Welcome to Hummin' Hounds!!

We are breeders of high quality Beagles.  We breed for the show, rather than hunting type of Beagle, as we feel these lines are calmer, easier to train, and more at ease in a household environment.

Since we are hobby Beagle breeders, we only have one litter a year. These are very nice, home raised AKC registered California Beagle puppies. While a few of them would make good show prospects, all of them make excellent additions to anyone's family.

We also offer Beagle stud dog services to quality, AKC registered Beagles.

Please call or email us to learn more about our breeding program and how you can become part of the Hummin' Hounds family!

Responsible Beagle Breeders

There has been a lot of talk these days about buying from "responsible" breeders. Just what is a responsible breeder, anyway?  The internet has good tips on looking for a responsible breeder.  These include

Going to see where the puppy lives,

Asking to see the parent(s) of the puppies,

Seeing how the puppies interact with each other, instead of letting the breeder bring one out at a time,

Choosing a breeder who asks questions to you, the puppy buyer, about where you live, your lifestyle, and being        concerned about the puppy's well-being after the sale.

Asking what clubs/breed affiliations the breeder belongs to.

Choosing a breeder who actively shows their dogs.

Asking about health guarantees offered.

Being given documentation on when the puppy was wormed, what immunizations were given, and when,

Receiving a pedigree of the puppy, along with photographs.

Very good advice, but I don't think it really tells the whole story  Let's look at the different ways you can acquire a Beagle:

Show Kennel

This will give you a top of the line Beagle, for a top of the line price.  Going to a show kennel will cover all of the basics above, and then some.  Expect to pay anywhere from $800 to $1500 for one of these puppies.  If you're interested in breeding, or possibly showing though, forget it.  These puppies are all sold on limited registrations, which means you can't breed them or show them in conformation events. On the upside, these Beagles are very healthy.  Their parents have passed a multitude of health tests, and the puppies themselves have been brought up in a clean environment, been wormed and immunized at the proper times, and have been started on a premium puppy food.

Hobby Breeder

These, like the show kennels, are real lovers of the breed. They usually breed Beagles that are a generation or two removed from Champion titled dogs.  Since they have just a few Beagles, they generally have only 1-4 litters a year. These breeders buy and breed the best they can.  Sometimes they show their dogs. They usually have their breeding dogs take some health tests, to ensure they aren't passing along hereditary diseases known to occur in the breed.  These puppies are generally $500-$800. Some breeders sell them strictly on a limited registration, while others will sell them without any limitations. These breeding dogs are family companions and housepets.  Their puppies are homeraised, with lots of attention, many times from children. They are fed top quality puppy food. The Beagle puppies from hobby breeders are usually sold with dews removed, have been wormed, had shots, and come with pedigree and paperwork. The hobby breeder genuinely cares about what happens to their puppies after the sale. They, like the show kennels, will have a health guarantee, and will make you sign a contract stating you will give the puppy back to them if at any time you are unable to take care of it.

Backyard Breeder

These have become the "villians" in popular opinion, and for good reasons. They generally do no research on the breed they're breeding.  Therefore, they are not aware of the breed standard, nor of the health issues related to the breed. They usually acquire substandard  dogs for breeding who are either many generations from having a titled dog in their pedigree, if they have any champions at all.  Or they acquire a dog with a limited registration and register it with a bogus registry, such as UKC, CKC, or APRI. So they may sell the resulting puppies as "registered". Backyard Breeders will put any two dogs together for mating, without any regard for whether the resulting puppies will be a testament to the breed.  Sometimes, though, the backyard breeder is simply someone who thought their dog was really great, and he/she should have puppies.  Though the resulting litter may have health problems because of a lack of screening,and ignorance of dews, worming, and shots, they at least were born in someone's garage, and received some attention. The best thing about a backyard breeder is that it allows someone of limited means to own a purebred dog.  These puppies usually go for $200 to $450. These breeders definitely make money, as they spend nothing on health clearances, and feed generic dog food. These breeders do not offer guarantees, and usually do not take puppies back for any reason.

Puppy Mills

A good deal has already been written about these slimeballs, so I won't add too much, except this: even though you do not purchase your Beagle puppy at a pet store, you could still unwittingly be buying a Beagle from a puppy mill if you purchase your puppy on the internet.  This is not to say you should never buy a puppy over the internet; just that you should do extra homework if you do. Ask if you can come and visit.  If they stammer about germs, or seem reluctant at all - forget them. Ask for other pictures of the particular puppy you're interested in.  If they don't provide new pictures in 24 hours - move on.  If they keep hounding you to send them money, because someone else is looking at the puppy - don't give in.  There are many breeders of Beagles, and if the one you're talking to gives you a weird feeling....go find a breeder who doesn't.

Beagle Rescue

It may give you a good feeling, but just remember - you get what you pay for.  Puppy adoption fees are higher than Beagle adult's, admittedly to finance keeping the adult Beagles. A recent search on Petfinder found only 31 Beagle puppies available for adoption in California.  Only 4 of those 31 actually looked like Beagles.  By getting a Beagle puppy from a rescue, you are funding rescue groups, who have admirable goals, but I guess it just irks me when I hear of all the purebred dogs in shelters, and rescues, however when I look (I visit often our local shelters and Petfinder) I see very few dogs I would classify as purebred. My friend who works at the shelter told me the purebreds are adopted first.  It's the mixes who stay the longest.  So you have to ask yourself, "How did this puppy come to be in a rescue?" Was it's mother a shelter dog who came in pregnant?  Were  the resulting puppies born in a foster home? What happened to the mother?  What sort of health issues did she have?  Did she have any personality disorders? What about the father?  You will probably know nothing about either of the parents. You are taking a gamble, of sorts. But for $250 and the feeling of "saving a life", you can have a Beagle? puppy.

About Hummin Hounds

How Hummin Hounds got started: A few years ago, I wanted to breed small dogs.  I didn't want yappy dogs, or possessive, snappy dogs, and I needed sturdy dogs that could be around clumsy kids.  So I did my research: Dachsunds, Parson Terriers, and Beagles came up.  I decided the Dachsunds were too small, and could be yappy, and Parson Terriers had possessive tendencies.  Beagles it was! 

Then I did everything I could to learn about Beagles.  I looked at hunting Beagles, and Show Beagles, and learned what their pros and cons were.  I learned about health problems in Beagles.  I looked at the AKC standard, and looked at many Beagle websites that featured show champions.  I studied the conformation for weeks, then started my search.  My intent was to buy a nice female, and then breed her to a champion.  Having bred Labradors for years, this was my favored approach.  By not owning, and therefore being tied, to one stud, I was free to choose a stud that complemented each female.

I settled on buying a very balanced chocolate tri female.  "Ginger" was only one year old, so I waited a year.  She was about to come into heat, so I called the champion stud owner I had contacted soon after purchasing my girl.  The number wasn't good anymore....she had moved.  I contacted other owners of Champion stud Beagles.  I got the same response: "If she isn't a champion, or by a champion, we won't let you breed to our dog."  Frantically, I searched everywhere I could for a good, quality stud for my girl. 

Finally, I found a Beagle stud dog for sale in Oregon.  He was gorgeous, had champion lines up front, and it showed. Even though I preferred not to own a stud dog, I could tell it was going to be difficult to find a quality stud to breed to, so I bought Hummer.  After he arrived, I could see some big differences between him and Ginger.  His coat was soft, hers was rough. He preferred the company of people, she liked being with the other dogs.  His ears were long and silky, hers were set high and shorter. He was quiet, she was more vocal.

The resulting puppies were nice, but I decided "nice" wasn't good enough. I set out to find a girl that would complement Hummer, and found Polka. She exhibits the soft coat, balanced conformation, and long, silky ears that Hummer has, she is even a little stocky and sturdy, like Hummer.

I like to breed type to type so puppy buyers have a pretty good idea of what their puppy is going to look like.  Hummer and Polka fit that breeding philosophy.  Their first litter was gorgeous, and makes me proud of what I'm doing - breeding quality, home raised puppies that will make beloved house pets.  As a breeder, do I think I could get better dogs? Probably. A good breeder always strives to make the breed better. But realistically, my daughters won't let me look for other dogs, because they are madly in love with the ones we have.

So, is Hummin Hounds a  responsible breeder? You make the call.

About Hummin Hounds Beagles

Hummin Hounds is located in Central California, in the charming small town of Exeter, CA