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BeaglesIn countries such as Norway, Canada, United States of America and Sweden, Beagles are used for hunting Snowshoe Hare, Roe Deer and in some cases Red Deer and Fox. Beagles became quite popular with the British monarchy in the 1300 and 1400's. By the 1400's Beagles existed in Britain, Italy, Greece and France. Many traditional aspects of Beagling, like foxhunting, are banned in England , though beagles may still pursue rabbits, an artificial scent or a hare injured through shooting. In countries such as Norway, Canada, United States of America and Sweden, Beagles are also used for hunting Snowshoe Hare, Roe Deer and in some cases Red Deer and Fox. Beagles may have first come to the United States from England in 1880, and America's National Beagle Club was formed in 1887. In the United States, particularly down in the deep south, Beagles are used in groups of two with one hunter. Beagles have such precisely sensitive scenting ability that they can detect and identify smells so faint or diluted that even high-tech scientific equipment could not measure them. Beagle Brigade is a team of beagles and their human handlers who, as part of the United States Department of Agriculture 's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), inspect luggage at U.S. Airports. APHIS selected beagles for use at airports because of their acute sense of smell and their gentle nature with people. APHIS has found that most beagles will remain calm in crowded, noisy locations, such as busy airport baggage claim areas. Not only do beagles have a marvelous ability to detect scents, but after extensive training, they are good at distinguishing one odor from another and remembering it. Some beagles have been known to distinguish nearly 50 different odors during their six- to nine-year career. After six months to one year of experience, beagles can usually find prohibited material 80 percent of the time. Beagles' natural love of food makes them effective detectives and happy to work for treats. The use of food in training is not accepted by all dog trainers, so when you take your beagles to obedience school, it is important to find both an instructor who understands beagles (or scent hounds in general) and is willing to use different methods, depending on what is effective for your beagle. Some beagles never do understand the idea that you want them to be quiet, and if this is a necessity for you, you may want to consider another breed, or more radical training methods such as anti-bark collars, or to have the dog surgically altered. This can of course be trained out of them, but it seems to be rather instinctive in many beagles and something that you should be aware of when considering a beagle. Also, there are some beagles that take up to a year to be fully house-trained, and there are the odd few that are never completely reliable. Beagles are intelligent, but are stubborn and may be hard to train due to their strong will, which is common in the breed because of its curiosity (especially for scents). Beagles generally adore children and will play for hours with them, however, like any breed of dog, beagles need to be socialized properly with children, and also like any breed, you should never leave young children and beagles alone together. Beagles are generally friendly and gentle with people, and, due to the their small size, are not intimidating. Overall, Beagles are fun-loving, happy dogs, and as long as you understand the Beagle personality, they can make a great addition to your family. Tricolor beagles are almost always born black and white, with the brownish areas developing later. One standard calls for ideally shaped beagles to be twice as long as tall, and twice as tall as wide. Beagles typically have a white-tipped tail, or "flag", which is important in locating them in the field due to their short height. There is controversy about the wisdom of breeding beagles and pugs together. While this mix will cure some of the problems associated with puds, critics of puggles cite that beagles were bred with longer muzzles to effectively pant and cool themselves while hunting. Beagles are too often placed in shelters or rescues when they don't live up to their hunting heritage, or when they grow from adorable puppies into mature adults who need a lot of attention. Pleae contact the National Beagle Club of America for additional information on Beagles. They are a wonderful dog, as one Beagle owner was overheard to say "Beagles belong in Disneyland, they are the happiest dogs on earth". Stumble It! • Submit To Netscape • del.icio.us • Y! MyWeb |
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