A Lemon Beagle is a purebred beagle, characterized by its white and lemon-hued coat with hazel-colored eyes. Upon being born, most lemon beagles are nearly completely white, however the lemon color begins to reveal itself as they age into adulthood. Lemon beagles are uncommon to discover, and as such their purchase price is higher than a more common colored variation.

Appearance Of A Lemon Beagle

Other than their lemon hued appearance, which is attributed to their lack of pigmentation on their bodies, they share the common characteristics of any other modern-day beagle. The lemon reference is simply referencing their shading.

As a matter of fact, a purebred beagle does not have the gene for to be one solid color. Instead, all beagles have “hound coloring”, which simply means they always have at least two colors in their coat. Cool, right?

Furthermore, there is also one recognized marking referred to as “ticking”, which is the tiny spots on their legs and underside of the beagle.

On a lemon beagle, this marking may give them an appearance of desperately needed bath, if you’re not familiar with it.

And just to be clear, Lemon beagles are not considered to be albino either.

History Of A Lemon Beagle

The origin of the word “beagle” is not quite known. However, there are some ideas to where it may have been derived from. They are:

• Beuguele, the French word meaning: open throat.
• Beugler, the French word meaning: to bellow.
• Beag, the Old English word meaning: diminutive.
• Begele, the German word meaning: to scold.

Their history is partially clouded by the fact that they really didn’t develop into their modern day versions until the 19th century.

During the mid-1800s, Reverend Phillip Honeywood confirmed a pack of Beagles in Essex, England. He bred them for the sole purpose of hunting, not for their overall appearance. They are now considered to be the ancestors to the modern-day Beagle. Another Englishman, Thomas Johnson, is credited with breeding Beagles that were both exceptional hunters and aesthetically appealing.

While this was occurring, American breeders began importing Beagles from England to further improve the breed’s aesthetics. Most of the English imports were bred to an average height of 15 to 17 inches, at the shoulder so they could effectively hunt fox. Those measurements are representative of the two common sizes of Beagles today.

Temperament Of A Lemon Beagle

As is with any beagle, they are typically kind, sweet, and quirky. They will make you laugh, and they will make you cry at times with their aberrant behavior. However, Beagle owners tend to be quick thinkers, and know they have to be one step ahead of their beloved pup at all times.

Lemon beagles will greatly benefit from early socialization — exposing them to different experiences, people, sights and sounds — while they are still young. Just make sure you do it safely. Please keep them on a leash, if it’s required or warranted.

Are Lemon Beagles Clean?

You’ve never had a Beagle, have you? I’m just kidding.

I’m pleased to report that this is not a breed known to shed much. However, seasonal shedding during the Spring and Fall months can occur though. Beagles have a smooth, dense double coat that is resistant to rain. Loosen and remove dead hair while encouraging new growth, by using a medium-bristle brush or a hound glove (a rubber mitt with nubs on the palm area) at least once a week.

Overall, their coats are quite low maintenance — that is unless they stumble upon something to roll it. Yuck!

Another plus is you won’t be dealing with slobber like crazy. No Beethoven movie reenactments here, folks.

Health Of A Lemon Beagle

Before going down this list; I went to preface that this is a healthy breed overall. This part we’re going to get a little bit more serious, due to the gravity of the topic. Here are some ailments that lemon beagles are predisposed to:

Obesity:

Remember how the famous cartoon beagle, Snoopy, worried about his food bowl all the time? Well, that is very accurate. Their stomachs are the proverbial bottomless pits. Therefore, left unchecked, they tend to be suffer from obesity. It is key that you monitor their intake, and make sure that anything, and I mean anything, that they could get into is secured. Otherwise, you’ll see just how strong-willed they’ll get, once their nose picks up a intriguing scent.

Intervertebral Disk Disease:

Intervertebral disk disease, or IDD for short; occurs when the jelly-like inner layer of the vertebrae, distends into the spinal canal and pushes against the spinal cord. Compression effects of the spinal cord can range be relatively minimal, resulting in neck or back pain; or it can be severe, causing sensation loss, paralysis, or lack of bowel or bladder control.

At times, the progressive damage done by the aforementioned spinal compression may be irreversible. Treatment is contingent on a handful  of factors; including location, severity, and length of time between injury and treatment. Confining the dog may be of some use, but surgical intervention is often required to relieve stress on the spinal cord. Unfortunately, surgery is not always successful.

Cherry Eye:

Cherry eye is when the gland under the third eyelid distends and takes on the appearance of a cherry in the corner of the eye. Your veterinarian may need to remove this.

Hypothyroidism:

Hypothyroidism is a disorder caused by underactivity of the thyroid gland. It is believed to have be at least partially responsible for conditions such as alopecia (hair loss), epilepsy, hyperpigmentation, obesity, lethargy, pyoderma, and various other skin conditions. It can be controlled by diet and medication.

Beagle Dwarfism:

Beagle dwarfism is exactly what you’d expect it to be. It’s when your lemon beagle is smaller than normal. In addition, this condition may or may accompany other physical abnormalities, such as extremely short legs.

Glaucoma:

Glaucoma occurs when pressure in the eye becomes exceedingly high. Eyes are continuously creating and draining a fluid called aqueous humor. If the fluid cannot drain properly, the ocular pressure inside the eye can increase, and subsequently can cause damage to the optic nerve, resulting in vision loss and/or blindness. There are two variations: Primary glaucoma, which is hereditary. Secondary glaucoma, is brought on by trauma, inflammation or  tumor.

It often affects one eye first, typically appearing red, tear-filled, squinty, and evidently uncomfortable. A dilated pupil will lack photosensitivity [it will not react to light], and the front of the eye will have a whitish, almost blue cloudiness. Depending on the severity of the case, even with treatment (such as surgery or medication), vision loss and eventual blindness will result.

Hip Dysplasia:

Hip dysplasia is an inherited anomaly in which the thighbone doesn’t fit securely into the hip joint. Some lemon beagles will exhibit and lameness from one or both rear legs, but others appear asymptomatic. An X-ray screening is the sure-fire way to diagnose the problem, ideally before it advances. Either way, arthritis could develop as the beagle ages. Hopefully it won’t, but it could. Also, be wary of a dog breeder that has bred a beagle with hip dysplasia. For all intents and purposes, reputable breeders would vehemently avoid breeding a beagle with a hip dysplasia diagnosis.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA):

PRA is a degenerative eye condition that leads to blindness from the loss of function of the photoreceptors at the back of the eye. Fortunately, PRA can be detectable years before the dog shows any signs of blindness. Fortunately, beagles usually compensate for their blindness,  by heightened awareness of their other senses. Just be mindful that whenever you rearrange furniture, this may initially confuse your beloved beagle. Avoid changing the layout as much as possible, to prevent this confusion. Reputable breeders will have their beagle’s eyes certified annually by a veterinary ophthalmologist and will refuse to breed dogs with this disease.

Epilepsy:

Epilepsy is commonly an inherited neurological disorder, but not always. Epilepsy can cause your beagle to exhibit mild or severe seizures. Seizures can be very distressing to watch, but the long-term prognosis for lemon beagles with idiopathic epilepsy is generally very good. It’s imperative to have your beagle checked out by their veterinarian for a proper diagnosis and according treatment.

Chinese Beagle Syndrome (CBS):

CBS presents itself by a wide skull and slanted eyes. The lemon beagle’s normal growth is otherwise unaffected. Consequentially, beagles with CBS usually exhibit some degree of heart problems and toe abnormalities.

Cost Of Purchasing A Lemon Beagle Puppy

Due to their rarity, they’re more expensive then their more-common shaded counterparts. Lemon beagles puppies typically command between $500 to $1,300.

Three consistent factors will directly influence the price:

• Is the lineage strong, health wise?
• Is the puppy show-quality?
• Has the puppy received any formalized training?

A reputable and reliable breed will screen each parent beagle, for health issues related to their puppies, and communicate their findings to you.

Final Thoughts

If you are seeking an unyieldingly loving companion regardless of your family size, then a Lemon Beagle may be a very satisfying option. Just bear in mind, since they are a hound — they can be a little stubborn in terms of training at times. However, the effort is more than worth the reward of happiness they will reap you for years to come.