In a nutshell: Active, sociable and intelligent but independent when out and about.

Description: 16" tall. Most frequently tri-coloured; lots of colours and patterns available but not predominately white. Sturdily built with a tail that points straight up and long ears that hang straight down. Size range will include mini and midi dogs.

Temperament: Generally sociable with people and other dogs and don't like being left on their own for long periods. Beagles are bred to work independently of their owner and so tend to wander off without worrying where you are. You can't force beagles to do what you want, they will just resent you for it. They respond very well to reward based training though (eg clicker). Most beagles are pretty stoical about physical discomfort.

Advantages as an agility dog:

• They have good concentration when rewards are used and pick up basic training very quickly.
• Tend to be accurate.
• They don't spook easily and so aren't worried by the equipment.
• They are usually sound and very rarely suffer from injuries or hereditary abnormalities.
• Beagles have a lot of stamina and will happily run and jump all day.
• Have (very well) hidden potential, normally mini or midi height.

Disadvantages as an agility dog:

• They usually lack the real 'drive' that the working breeds have which makes them slow round a course.
• Beagles are scent dogs, and if there is a strong food smell around, the ability to work is gone and the breed traits kick in. They can be distracted by interesting smells in the ring (or burger vans outside the ring!)
• Their weight needs to be watched very carefully as they can be very greedy

Rating out of 10: 4/10. The fast ones don't listen to verbal directions well (but they are very observant of body language) and the accurate ones can be slow - which gives them more opportunity to sniff. They don't often do agility simply for the fun of it, other incentives are needed! 10/10 when they want to work, but you can never force a beagle to work. They are not a beginner dog!

Examples of dogs that have done well in agility: Mike Fairlamb with Hattie (Ivelsyde Lark) and Ernie (Roughstone American Pie). They have been very successful in Mini classes and have qualified Crufts and Olympia Semis. Hattie has been to Olympia twice. Also Michael Crisp with Dumpy. Up and coming is Marion Carding with Winholme Starlet. In Europe there are many successful beagles in agility.

What's it like to live with as a pet: Very good dogs in the house. They tend to sleep a lot as long as they get a good long walk every day. Most aren't into toys in a big way so running after a ball for half an hour is not an option. Good hikes are required! Cheap to feed. They tend to live a long time and aren't at the vet much.

Would you buy another one for agility? If I wanted a dog just for agility, then no. Beagles are a supremely entertaining, unique breed so if I had to choose between having them or doing agility, then agility would lose.