English Beagle Standard (Revised 1988)
GENERAL APPEARANCE: A sturdy, compactly-built hound, conveying the impression of quality without coarseness.
CHARACTERISTICS :A merry hound whose essential function is to hunt, primarily hare, by following a scent. Bold, with great activity, stamina and determination. Alert, intelligent, and of even temperament.
TEMPERAMENT: Amiable and alert, showing no aggression or timidity.
HEAD AND SKULL: Fair length, powerful without being coarse, finer in thebitch, free from frown and wrinkle. Skull slightly domed, moderately wide,with slight peak. Stop well defined and dividing length, between occiput and tip of nose, as equally as possible. Muzzle not snipey, lips reasonably well flewed. Nose broad, preferably black, but less pigmentation permissible in the lighter coloured hounds. Nostrils wide.
EYES: Dark brown or hazel, fairly large, not deepset or prominent, set well apart with mild appealing expression.
EARS: Long, with rounded tip, reaching nearly to the end of nose when drawn out. Set on low, fine in texture and hanging gracefully close to cheeks.
MOUTH: The jaws should be strong, with perfect, regular and complete scissorbite, i.e., the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth, and set square to the jaw.
NECK: Sufficiently long to enable hound to come down to scent easily, slightly arched and showing little dewlap.
FOREQUARTERS: Shoulders well laid back, not loaded. Forelegs straight and upright, well under the hound, good substance, and round in the bone, not tapering off to feet. Pasterns short. Elbows firm, turning neither in or out. Height to elbow about half height at withers.
BODY: Topline straight and level. Chest let down to below elbow. Ribs wellsprung and extending well back. Short in the couplings but well balanced. Loins powerful and supple, without excessive tuck-up.
HINDQUARTERS: Muscular thighs. Stifles well bent. Hocks firm, well let down and parallel to each other.
FEET: Tight and firm. Well knuckled up and strongly padded. Not harefooted. Nails short.
TAIL: Sturdy, moderately long. Set on high, carried gaily but not curled over back or inclined forward from the root. Well covered with hair, especially on the underside.
GAIT/MOVEMENT: Back level, firm with no indication of roll. Stride free, long reaching in front and straight without thigh action. Hind legs showing drive. Should not move close behind nor paddle not plait in front.
COAT: Short, dense and weatherproof.
COLOUR: Any recognized hound colour other than liver. Tip of stern white.
SIZE: Desirable minimum height at withers 33cm (13 ins). Desirable maximum height at withers 40cm (16 ins).
*** Please note, in the USA, there are two recognized sizes.
13 inches (Not exceeding 13 inches at the withers.)
15 inches (Over 13 inches Not exceeding 15 inches at the withers.)
FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
NOTE: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
