Editing Beagle (section)

==Appearance==
[[File:Beagle portrait Camry.jpg|thumb|left|The Kennel Club (UK) standard states the Beagle should give the impression of quality without coarseness.]]
The general appearance of the Beagle resembles a miniature [[Foxhound]], but the head is broader and the muzzle shorter, the expression completely different and the legs shorter in proportion to the body.<ref>{{harvnb|Daglish|1961|p=37}}</ref> They are generally between {{convert|33|and|40|cm|in}} high at the [[withers]] and weigh between {{convert|18|and|35|lb|kg|abbr=on}}, with females being slightly smaller than males on average.<ref>{{harvnb|Rice|2000|p=147}}</ref> They have a smooth, somewhat domed [[skull]] with a medium-length, square-cut [[snout|muzzle]], and a black (or occasionally liver) gumdrop nose. The jaw is strong, and the teeth scissor together with the upper teeth fitting perfectly over the lower teeth. Both sets align square to the jaw. The eyes are large, hazel or brown, with a mild, hound-like pleading look. The large ears are long, soft, and low-set, turning towards the cheeks slightly and rounded at the tips. Beagles have a strong, medium-length neck (which is long enough for them to easily bend to the ground to pick up a scent), with little folding in the skin but some evidence of a [[dewlap]]; a broad chest narrowing to a tapered [[abdomen]] and waist and a long, slightly curved tail (known as the "stern") tipped with white. The white tip, known as the flag, was bred for selectively, as the tail remains easily seen when the dog's head is down following a scent.<ref name="QLD">{{cite web|url=http://www.beagleclubqld.org/documents/booklet.pdf|title=What you need to know about Beagles|publisher=The Beagle Club of Queensland|access-date=14 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925110905/http://www.beagleclubqld.org/documents/booklet.pdf|archive-date=25 September 2011}}</ref> The tail does not curl over the back, but is held upright when the dog is active. The Beagle has a muscular body and a medium-length, smooth, hard coat. The front legs are straight and carried under the body while the rear legs are muscular and well bent at the [[Stifle joint|stifles]].<ref>See various breed standards linked from the breed box at the top of the article.</ref>
[[File:Beagle-Farben.jpg|thumb|Beagle hound colours: Two-coloured "tan and white" (older female with fading colour), tricoloured broken, two-coloured "red and white", "tricoloured"]]
The tricoloured Beagle{{mdash}}white with large black areas and light brown shading{{mdash}}is the most common. Tricoloured Beagles occur in a number of shades, from the "Classic Tri" with a jet black saddle (also known as "Blackback"), to the "Dark Tri" (where faint brown markings are intermingled with more prominent black markings), to the "Faded Tri" (where faint black markings are intermingled with more prominent brown markings). Some tricoloured dogs have a broken pattern, sometimes referred to as ''pied''. These dogs have mostly white coats with patches of black and brown hair. Tricolour Beagles are almost always born black and white. The white areas are typically set by eight weeks, but the black areas may fade to brown as the puppy matures. (The brown may take between one and two years to fully develop.) Some Beagles gradually change colour during their lives, and may lose their black markings entirely.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}
[[File:Beagle bicolore.jpg|thumb|Lemon Beagle]]
Two-colour varieties always have a white base colour with areas of the second colour. Tan and white is the most common two-colour variety, but there is a wide range of other colours including lemon, a very light tan; red, a reddish, almost orange, brown; and liver, a darker brown, and black. Liver is not common and is not permitted in some standards; it tends to occur with yellow eyes. Ticked or mottled varieties may be either white or black with different coloured flecks (''ticking''), such as the blue-mottled or bluetick Beagle, which has spots that appear to be a midnight-blue colour, similar to the colouring of the [[Bluetick Coonhound]]. Some tricolour Beagles also have ticking of various colours in their white areas.<ref>{{harvnb|Daglish|1961|p=44}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://clubs.akc.org/NBC/beagle_colors.htm|title=Beagle Colors|publisher=American Kennel Club|access-date=9 July 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070629065433/http://clubs.akc.org/NBC/beagle_colors.htm| archive-date = 29 June 2007}}</ref>

Saddle-patterned Beagles that express ancient domino (eA) are called hare-pied.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beagle Brief |date=April 2020 |title=A NEWLY DISCOVERED "OLD" COLOR: DOMINO AKA PIED IN THE BEAGLE |url=https://www.laboklin.co.uk/pdf/Hare_Pied_Beagle_Brief_04-2020.pdf}}</ref> Domino restricts eumelanin production leading to a smaller and faded saddle. Dark hairs in the area of the saddle have a light-coloured hair base. The nose pigment may be lightened down the middle.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 September 2023 |title=Beagle Coat Colors {{!}} Coats and Colors |url=https://coatsandcolors.com/beagle-coat-colors/ |access-date=25 September 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref>