THE HUNTING DOG 



THE BEAGLE 



BY W. B. TALLMAN 



Of the sporting breeds, the beagle is prob- 

 ably the least understood or appreciated. Few 

 people insist on pointers having double 

 noses, but it is an astonishing fact that a 

 great many consider bow legs the distin- 

 guishing characteristics of the beagle. To 

 them he is merely a rabbit hound, without 

 much sense and with no claim to higher de- 

 velopment. But to those who know him he 

 is a symmetrically built, hardy, serviceable 

 little chap with lots of game sense, affection- 

 ate, easily controlled, and with a brain capa- 

 ble of development to a degree of intelli- 

 gence far beyond what is generally considered 

 possible in a hound. 



Very few men have ever hunted over a 

 real good pack of beagles, and even among 

 them there are not many who thoroughly 

 realize the possibilities in a well handled pack 

 of the little hounds, or who stop to think that 

 breeding is almost, if not quite as important 

 in a hound as in a setter. If one is out for a 

 good hunt, to the accompaniment of lively 

 music, a pack of high-class dogs is invaluable, 

 for they will not only find more game* than a 

 scrub lot, but will handle it more smartly. 

 And to the man to whom the doing to death 

 of the rabbit is an unnecessary feature, the 

 keenest possible pleasure is afforded by hand- 

 ling the good ones, listening to their music 

 as they carry the trail through thickets and 

 swamps, and then, when they break into the 

 open, witnessing a chase that sets the nerves 

 a-tingle with excitement. An exhibition of 

 speed in the field, whether by pointer, setter 

 or hound, is to me a very pleasing thing; and 

 it is partly on this account that I prefer a 

 small beagle — one that can hunt merrily and 

 extend himself on the trail without covering 

 the ground too fast to be a good rabbit dog. 

 A pack of ten or a dozen 12-inch dogs is eas- 

 ily housed and cared for, and can be carried 

 in a large hamper on the back of a wagon, 

 while a 15-inch pack would require nearly 

 twice as much room. 



In forming a pack of small dogs, one 

 should guard against weedy ones that are 

 not hardy enough to stand the rough work, 

 and toys that lack the ambition or courage to 

 stick to it. Real good 12-inch dogs are not 

 common ; and, in fact, it might be almost im- 

 possible to-day to purchase a dozen good 

 hunters and not ex-ceed that height. There- 



fore the best course to pursue would naturally 

 be to lay aside at first restrictions as to size, 

 color, markings, etc., and purchase good, 

 working dogs and bitches that by reason of 

 their breeding would be most likely to pro- 

 duce small ones. Getting together a pack in 

 this way takes some time and experimenting, 

 but it is a pleasure in itself, and the final re- 

 sults obtained are certainly most satisfying. 

 Compare carefully the results obtained from 

 breeding to your different dogs, and when 

 you get one that throws good boned little 

 hounds that will hunt, stick to him and you 

 will soon be able to begin the weeding-out 

 process. Remember that the first essentials 

 in a hound, as in a pointer or setter, are, de- 

 sire to hunt, game sense, and gameness. This 

 last qualification is very important, and a 

 characteristic that is well worth breeding for. 

 Don't breed from timid bitches nor to timid 

 dogs, unless their other qualities are so over- 

 whelmingly good that you can afford to take 

 chances. However, a timid dog may be game 

 on the trail (though the chances are against 

 it) and it is well to look beyond a dog's be- 

 havior in the yard. It sometimes happens 

 that 1 dog that is timid among people will 

 hold to a trail until he runs on three legs; 

 while many a dog that is bold enough at 

 home grows tired and loses interest when 

 bunny leads him through briar patches and 

 over too many rough hills. So, I say, watch 

 out for "quitters," and weed them out, first 

 of all. After this is time enough to throw out 

 those that are oversized, off color, etc. 



If you are fortunate in getting a pack of 

 little dogs do not ask too much of them, or I 

 should say, if they are game ones, do not al- 

 low them . to do too much. This will most 

 surely result in making "plugs" of the best 

 ones. The beagle that is bred and handled 

 right is as plucky a dog as there is in the 

 field. I have an affectionate remembrance of 

 a little 12-inch dog of mine which hung to 

 the trail late one afternoon, when most of 

 the pack had quit, and only came in to re- 

 peated calls of the horn. A few moments 

 after he had ceased to give tongue, and was 

 coming toward me, I heard a sharp yelp, and 

 knew that something was wrong. There was 

 quite a stream of water between us, so I did 

 not go to him, but waited, and heard him 

 coming through the brush, whining every few 

 moments as if he was hurt. When he did 

 come into view he was on three legs, and I 



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