Loking to purchase beagle pup. I live in Northumberland. Are there any breeders local that you would recommend? If not can you recommend similar breed as i have read that beagles are 'flighty' off lead.

Guest most hound breeds are 'flighty' off lead and a good deal of training is needed and even then they will not always 'hear' you if there is the smell of game around. Perhaps you should join and let us know what else you would like in your dog/hound, is it the size that appeals or the colour or something else. Let us know and we will help.

ROTFPML Jackie H :D    You couldn't have been more tactful.....'deaf' is what my basset does best....until the fridge door opens of course !!
Loads of patience is certainly a prerequisite for training....also, I sometimes get quite jealous reading other people's success stories of walking to heel off lead, running about in fields, being recalled from distance ....ooooh ....now I am just dreaming of the impossible...a life without a lead.
Wouldn't have it any other way though ;)
Jo

Jo, you and I know there is something that sets the hound owner apart from the average dog owner, we are even more mad :P

Scent hounds do not come in the laidback variety - they are only ever pretending to be asleep or well behaved.

Before you purchase a beagle puppy or any other breed i would do your research thoroughly. Make sure the breed is for you and suits your lifestyle. Get plenty of books, talk to people who own the breed and speak to the breed clubs who are usually very helpful on giving advice. So many puppies are given up in the first few months of people owning them as they are not what the owners were expecting.
Beagles are lovely little dogs but they do require plenty of training. They do need a good amount of exercise and they also require alot of attention as they get bored very easily. Also, as others have said the majority of them go deaf when off the lead.
Try getting in touch with the Beagle Association or The Beagle Club and they should point you in the right direction.