Why have size classes in AKC anymore?

[gunslinger]

My little dog ain't scared of dem big dogs

[South Woods kennel]

Personally i dont care what size hounds im running against, if i cant beat them then my hounds just arent good enought and its time to start over! I run with big hounds almost every time i run and i have smaller hounds that give them all they can handle and then some for 6 or 8 hours..... You will never hear me make an excuse about size.... Just how i am! If my hound cant beat a 15 then it gets sold... Period! Some of you might not agree with me but thats that, and it dont much matter to me! My hounds better compete against anything they run against and do their fair share of work or dey dont stay in my kennel!

[beaglestotrack]

i have seen big athletic dogs wear down little athletic dogs time and time again. if your little dogs run with and infront of your big dogs for hours there is alot of room to improve the bigger stock you got.. physics has proven this to be true as well

this is why akc has 2 separate classes j.m.o.

[Big River Beagles S]

That was point I was trying to make, There are rules for a reason so why not as handlers we not put judges in the situation to have to throw a dog out for being over sized or as judges do the best possible job at getting the dogs in the right class

[Ron Conroe]

Because when it comes to competition man wants every advantage he can get.....human nature.

[beaglestotrack]

if there was no measuring people would be breeding 20 inch beagles this is one way to keep the size of the breed down

[Rowco Beagle Kennels]

We like the big hounds and breed for it. We normally sell the small ones but there have been some mighty fast and tough little dogs come through our kennel. Every now and then we get one over 15". We do not throw them away if they are otherwise good. We just rabbit hunt them but do not trial them.

[Remmy]

Could the AKC standard be changed to weight like human wrestlers, boxers etc. A lot harder to cheat, no? And if someone were to starve their dog to "make weight" it wouldn't be strong enough to compete with dogs of a proper build anyway.

Just looking outside of "AKC has always done it this way".

[beaglestotrack]

lol lol some comments just amaze me lmao

[WELLS WOODS]

I had a 13 1/2" male , BJ's Fudd. He measured in about 12 times & measured out about 12 times. I actually measured him out once before I owned him. I also measured him in a couple times before I owned him. He wasn't a speed demon, just a track dog with a lot of ability. Before I bought him, he had 7, 2nd places . I bought him because I judged his mother, IFC Stoneyhills Tamarack. She was amazing & since she was big & Fudd's sire Shaker was big, I figured he would throw 15" dogs which I prefer. I put two wins on him as his owner/handler, then he started measuring out more & more so I slowed down trying to finish him. He also got sick for about 6 months after he won East Central Iowa's trial, but Fudd will always be a FC in my mind. I sent him up to Michigan to a trial & people called me that were there running & said he was the only dog all day that buckled down & could run the rabbit in first series. The judges measured him out 13 1/8" I was told. I guess that's the chance you take with a borderline dog.
I say try to stay fairly close to the right size. Some judges are more strict than others, but most judges I've seen in the Mid-West try to measure them correctly.
FC Wells' Silver Spring was about 13 1/4". She never measured out though. I ran her in the 15" class twice by choice & she got a 2nd & 3rd against some 15"+ bitches. On cottontail, it's mostly about rabbit running ability , not size.

[South Woods kennel]

Lol or the 13 inch dogs yous have seen dont have much bottom! I finished FC South Woods Cyclone on hare in the Northern Michigan hare assosiation in the 15 inch females..... The highest she ever measured was 13.5 and she finished at a day over 2 years old at the Large pack Nationals in the 15 inch bitch class with a 3rd! Also won NMHA outstanding 15inch female that year as a derby! The only time she was ever tried in the 13 inch class was in canada and she won it! She went 2 for 3 in canada with 2 wins in a row! So to me size does not matter! Dont care what anyone says! My 13inch hounds run against 15s all the time, and the 15s are no slouches! If you want me to name the success of the big hounds they run against and have no trouble running with or beating i will!...... Theres my opinion!

[beaglestotrack]

if you want me to name the laws of physics i will lmfao i dont care how many dogs you have finished

if you run them till they quit or die them 13s have to do 2 times the work to keep up with a 15 this is fact not a opinion.. maybe your 13s are just stronger then your 15s could this be the case? if your 13s out run your 15s there is room for improvement in your 15s rather they made a fc or not is irrelevant!!! take the best fastest 15 and line is up against the best fastest 13 and the 15 will out perform the 13.. 9 out of 10 times in wide open running.. this is basic laws of physics also know as facts in the real world

[South Woods kennel]

I am not talking about my 15 inch hounds, hence i dont have any! Chapko is that you?

[beaglestotrack]

yeah buddy its me just giving you a hard time is all lol lol trying to keep ya thinking

[mybeagles]

How many trials have head high non stop running for hours at a time? If dogs turn with the track There is a limit to how fast dogs will be running. If you stand on the trail and only score dog that crosses first the fastest dog wins, not necessarily the best dog. Slight advantage to bigger dog.

I think the earlier post stated it best....having a 13" class gives 10 more people a chance to take a ribbon home.

In reality....AKC rules state there is a 13" and 15" class and opinions dont change that. The size limits should be strictly followed. If you know your dog is oversize you should'nt run them in the smaller class. As Ron stated human nature will drive some to cheat to win.