I have them and the ones I keep are good but I often reared a bad one as well,so I would say they are much the same as anything else.some great some useless,some average.breeding is everything as with all working dogs.if your spaniel in the cross barks it is a help because a fair few springer beagles have poor or no voice even if hunting well,but when you get a good one with the drive for cover and voice they are hard to beat,most are easier to control than pure hounds,have more of a brain and search cover better but would not hold a line cross country as well as a hound.they are ideal for hun