FoxFire Beagles

Do Beagles Shed? Like other breeds, Beagles shed (aka blow coat) typically a couple times a year to regenerate hair. The shed can be brought on by changes in seasonal temperature, heat cycles or whelping in females. The amount of fur loss can be dependent on coat type and texture but I wanted to visually share what shedding looks like in my house with my Beagles by showing with a coat that’s being blown, a coat that’s starting the process and one that isn’t. ... When they start to blow their coats, I will give daily brush outs and the odd bath & dry to help the process but typically brushing is suitable enough. (My dogs are fed 3/4 raw and 1/4 Proplan Sport 30/20 with omega 3 supplemented)

Just a pack of Beagles reminding me that it’s only 4 hours until dinner time #1minutelateandwestarve

Most People: How on earth do you live with 5 Beagles? They’re a barky, destructive awful breed! I know because my neighbour/second uncle twice removed/accountant had one! Me: I have no idea My beagles during most afternoons:

I cannot believe that it has already been six months since I was waiting outside the vet in my jeep (due to Covid protocols) with my dear friend Tawny PolarBreeze, barely holding it together as the lovely staff held up a big, chunky Beagle puppy in the vet window to let me know everything was going well with Clovers c-section. To say I cried would be putting it lightly haha. I was blessed to hold these chubby fur dumplings in the palm of my hand, hovered over them day and ...night and enjoyed every single second they spent with me. It has been nothing short of an absolute pleasure to follow along their journey and watch them grow and make their own families smile and laugh (and scream lol) just like my own Beagles do for me. I miss each one oh-so-much but I enjoy every single photo and video I see of them living their best lives. I look forward to doing this all over again but these 5 will always have a special spot in my heart! Happy 6 Months, you little Fire Crackers!

We received our first snowfall of the year and I wanted to capture ILY and Eros’ reaction to the fluffy white stuff. This is their first time experiencing snow and Eros thinks it’s great for snacking and ILY thinks it’s perfect to assist her in tracking the red squirrels that run through the dog run and drive her crazy! I’m certainly not ready for snow but they are!

Saturday Scent Work Practice! This week we had super fun Halloween themed room searches for our last class of 2020. I apologize for the barking in the background but that just goes to show how enthusiastic my crew are about the sport. They aren’t the most patient waiting for their turn! Beagles Clover was here as well and had AWESOME runs but I didn’t have a chance to record her! I can’t wait for our next set of trials and can’t wait to hopefully add some more titles to their names!

I often get asked what reads I would recommend to those getting a Beagle or prepping for one. Below are not only of my favourite beagle reads, but favourite dog training books in general! Feel free to share your own in the links as I’m a huge book nerd and always looking to nerd out and learn more! Beagle Books:... The New Beagle - Judith M. Musladin Training your Beagle - Kristine Kraeuter The Beagle - Diane Morgan General Dog Training: When Pigs Fly - A great read on training difficult dogs using a lot of Puppy Culture Protocols Canine Enrichment - A handy read for those looking for ideas to stimulate their puppies with brain training and other enrichment activities I’ll be home soon - An easy read and a GREAT one for Covid times on treating and preventing seperation anxiety in our puppies and dogs The other end of the leash - A read that offers us a unique perspective on how OUR behaviour can shape a dog for the good and bad. Before & After Your Puppy - A read that brings positive training methods to the table and challenges the way we have raised our dogs in the past. While I’m a balanced trainer myself, I always opt for positive first :) There’s a few others also on a list I put together on Amazon of all my favourite reads for those looking to buy a copy for themselves. I already own these so it’s not a ploy to have them bought for me! https://www.amazon.ca/hz/wishlist/ls/2FQ2UD2IKCGB6

My breeder friend Bellaclan Border Collies recently shared this article from the Puppy Culture website which breaks down why I do Puppy Culture with my puppies and the benefits of it once my puppies leave for their forever homes. Puppy Culture combined with Avidog in my opinion are some of the best tools breeders have raising happy, healthy, sound puppies whom are prepared and eager to take on life. I can’t vouche for both of these puppy rearing programs enough! Have a read!

Who’s with me!?

We have some healthy peepers at FoxFire! Saturday we loaded up the Beagle-mobile and drove out of province for CAER Exams (Companion Animal Eye Registry) for the Beagles. Catcher, Jenny and ILY all cleared and that gives us an OFA Eye Clearance for each one which is great news and made the long drive worth it! Eye disease in any breed can be absolutely heart breaking but also in some cases be also completely avoidable with smart breeding. As breeders we have the tools to us...e for our advantage and that's having our dogs examined by a Veterinary Ophthalmologist (sometimes yearly) to have eyes checked. To learn more about CAER Exams, why we do them have a peek at https://www.ofa.org/diseases/eye-certification Please remember that breeders claiming they breed healthy dogs should have actual clearances to back up what they are saying and not just simple confirmation from their vet that their dogs are healthy. Breeding healthy dogs goes well beyond a simple trip to the vet.

Foxfire Beagles love fall the most of all!

I missed it yesterday but Happy 5 Months to this special litter of psychopaths! To Aglae & Michael, Jamie & Jason, Ashley & Simon and Suzanne & Family - I’m so VERY proud to have you as my Puppy Homes. From the fun adventures you take them on, to problem solving the puppy struggles, you all have done great things and it makes my job easier knowing they’re in such amazing, loving hands. And while I miss each little unique personality so very very much, It’s been an absolute j...oy watching them grow with each and every one of you. In case anyone wants to check up on them, here are a few of their IGs! Edwin (Red Collar Boy) https://instagram.com/edwinthebeagleexplores Piper (Pink Collar Girl) https://instagram.com/piperprettyinpink Skipper (Orange Collar Boy) https://instagram.com/skippertails Can you guess who is who in the pic!?

Ily says Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Happy to have two more health clearances under our belt! Both Jenny & Catcher have heart normal's (Clear) and have been submitted to OFA today. YAY! Next week we are driving 8 hours to a different province for eye clearances. Not super excited about that, but health testing is just that important and well worth the drive! Fingers crossed for good results for Jenny, Ily & Catch!

It’s that time of year again where we roll into fall and my focus gets put on performance sports with Nosework being not only MY favourite dog sport but the FoxFire crews favourite as well! It’s been since pre covid we did any practice so the Beags were a bit rusty and sloppy with their patterning and me with my handling but for our first time out In many many months I’m quite happy with them! While Fox and Ily are mainly doing obedience and rally, all my Beagles participate... in scentwork. If you hear obnoxious barking in the background it’s because everyone is so impatient for their turn. They absolutely LOVE it and are WIPED afterwards. A happy beagle is one that really gets to use that nose. For those who are unfamiliar, I train & trial in Nosework under SDDA (www.sportingdetectiondogs.ca) where the dogs are trained to scent out three different scents being Wintergreen, Thyme & Pine. When searching, they are to ‘alert’ to the handler they have located the scent and the handler calls alert to the judge - as you can hear me doing. I’ll be starting Ily soon and will share her progress as well! But for now, here is Jenny, Clover and Fox doing their thang!

Ily decided tonight that my Beagle decor statue didn’t look enough like her and chewed the black pigment off the nose. Thanks for the adjustment, Girl.

In this edition of clever online marketing made me buy this for my animals!: ILY, Catcher, Jenny, Eros and all 4 cats rate this ridiculous flopping fish cat toy 10/10 Fox on the other hand cannot be bothered with my nonsense and had other important tasks at hand...... ...such as trying to steal my toast Update: He stole my toast.

How do breeders (the reputable ones) decide what two dogs to breed? I get asked this question often- more commonly asked by pet homes wanting to know the reason why this future Sire (Father) is picked etc. The most common response you will hear from breeders with goals in mind for their breeding programs is "I want to improve on what I have". What does that mean? ...Continue reading