This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, March 2014 issue.
Judging the Beagle
The National Beagle Club Education Committee completed a revised Visualization of the Beagle Standard in 2013. It’s available via the AKC website, or at http://nbcjudgeseducation.wordpress.com. For this article, I’ve taken some sections of our standard/visualization that the breed fancy and education committee feel need particular attention by our conformation judges, either to interpret vague parts of the standard, things that we feel many judges need to pay more attention to, or often place too much emphasis on.
General Appearance
The Beagle standard states, “General Appearance: A miniature Foxhound, solid and big for his inches, with the wear-and-tear look of the hound that can last in the chase and follow his quarry to the death.” The proper English Foxhound is a beautifully proportioned hound, elegant in style, balanced fore and aft, and nicely boned. “Big for its inches” means plenty of bone (particularly the round bone of the forelegs) for the height of the hound. Too much bone results in coarseness, too little in a spindly look. There should be no suggestion of ‘toyishness.”
Presentation in the Ring
The Beagle is a working scent hound and should have a natural look. Excess hair may be trimmed from the neck and body, tidying the outline, but still maintaining a natural appearance, not appearing barbered or shaved. The long hairs at the tip of the tail are shaped to give a smoother natural appearance, ending in a properly rounded tip, not flattened or squared off, nor should the hair on the tail be teased and backcombed to resemble a bottle brush. Whiskers may be trimmed to give a clean line to the muzzle, but may also be left untrimmed. Whiskers serve as sensory organs, probably serving to protect the eye as the Beagle hunts in close brush. Provided the coat is a true hound color, color and markings in the breed are of no consequence. Artificial enhancement to color of the coat, nose, or eye rims, is prohibited by the American Kennel Club and is not to be tolerated.
Size
Height is the only disqualification in the Beagle Standard and thus proper importance should be placed on it. The division into two sizes should be just that: the 13″ should be a smaller replica of the 15″. Both should be smaller proportionate versions of the English Foxhound. In the ring, there is no other preference to size, including variations of height within a variety.
The height of a Beagle can be very deceiving, dependent on shoulder placement. If a hound has poor shoulder angulation, it’s possible that the highest point over the shoulder blades could reach up into the neck. A Beagle with good shoulders can actually be a considerably overall larger hound and still measure within the limits of 13 or 15 inches. Judges are encouraged to measure as part of their routine examination of the Beagle.
Head & Bite
The head accounts for 25% of the scale of points in the Beagle Standard, and while it is a hallmark of the breed, the Beagle is by no means a “head breed.” The head is important and should be carefully studied to understand correct construction. But, do not judge the Beagle as a “head breed,” recognize a correct head, but place importance on the functional portion of the hound, the body.
There is no specific mention of the bite in the Beagle Standard, but the English Foxhound Standard calls specifically for teeth which meet squarely, neither overshot nor undershot. The level jaw asked for in the Beagle Standard indicates that a scissors bite is preferred in the Beagle, but a level bite is acceptable. An occasional skewed or missing tooth is not to be penalized.
Body & Feet
Balance is critical. The length of the body, measured from prosternum to point of buttock, is longer than the distance from withers to ground. There should be prosternum visible in front of the shoulder. Additionally, there should be some “dog behind the tail,” which is created by proper angulation of the pelvis as it meets the femur. As a result, the Beagle is off square, longer than tall.
Although the standard calls for a short back, the back must have sufficient length to allow for proper rib construction and a well-muscled loin. Ribs should extend well back. Back length should be long enough to allow for a ground-covering side gait; hounds that are too short-coupled will not be able to accommodate the angulation necessary for endurance in the field. A shorter-backed Beagle is not necessarily more correct.
Feet account for 10 points, emphasizing their importance. A firm cat foot with hard, full pads allows the Beagle to hunt for hours over difficult terrain. Bent pasterns, flat spreading feet, or long feet are ineffective supports for a working hound. Occasionally, a foot with an exceptionally short outer toe is seen, nearly always on the front legs. An X-ray of the foot reveals a short metatarsal bone for that toe. This does not conform to the required cat foot and is generally found on feet that are otherwise quite tight and firm. A short toe is to be penalized, as it does not allow for a complete foot on the ground, resulting in an ineffective support for balance or turning.
Movement
Though not specifically mentioned in the standard, proper movement is implied by the description of the running gear, shoulder, and rear construction. The Beagle works in the field at a walk, trot, and gallop. While hunting the scent of the rabbit, the Beagle trots with nose to the ground, circling, nosing under brush. Once the trail is found, the Beagle signals with his full-voiced cry and off he goes in hot pursuit. Hours of hunting may be required.
In the conformation ring, the Beagle should be viewed from the side, front, and rear while moving at a moderate trot. There should be good reach of the front legs and good drive from the rear. When viewed from the side, movement should be effortless. On a Beagle with good reach and drive, the front leg extends straight out at approximately a 45-degree angle, with the toes extending to a vertical line drawn down from the tip of the nose. The rear leg is 45 degrees in the opposite direction. When viewed from the side, the topline should remain fairly level when the Beagle is moving properly.
From the front, the forelegs should move straight forward, with the hind legs following in the footsteps of the front. From the rear, the hocks should move perpendicularly to the ground, neither too wide nor too close. The Beagle double tracks at a moderate trot, meaning the front and rear legs remain parallel with each other. As the speed of the Beagle increases, the legs will continue to move in the same planes, and only a slight inclination to single track will occur.
Coat & Color
A coat as described in the standard provides protection from brush and brambles, a requirement for a hunting hound. “Any true hound color” includes traditional black/tan/white tri, or blue tri. The tri-colored Beagle can be either richly and deeply colored or faded (the blanket containing more tan than black or blue hairs). Other, equally acceptable colors are tan/white, lemon/white, red/white & chocolate, as well as variations and dilutes of these colors. While ticking on a Beagle is fine, grizzle or brindling are not acceptable.
Markings can add or detract from the overall appearance of the Beagle. The quality of the hound, not the arrangement of color, is the important matter. Markings can sometimes create optical illusions when evaluating a Beagle but should not be allowed to distract from the actual conformation or movement.
The words “Any true hound color” in the Beagle standard cannot be emphasized enough. Any artificial enhancement of coat color is to be penalized.
The National Beagle Club Education Committee is in the process of adding videos on properly measuring a Beagle and examples of desirable movement to our Education website, so please check back for updates. We also encourage both prospective and approved Beagle judges to take advantage of mentoring and seminars to better understand the nuances of a great Beagle versus a good one.
