These two breeds of dog, which originated in the United Kingdom, were traditionally used for hunting, although it is currently very It is common to find them as a pet, especially in the case of the friendly beagles.
Since the specimens of these two breeds are relatively similar in size, floppy ears, and coats that generally include shades of white and brown, they can be difficult to distinguish. Therefore, in this article on our site, we explain the differences between the beagle and the basset hound
The beagle and the basset hound: two charming breeds with some similarities
As has been mentioned, both the beagle and basset hound breeds are native to the United Kingdom, and have been used for many years in hunting, to track prey, mainly rabbits and hares, but also deer or wild boar.
They achieve this thanks to their extraordinary sense of smell, in fact, they are two of the canine breeds that have this most highly developed sense, together with the bloodhound, San Huberto or the foxhound. Despite their origins, nowadays it is quite common to see these dogs as a companion dog, so their activities are not restricted to hunts.
The popularity of beagles has increased in recent years, because they are not excessively large dogs, they are very intelligent, obedient and have short hair, characteristics that make it easy to house them indoors.
In addition, beagles are very resistant to disease, and tend to have fewer respiratory problems and skin allergies than other dogs of a similar size with short hair, such as bulldogs.
Ears
Both breeds have large, drooping ears, but while beagle ears are rather thin and boxy in appearance, basset hound ears are much more elongated, which can hang down to the area where the animal's limbs begin.
The skin folds
As is the case with many dogs of this type, the skin of the Basset has numerous folds along the body and even on the head of the animal, including the forehead and the area above the eyes. This gives them a characteristic sad expression, despite being generally quite cheerful animals.
This fact does not occur in beagles, and the absence of wrinkles helps to distinguish them not only from basset hounds, but also from most hounds, such as the Spanish hound or the Saint Hubertus hound, to give two examples.
The body
Looking at the body is one of the easiest ways to tell a beagle from a basset hound. Known by some as " dachshund", a nickname most often used in the dachshund breed, basset hounds are noted for having long body and very short legs
By contrast, the appearance of the beagle is more squared, with limbs of a normal length, being taller than the basset and somewhat less corpulent. Incidentally, basset hounds differ from dachshunds, also called dachshunds, in that they are considerably larger and have folds in their skin, something that dachshunds lack.
The color
Colour is the main cause of confusion between these dogs, since most specimens of both breeds are tricolor, that is,, have white, brown and black tones in their fur, although many more colors are allowed in both cases.
In fact, there can be grey, black and white, or white with reddish hues, and in the case of beagles, a wide variety of colors are accepted.
However, it is quite common to find basset with two colors, white and brown, while it is not so easy to see beagle dogs that do not have the typical tricolor pattern of this breed.
The character
Both are dog breeds that are intelligent, obedient and very easy to train. In addition, it is extraordinarily difficult to find a beagle or a basset hound with aggressiveness problems, on the contrary, they tend to be friendly even with strangers, characteristics that make them incredible companions and lousy guardians.
In any case, basset hounds are somewhat more stubborn than beagles, and calmer, while beagles are more playful and active, especially young individuals.
On the other hand, it is possible that beagles are slightly more intelligent than bassets, although this depends a lot on the individual and it is not advisable to generalize too much.
