In a nutshell: A nose on four legs!

Known as: ESS (Extra Sensory Sniffer)

Description: Soft gentle faces, liver or black and white, they come in various sizes. Some are seen in Mini classes and a lot are appearing in Midi classes now. Most of the Standards are only just within that category. There are two distinct types: working and show. Most of the working are small and stocky. Working stock have longer legs and are standard (often thought to be midi as he never stands up - he's normally squirming on the ground!)

Temperament: Soft, gentle, excitable, stubborn, busy busy busy! Not excitable but desperate to work. Will just sit staring at you with piercing eyes until you can't stand it any more. Slow to mature. Loves to play to an audience, an extrovert - not for a shrinking violet owner!

Advantages for Agility:

• Agile
• Likes to be doing and willing to learn
• Bold and fearless
• Active, tireless and indestructible
• Really covers the ground
• If you can get and keep attention whilst doing a round, they will go clear.
• Looks pretty when jumping - the feathering on legs, chest, ears and undocked tail really fly! Photogenic, always appears in Studio FX etc. photographs!

Disadvantages for Agility:

• Tend to be in between sizes and often too big for Midi.
• Might have problems with full size jumps.
• Their noses are forever down so they only see obstacles at last minute! This can be stopped at an early stage. When training motivate them on toys and teach them that agility and sniffing don't go together.  
• Beware of courses open to fox and rabbit invasion or too close to burger vans.

Rating out of 10: Being biased 10/10. But being honest, maybe 5/10 but you will have fun and make friends easily - not everyone can have a champion. If you get their attention, you will get a place or clear rosette. They will certainly run their heart out for you. They are certainly worth trying agility with -if you get the right one, they are great!

Examples of dogs that have done well in agility: I know there have been a few. One that was a Senior a few years ago with Ian Balchin.

What's it like to live with as a pet?: Lovely at home - beautiful, kind, happy, content, clean, quiet, obedient - but they do need to work. Watch the food as they have a tendency to put on weight! Don't forget that they have a NOSE and as a gundog breed they tend to follow any scent! Fun for flyball, obedience and agility and good with people (could be a PAT dog.) If it came to a choice between your partner or dog - the dog gets my vote every time!

Would you buy another one for agility? Yes. You might never make it to the top but you will not stop laughing along the long road to any success. In fact you might not win out of Starters when running against Collie types but who cares! ABC here we come!