Page 10 - ShowSight Presents - The Beagle

Voices of Experience: The Beagle BY CLAIRE “KITTY” STEIDEL continued
For those wishing more information and multiple photos on the Beagle, go to the following links that Lesley Hiltz of Starbucks Torbay has created for the National Beagle Club website. The topics range from colors of the Beagle, top winners by years, to tips for judging the breed.
A 13" bitch of lovely proportion, not a fancy color, not dyed but of truly exceptional balance. Lovely head, neck into shoulder, topline and tail.
BEAGLES CAN BE ANY COLOR
clubs.akc.org/NBC/beagle_colors.html
TOP WINNERS IN THE BREED
clubs.akc.org/NBC/top_winners.html
PAST NATIONAL SPECIALTY WINNERS
clubs.akc.org/NBC/nbc_winners_pictures.html
BEAGLE JUDGING TIPS
www.slideshare.net/brc23/judging-beagle-tips-website
JUDGES EDUCATION POWERPOINT
www.slideshare.net/brc23/nbc-judges-edpowerpoint
JUDGING THE BREED
clubs.akc.org/NBC/judging_the_breed.html
Following her move to the US in 1988, she entered the AKC system, and recommenced her judging career from the beginning, now approved by AKC to judge the Hound, Toy, Herding and Non Sporting Groups as well as nine Working breeds.
She has judged Beagle Specialties in Australia, Ger- many, Chile, Czech Republic, Philippines, Den- mark, Sweden, the UK and Norway as well as National Specialties for Beagles and Basenjis in the US. She has judged international all-breed competi- tions in the countries just named as well as China, Taiwan and Italy.
Marcelo Chagas
Torque Beagles
Marcelo Chagas has been involved in the sport of pure bred dogs since an early age in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He started in Junior Handler competition. In 1981, he went to California to work as an assistant for Bergit and Clay Coady. After a great period, there he went back to Brazil and started work- ing as a professional handler. In 2002, he moved back to US.
He always had a passion for breeding and mentor- ing his clients on their breeding programs. He has bred many breeds over the years: Cocker Spaniels, English Cocker Spaniels, Beagles, Pointers, Dober- mans, Wire Fox Terriers, Smooth Fox Terriers and Manchester Terriers.
When a client of his decided to no longer breed Beagles, over 25 years ago, Marcelo formed a partnership with Marco Flavio Botelho—all his dogs and add to Torque Beagles owned by Marco and his wife Alessandra. Over the years they have bred many champions all over the world, four multiple BIS winners in the US, num- ber one Hound in Canada, two National Specialty Winners in the US and the Top Winning Beagle (both Varieties) in AKC History with 44 All Breed Best in Shows.
Nine years ago Marcelo formed a partnership with Dr. Roger P. Travis when he began breeding Manchester Terriers under the “Cottage Lake” prefix. In 2015, they were the proud breeder-owner-handler of the two National Specialty Winners (Beagles and Manches- ters), both bitches with multiple generations behind bred by them.
breed. Many Beagles are very upright in shoulder and short in upper arm, which gives a tendency to produce a shorter, higher stepping movement in many cases. You want a firm topline and a short com- pact body (but this is not a square dog) with the ribs forming approximately 75% of the length of the body and a short compact loin. We are seeing a lot of very short ribs and in some cases the sternum is not coming back beyond the elbows. Please feel to see how far back the sternum comes and also check the length of rib, as we are also find- ing short rib cages creeping into the breed.
You want a dog with a level topline, a tail set on high and carried gaily. You should never reward a Beagle that will not put its tail up at least some of the time it is in the ring. Perhaps it just needs more ring train- ing and socialization and on another day it may be just fine but do not reward it on this day.
Movement is not mentioned in the Bea- gle standard, so let me express my opinion of what I think is ideal Beagle movement. Viewed from the side the back should be level and firm, there should be no indication of a roll. The stride is free, long reaching in front and straight without high action; hind legs showing drive. The dog should not wave paws when coming and going while from the rear hocks should be parallel and not move close behind.
Then we come to color. A very large proportion of the tricolored specials in the ring today are dyed. This is because exhibi- tors think you have to have a black saddle to win. It should not be so, as it is the qual- ity of the dog, not the color that you are judging, after all the standard says, “any true Hound color”. If judges would reward faded tricolors, then perhaps this practice would cease.
Some enlightenment on Beagles! Thank you for your insight David, Lesley and Marcelo!
REFERENCES
1. Gilbey, Sir Walter. Hounds of Old Days. Saiga Publications, 1979
2. Clark, Ann R. and Brace, Andrew. International Encyclopedia of Dogs, Howell, 1995
3. Popular Dogs, Visualization of Breed Standards. Publisher George Foley, 1962
ABOUT THE BREEDERS
David Hiltz
Starbuck Beagles
David has owned Beagles since 1965 and started showing in 1971. He has bred, owned and shown many of the top Beagles in America. Ch. Starbuck’s Hang’em High, was owned, bred and handled by David to become the breed record-holder in his day. This Hound is still the leading sire in the breed today with 130 champions. David originally showed under the Starbuck prefix and now with his wife, Lesley, use StarbuckTorbay. (This is a combination of each of our kennel names.) As well as in as America, David has shown Beagles in Scandinavia, Europe, England, New Zealand and Australia. David has lived in Aus- tralia and has owned/bred seven Australian champi- ons. He believes this coupled with the fact that he has seen Beagles in most parts of the world gives him a unique perspective on the breed. He has judged Beagle Specialties in Denmark and Sweden and has judged National Beagle Club (US). Lesley and David are the first husband and wife to have had that honor.
Lesley Hiltz
Torbay Beagles
In the mid 60s, Lesley purchased her first Beagle, and commenced showing the same year. At this time, she was living in Australia. In 1968, she made the first of many trips to America where she vis- ited many of the top-winning Kennels of the day. In 1970 she went to England for two years and dur- ing this time showed Beagles throughout England. In 1988 she moved to the US and continued to breed and exhibit Beagles (in partnership with her hus- band, David). They are still actively breeding and exhibiting today.
In Australia, in 1974 Lesley obtained a license to judge all the Hounds, and in 1979 all Toys.
280 • ShowSight Magazine, auguSt 2019