

Photo by Oov/Dreamtime
Though the Beagle in the photo appears to be toasty warm, the term, “well clothed shoulders” doesn’t refer to actual clothing, or even to the Beagle breed. The phrase is found in the standards of the Harrier and the English Foxhound (the only two hound breeds to include the phrase), and as you may have noted, both are fox hunting hound breeds.
In these two breeds, “well clothed shoulders” refers to hounds with well-developed, thick musculature around their shoulder area. This desirable trait is important enough to have been written into their respective breed standards.
Why does it matter?
Both the English Foxhound and the Harrier were used in traditional hunts to follow foxes over long distances. This required strong musculature which enabled a dog to maintain a tireless gait and gallop for extended periods, sometimes for as long as six hours. When combined with well-laid back shoulder blades, properly muscled shoulders enabled a hound to have a free-striding and efficient movement essential for covering large distances without fatigue. Muscular covering on the shoulders also provided a layer of protection against brush and thorns during chases through rough terrain.
For the dog nerds among you, a reminder that the shoulder area includes several important muscles including the supraspinatus muscle located on the upper part of the shoulder blade, and the Infraspinatus muscle that rests on the lower half of the shoulder blade. Last but not least is the biceps brachii muscle that extends from the upper arm through the shoulder joint. Combined, these muscles are crucial to a dog’s movement, stability, and overall front assembly function. When well developed and in proper condition, it is these muscles that create the “well clothed” appearance of the shoulders.
We’ve explained why this matters in the aforementioned breeds, but why not in a breed like the Beagle?
The short answer is size. It isn’t just that English Foxhounds and Harriers are larger than Beagles and thus require more substantial musculature to do their traditional jobs. It’s also because Harriers and Foxhounds were bred specifically to hunt foxes over distances, while Beagles were (and are) primarily used to hunt rabbits and hares, a role that calls for more agility and scenting ability than raw power.
We will discuss the unique Harrier in a future post, but for now, we encourage you to read the post below about why we find the English Foxhound’s standard to be noteworthy:
Image: English Foxhound watercolor by Wasan Prunglampoo/Dreamtime