dog breeds: the beagle

dog breeds: the beagle

A Beagle
Image Credit: Wikipedia

beagles 101:

Snoopy - "the world's most famous beagle" - yes he is a Beagle. we really don't know who became famous first - Snoopy or the Beagle. all we know is that beagles have been existing with humans for a very long time.

beagle type dog breeds have existed since two thousand years ago until the modern breed called Beagle was developed from several breeds in the 1830's Great Britain.

beagles are well loved since the Elizabethan times. ever since, they are preferred as pets because of their even temperament, home convenient size, and generally healthy body with no genetically acquired health problems. 

the size of this hound group breed ranges from small to medium, and they are known to be intelligent dogs fit to work as scent hounds. these dogs have a powerful sense of smell used for hunting and tracking down game animals. hounds also characteristically have sturdy bodies for greater endurance in sticking with and following a scent as they relentlessly run through rough terrain. 

beagles have large nasal passage-ways to help them process smells, and they also have soft drooping long ears which are believe to be the beagle's special trait that helps trap scents from the air and keep it close to their face and nose. their smaller size and shorter legs (compared to similar looking Foxhounds) are believed to keep these dogs close to the ground where they can easily pickup up most scents. 

another character trait of beagles that makes them great hunting dogs are their large bellowing voices. their strong barks let the beagles notify their handlers that they've picked up a scent and allows the hunters to easily find them. 

lastly, beagles have amazing tracking instincts, that once combined with their keen sense of smell makes them wonderful detection dogs for prohibited food stuffs and agricultural produce. 

dog breeds: the labrador retriever

dog breeds: the labrador retriever

Labrador Retriever Dog
Image Credit: Wikipedia

labradors 101:

the labrador retriever is probably the most popular dog in the world today. labradors (or simply "labs") rank as the number one most registered dog in Canada, UK, and the US.

these dogs are known for their kindness, gentleness, compassion, loyalty, and trainability or willingness to learn, obey, and please. their "retriever" name indicates that they are the type of dogs that are great at assisting hunters in finding and retrieving game (that's why they are also called or categorized as "gun dogs" also "sporting dogs"). they are easily trained to retrieve birds, foal, or other game and to hand them to their masters without damage. another thing that makes labradors such great hunting companions is because they are soft mouthed. they can carry retrieved objects in their mouth without biting hard into and damaging it.

labrador retrievers are also good assistance dogs (dogs that are trained to help or assist persons with disability.) they are either trained by their handlers (with the help of a professional trainer) to become guide dogs (for blind or visually impaired persons), signal dogs or hearing dogs (for the deaf or people with hard hearing), or as service dogs (working dogs used either as medical alert dogs, seizure alert dogs, psychiatric service dogs, or mobility assistance dogs).

labradors are also among the best choice of the police, military, or other official groups for dogs serving as detection dogs and rescue dogs.

they are even great swimmers and divers. labradors are uniquely characterized by their webbed paws that help them swim with ease. (it's believed that they were originally bred to have webbed paws for the purpose of helping fishermen retrieve nets). aside from swimming, labradors also love to play catch or fetch, making them great family pets, especially for families with children.

their colors vary from black, yellow (ranging from pale cream to fox red), and chocolate, and they can live up to ten to thirteen years.