small or big beagles

[Elmer Puckett]

I like any beagle thats under 15" i likem small I know lots of people like big beagles they even bring oversize dogs to trials beagle means small dog or hound used for small game people up north really likem big for hare hunting i think they should run harriers instead of beagles or at least stay within breed standard most of the great ones you read about in the old days were 13" or under what do you think should akc make 16 17 18" beagles standard or should we stay 15" and under its just my opinion but if you want to go bigger get some fox hounds teachem to run rabbits and leave the beagles alone

[lebro]

i like them 12" to 14"real houndy looking.

[briarhopper]

i like em littlt, but alittle over 13 is ok. I think it is rediculas for akc to recognize anything over 15. jmo

[oef10]

I think regesterd dogs should stay within the breed standard, under 15". But if someone prefers to run larger dogs then that's up to them. But they should not beregistered. The breed standard is there for a reason. If somone wants to register 16" dogs now, soon they will want to go bigger and bigger. Then you get a grey area between beagles and other larger hounds. To me if you want to feed a big dog and he suits you then more power to ya, but it should un regesterd.

[JCM]

Who is going to decide if a dog is under 15"?

I run a lot of ARHA and there isn't anyone on the whole organization that can give you an official measurement that can't be challenged. If a whole organization doesn't have a single person that can tell you your dog's height, how can you say a dog shouldn't be registered?

[Buckeye Blues]

I think regesterd dogs should stay within the breed standard, under 15". But if someone prefers to run larger dogs then that's up to them. But they should not beregistered. The breed standard is there for a reason. If somone wants to register 16" dogs now, soon they will want to go bigger and bigger. Then you get a grey area between beagles and other larger hounds. To me if you want to feed a big dog and he suits you then more power to ya, but it should un regesterd.

16" used to be the standard. Then the dog show people set the standard to fit their needs not the true houndsmane's. There are thousands of 15" + beagles out there with some of the best qualities a beagle could have.

You want to "unregister" them because they grew an inch or less over 15". Think of the qualities you are throwing out the door. Why not breed a quality hound like that back to a 13" hound to continue the good traits. Or, why not have the dog regitries open their eyes to natural evolution. Look at it this way. Humans dont line breed themselves. What has happened? Humans just naturally keep getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against line breeding. I know the purpose and intent of line breeding. I own line bred dogs. I am saying, however, that animals adapt and evolve. I've seen 13" hounds throw 15" hounds and visa versa.

It's really stupid if you look at it. A full blooded beagle is a full blooded beagle. It should be allowed to be registered. If we look at it like you say and "unregister" all dogs that go over 15" then we should also say the same for 13" beagles. Any beagle under 12" should be "unregistered." If you're gonna give 1 class only 1" of leeway then that's all the other should receive. That way maybe everyone striving for short beagles would feed them properly when they are pups instead of trying to stunt their growth.

I know a guy who rarely ever has an adult beagle much over 12". But when he sent a pup from the same usual type of litter he has down South long and behold this dog ended up a true 15" hound.

So talk all you want about bettering the breed and keeping to breed standards. Maybe all people under 5' and over 6'-3" should be culled............how stupid does that sound right?

[BADBEAGLE]

I think regesterd dogs should stay within the breed standard, under 15". But if someone prefers to run larger dogs then that's up to them. But they should not beregistered. The breed standard is there for a reason. If somone wants to register 16" dogs now, soon they will want to go bigger and bigger. Then you get a grey area between beagles and other larger hounds. To me if you want to feed a big dog and he suits you then more power to ya, but it should un regesterd.

16" used to be the standard. Then the dog show people set the standard to fit their needs not the true houndsmane's. There are thousands of 15" + beagles out there with some of the best qualities a beagle could have.

You want to "unregister" them because they grew an inch or less over 15". Think of the qualities you are throwing out the door. Why not breed a quality hound like that back to a 13" hound to continue the good traits. Or, why not have the dog regitries open their eyes to natural evolution. Look at it this way. Humans dont line breed themselves. What has happened? Humans just naturally keep getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against line breeding. I know the purpose and intent of line breeding. I own line bred dogs. I am saying, however, that animals adapt and evolve. I've seen 13" hounds throw 15" hounds and visa versa.

It's really stupid if you look at it. A full blooded beagle is a full blooded beagle. It should be allowed to be registered. If we look at it like you say and "unregister" all dogs that go over 15" then we should also say the same for 13" beagles. Any beagle under 12" should be "unregistered." If you're gonna give 1 class only 1" of leeway then that's all the other should receive. That way maybe everyone striving for short beagles would feed them properly when they are pups instead of trying to stunt their growth.

I know a guy who rarely ever has an adult beagle much over 12". But when he sent a pup from the same usual type of litter he has down South long and behold this dog ended up a true 15" hound.

So talk all you want about bettering the breed and keeping to breed standards. Maybe all people under 5' and over 6'-3" should be culled............how stupid does that sound right?

i agree 100% 100 years ago people were shorter than they are now . they are taller now because of the more nutrition they get. so i believe it is the same way with beagles. the food quality has grown over time and made them stronger and bigger than they was when the standard was set.

[Elmer Puckett]

JCM does that bother you when you bring a 15" dog to a trial and have to run it against a 17" dog i have seen big dogs at arha trials arha is a great registry done alot of good but that being said they made a standard of 15" they need to enforce it better now you know if your dogs are to big and it dont meet the standards you do what you know is right you dont have to answer to no one but your self talking about arha i know a few people that are bitter enemies that used to be freinds because both of them got into the final cast at a hunt and one knowing the other dog to big had him measured dirty pool yes Buckeye Blues your your right but why make standards and then ignore them what your saying is akc is stupid there not hunters so then why should i do the breed harm by letting some great genes die off because of a stupid standard if you feel that way why would you want your dogs registered to such a registry anyway what im saying is your right but its there registry and they made the standard

[oef10]

This is just my opinion but if a registry sets a standard then all dogs registered in that registry should meet the standard set.

[team fudd]

elmer it kind of sounds like you where the one who had a 15" dog that got put down with a 17" dog and now you have an axe to grind cause you got beat. The standard used to be 16" and still is in european countries where the beagle originated from. Run what you like, I have 13" dogs and I also have a 16" that cant be bought not because he can run faster than my 13" dog but because he has the brains, nose, and grit to do so. He is currently bred to a sub 14" hound in hopes that he will produce some just like him, just in a little smaller package. This subject has been hashed and rehashed for ever on this board and it all boils down to run what makes you happy, feed what you like and like what you feed, everybody else can go to he##!!!

[Ky. Hunter]

I really don't worry about a dog being an inch or so over 15" because if my dog is good enough I think he should be able to run with the bigger dog for a hour or so and if he can't he isn't the dog I thought he was to start with. When we gun hunt we don't seperate our dogs into size classes before we turn them loose and I have seen some 13" dogs take it to the bigger dogs all day long with ease so I don't worry about an inch beating me.

[ohlinger]

I really don't worry about a dog being an inch or so over 15" because if my dog is good enough I think he should be able to run with the bigger dog for a hour or so and if he can't he isn't the dog I thought he was to start with. When we gun hunt we don't seperate our dogs into size classes before we turn them loose and I have seen some 13" dogs take it to the bigger dogs all day long with ease so I don't worry about an inch beating me.

best response i've ever read on this matter.....I think it is the dumbest thing that happend to the breed for the u.s to go from the 16inch standard to the 15inch standard every other continent/country except ours goes by 16inches not 15. God Bless the U.S.A but 15 inches is a dumb rule...b/c it's not the oringinal standard its the "americanized" standard lol. size does'nt matter, the heart of the dog is what matters. Proven Fact!!

[Buckeye Blues]

I really don't worry about a dog being an inch or so over 15" because if my dog is good enough I think he should be able to run with the bigger dog for a hour or so and if he can't he isn't the dog I thought he was to start with. When we gun hunt we don't seperate our dogs into size classes before we turn them loose and I have seen some 13" dogs take it to the bigger dogs all day long with ease so I don't worry about an inch beating me.

best response i've ever read on this matter.....I think it is the dumbest thing that happend to the breed for the u.s to go from the 16inch standard to the 15inch standard every other continent/country except ours goes by 16inches not 15. God Bless the U.S.A but 15 inches is a dumb rule...b/c it's not the oringinal standard its the "americanized" standard lol. size does'nt matter, the heart of the dog is what matters. Proven Fact!!

If Ky hunter's is the best response then your's is at least 2nd best ohlinger!

[Norshore]

So...Beagles were originally 16 inch back in the old days, and show doggers wanted shorter dogs because they could feed them lower grade of dog food,and American Kennel Club refused to adopt the metric system because people are taller today than in the old days because dog food is better in America...I tell ya what I never would have figured that out on my own!!!!!!!

[Tsa la gi]

Gene, defined in Webester as(n. Hypothetical element reguarded as influential in transmitting characteristics of parent to offspring.)
Hypotheticaly speeking, maybe AKC and the whiner`s about over sized hounds can figure a way to get the gene`s that cause this out of the hounds that we breed.
When you litter enroll a litter of pups at 8,10, 16 wks old you DO NOT know how big or little they are gonna be.
I have a daughter that is about 4`10 her husband is 6`4, they have children that range from 4` 10 g, 5` 7,b 5`11g, 6`4b.
Maybe we should send them all back and order exactly what we want.