short rear pasterns.
Once again we want to see round, tight
“
The first thing to catch my eye from the front
Is ExprEssIoN.”
202 •
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how
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agazine
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ovember
2012