Hi, I am looking to buy a beagle puppy from a reputable breeder and wondered whether anyone could offer any advice on what to look for in a beagle pedigree? What are the recognisable names to look for? Thanks.

You should look for a Kennel Club Assured Breeder.
There is lots of good advise on puppy buying to be found on the Kennel Club Website.

Thanks. I will definitely go to a KC Assured Breeder but was interested to know what to look for in a beagle pedigree.

What you should be asking a breeder is the reasoning behind mating their bitch to the particular stud dog, and what they are hoping to achieve in the blending of the lines of one to the other.

The actual dogs named will mean little to you unless you have studied the breed and the dogs themselves.

If you have then you will have an idea of which dogs you admire, and you will be looking for a breeder breeding from those lines, so the potential pups pedigrees will include the dogs you like, or close relatives.

So your looking for good reasons for the pairing, not that the dog was handy/cheap etc.

If you are hoping for a puppy to show then the breeder having had reasonable success themselves with the mother or close relatives will increase your chances, especially if good stock has been produced by the bitch previously, or the dog has produced well with bitches of similar pedigree.

Is the pup going to be a pet or shown?

I used to think the pedigree was the be all and end all and the more red[champs]the better but soon learnt that champs can produce awful pups when paired with the wrong dog and non champs can produce excellent examples of the breed.

You need to find a breeder who knows the dogs/lines on the pedigree well and any faults they may have.

Any breed specific health checks or DNA testing has been done, if you check on the KC website under breeding you can check what Beagles need,research each one, you can then ask questions which show you have knowledge of these things and been doing your homework.

Contact breed clubs for list of breeders, I have found out in the past that not all members will be reputable, I found one puppy farmer in the list I was given and she was a member of more than one club and has since become an assured breeder.

Walk away from a breeder who says there are no faults in their lines, no dog is perfect so will have faults, some worse than others admittedly.

Go and watch beagles at dog shows, see what is out there and speak to the exhibitors after they have been in the ring as before they will be concentrating on their dogs, some will give you short shrift, others will chat till the cows come home, you don't want to be dealing with the former.

The puppy find on the KC website will list available pups in each breed and the Assured Breeders will have a star by their name.

Good Luck with your search, let us know how you get on.

Would like to point out that there are excellent breeders who are not accredited or what ever it is called now, the showing owner been in the breed for donkeys years but only breeds when they want a puppy, this breeder will also be an excellent source of a puppy but may well not be either a registered breeder or an approved one.

Beagles do have a number of health problems so it is important to understand what they are and make sure when possible the dam and sire and their parents were tested and found to be satisfactory.

Thanks everyone, the puppy is being bought purely as a pet but I would like the option to enter into local shows. I just want a really nice looking example of the breed and wondered if there were particular lines to look for. I am a KC breeder myself and know which lines to look for in my breed but am unsure for a beagle. I want to clarify that the beagle will only be a pet, I am not looking to buy one for breeding.

I'd suggest attending some breed shows or the breed Ring at Crufts or any other championship show to see which lines appeal to you and then get on a waiting list with a breeder of the stock you admire.

I'd certainly be interested in someone like you who already shows and wanted to have a go showing with my breed also.

To be honest Kate it does not matter if you are buying a pet, a show dog or a foundation bitch it should make no difference you should get a healthy pup with type and the correct conformation & temperament I would never suggest that anyone looked for less no matter what they plan for their pup.

As a breeder you will know that the names on a pedigree mean nothing unless you know those dogs and their background, go for something you like and you will know what breeders stock you like if you attend a few shows then it is a matter of checking the breeder out and asking about health matters.