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The beagle
colours
The
beagle and his colours:
Just
as colour prejudice among humans causes problems throughout the
world, the colour of Beagles has caused considerable controversy
among their breeders, exhibitors and judges. Non specialist judges
are frequently unaware of the wide variety of colours found among
Beagles so tend to prefer the traditional tricolour whereas some
specialist breeders and judges show a definite preference for on
particular colour. Although colour prejudice has not completely
disappeared in Britain it is much less than is found in some
European countries, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
 
One
of the causes of colour problems is the interpretation of the
Kennel Club.Breed Standard which states: "Any recognised
hound colour other than liver. Tip of stern white.". This
means that no colour, or combination of colours, is more correct
than another and the distribution of colour, or markings, does not
matter, providing the tip of the stern is white. With one
exception, no hound can have a wrong colour. that exception is
liver which is considered objectionable because it is frequently
accompanied by very light eyes, or even green eyes with pink rims.
Of
the recognised hound colours the three basic ones are black, white
and tan, each of which vary in shade, even black and white! The
total number of e combinations these three colours can produce is
14 which can be divided into the following groups:
Tricolours:
Have solid patches of the three basic colours. Because tricolours
used to be - and still are - the most numerous they were -
frequently regarded as the traditional and only group. Tricolours
with large patches of white are described as "flashily or
"brightly" marked; those with a large area of black on
the back are often referred to as "black blanketed"
hounds. A typical description from a non-specialist judge hedging
his bets is "hound marked".
Two
colours: (Not normally referred to as "Bicolours") They
have become very popular in Britain and frequently possess great
quality. White is the basic colour accompanied by tan which can
vary from a pale lemon shade to rich chestnut. those with the pale
lemon colouring are "Lemon & Whites"; those having a
darker shade of tan are "Tan & Whites". If the tan
has a reddish or orange tinge, the hound is a "Red &
White". Black & White is permissible but rarely found.
Single
colour:
The only single colour permitted is all white. This is
rarely found but there have been several examples with small
patches of very pale
tan barely visible at a
distance.
 
Pieds:
 Pied hounds are those in which the three basic colours intermingle
and do not occur in solid patches except white. Where the hairs of
one colour predominate, the overall shade changes and gives rise
to several types of pied hounds: "Lemon Pied" - mainly
lemon or cream hairs intermingling with black and white;
"Hare Pied" - more tan than black and white, giving a
coat resemblingthat of a hare, and "Badger Pied" which
contains a majority of black hairs. The pieds are found less
frequently than the other colour combination groups.
Mottles:
Similar to tricolours and the two coloured hounds but with small
black and tan spots, known as flecks or mottles, on the white
parts. The names used to describe these are "Tricolour
Mottles", "Lemon Mottles", "Tan Mottles"
and "Red Mottles".
Many
years ago some hounds found in Wales and Southern Ireland had a
definite bluish
tinge to the black and were correctly called
"Blue, Tan and
White".
This
Bleu puppy "Hera" ownes by
Mrs.Corry van Werven, was
resently born.
The blue "Hera"with her normal coloured brother and sister.
Nowadays
these are rare but some examples have been seen recently in
Australia and
the USA. These Blue, Tan & Whites can also have blue flecks
and are therefore
called
"Blue Mottles".
A
lighter shade of blue, almost a slate grey, has been seen on rare
occasions but
they are usually accompanied by light eyes. The blue/grey colour
is not a true
colour but a degenerate black which should not be regarded as a
recognised hound colour.
Here
four different "Mottle types"
It
should be remembered
that the colours of newly-whelped puppies can change.
For
example, the head, ears and shoulders of tricolour hounds are
often black but
gradually turn to turn to tan during the next few weeks. Similarly
shades of cream,
brown or grey on the back usually disappear fairly soon and a
covering of little
white spots all over the black and tan usually disappears within
12 weeks,
to the relief of novice breeders. Hounds not possessing a strong
deep shade
of black often lose it in old age and can appear almost all
white.
The
size, symmetry or distribution of colour does not mater, with the
exception of
a white tip to the stern, but they can create optical illusions of
which a judge
should be aware. For example, on the head a wide white blaze down
the middle
of the forehead between the eyes makes the head look too broad and
an unbroken
black blanket from head to stern can make the hound look too long.
A white
patch on the spine can give the impression of an uneven topline,
and uneven
tan or black markings down the legs, both front an rear, can give
the impression
of loose elbows, poor angulation and poor movement.
Beagles
are found in a great variety of colours, virtually all of which
are correct
and it is one of the factors which have made the breed so popular.
Personal
preference may be permitted in breeding and exhibiting, but never
in judging.
Without doubt, these colours must all be encouraged and no
prejudice against
one or another be allowed to develop.
 
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