If you ever confused a beagle dog with the breed of hounds or even the foxhound, you would now be far off the beaten track. Beagles are members of the group of Hounds and this explains why they are mostly used for their keen sense of smell. In certain parts of the UK and the US, a beagle is never far away from a hunting party, as they have a rather keen ability in sniffing our game like hare and rabbit, among other small and medium game in the age old sport of hunting.
In the legal circles in the world, the beagle dog is also part of the task forces that sniffs out the illegal and controlled items like banned food and agricultural products, controlled substances like drugs and recruited as detection dogs in customs and services departments all over the world. A little titbit of information you should know about is that popular belief by scientists is that the beagle dog has been around for about 2, 000 years.
The breed was said to have originated right in the spreading forests of Britain around the early 1800's and you might remember seeing one in a little known comic strip called Peanuts as a dog named Snoopy. This article will discuss everything about care, nutrition and handling when it comes to these traditional hunting dogs.
When taking care of the beagle, you should know that the beagle is a relatively mild mannered dog in most circumstances and they are known to languish about the house most of the time. While normally they can seem a bit cold and arrogant as a breed when it comes to strangers, but they are actually very friendly even to new company.
With just a bit of cajoling and maybe an odd treat in hand, you can win over the beagle. While they are normally extremely intelligent dogs, beware when they do catch a scent of a rabbit in the wind, they might run off and not come back. If you want to avoid running after your dog in a mad rush for a rabbit, then most owners advise that you keep the beagle on a short leash.
Owners all over the world also say that beagles are great in family situations and they are extremely gentle with small children. Also, the beagle is an excellent pet to bring around to other households with other pets - as they get along famously with other dogs.
As for nutrition and health, beagles are overall quite healthy dogs and can live up to an age of 10 - 13 human years. The common problems that you might be confronted with when it comes to your beagle pet is that the dog is home to some bad parasites, which includes the infamous fleas, their companion ticks, mites and even tapeworms.
Beagles dogs also suffer from prone eye diseases, so regular checkups with your vet is essential. These are some of the things you need to know about care, nutrition and handling with these beagles and when you do get one, you will be better prepared to handle one.