Although details of the pack's lineage are not recorded, it is thought that North Country Beagles and Southern Hounds were strongly represented William Youatt suspected that Harriers formed a good majority of the beagle's bloodline, but the origin of the Harrier is itself obscure. Reverend Phillip Honeywood established a beagle pack in Essex in the 1830s and it is believed that this pack formed the basis for the modern breed. Standards for the Pocket Beagle were drawn up as late as 1901 these genetic lines are now extinct, although modern breeders have attempted to recreate the variety. It was faster than its southern counterpart but its scenting abilities were less well-developed. It was smaller than the Southern Hound, less heavy-set, and with a more pointed muzzle. The North Country Beagle, possibly a cross between an offshoot of the Talbot stock and a Greyhound, was bred chiefly in Yorkshire and was common in the northern counties. Though slow, it had stamina and an excellent scenting ability.

The Southern Hound, a tall, heavy dog with a square head, and long, soft ears, was common from south of the River Trent and probably closely related to the Talbot Hound. īy the 18th century, two breeds had been developed for hunting hare and rabbit: the Southern Hound and the North Country Beagle (or Northern Hound). Little small mitten-beagle, which may be companion for a ladies kirtle, and in the field will run as cunningly as any hound whatere, only their musick is very small like reeds. In George Jesse's Researches into the History of the British Dog from 1866, the early 17th-century poet and writer Gervase Markham is quoted referring to the beagle as small enough to sit on a man's hand and to the: 19th-century sources refer to these breeds interchangeably and it is possible that the two names refer to the same small variety.

Elizabeth I referred to the dogs as her singing beagles and often entertained guests at her royal table by letting her Pocket Beagles cavort amid their plates and cups. The larger hounds would run the prey to ground, then the hunters would release the small dogs to continue the chase through underbrush. Small enough to fit in a 'pocket' or saddlebag, they rode along on the hunt. Miniature breeds of beagle-type dogs were known from the times of Edward II and Henry VII, who both had packs of Glove Beagles, so named since they were small enough to fit on a glove, and Queen Elizabeth I kept a breed known as a Pocket Beagle, which stood 8 to 9 inches (20 to 23 cm) at the shoulder. įrom medieval times, beagle was used as a generic description for the smaller hounds, though these dogs differed considerably from the modern breed. Beagles are similar to the Harrier and the extinct Southern Hound, though they are smaller and slower. In Britain, both of these strains were then crossed with Greyhounds to give them speed and stamina for deer hunting. Hubert Hound and the Talbot hound to Britain.

In the 11th century, William the Conqueror brought the St. The Southern Hound is thought to be an ancestor of the beagle The modern breed was developed in Great Britain around the 1830s from several breeds, including the Talbot Hound, the North Country Beagle, the Southern Hound, and possibly the Harrier.īeagles have been depicted in popular culture since Elizabethan times in literature and paintings and more recently in film, television, and comic books. The beagle is intelligent and is a popular pet due to its size, good temper, and a lack of inherited health problems. Possessing a great sense of smell and superior tracking instincts, the beagle is the primary breed used as a detection dog for prohibited agricultural imports and foodstuffs in quarantine around the world. The beagle was developed primarily for hunting hare, known as beagling. The beagle is a breed of small scent hound, similar in appearance to the much larger foxhound.

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Metal puppy muzzle