Hunting Dogs - Dogs Breeds

RICH TWP — I’ve owned bird dogs since 1980. My first one was a German Shorthaired Pointer, and that was all it took to get me hooked on bird dogs. Since that first GSP, I’ve had the opportunity to own and work with five more shorthairs (four of which I still own), a yellow Labrador retriever and an English setter. During that 29-year period I’ve never owned a Brittany. I’ve hunted behind a few but, because I prefer a taller bird dog in the field, I’ve never been tempted to own one. That certainly doesn’t make them a bad dog, just not the dog of my choice. The Brittany is a fine bird dog breed and, because of their smaller size, they make great family dogs and are much more knick-knack friendly in the household than a hyper 60 to 75 pound German shorthair. The Brittany, formerly known as the Brittany Spaniel, is a much smaller dog than most of the other pointing breeds and setter breeds. The females range from 17″ to 20″ at the withers and weigh between 30 and 40 pounds. The males stand 18″ to 21″ and weigh in slightly more at 35 to 43 pounds.

The Brittany is an intelligent breed, easy to handle as well as quick to learn. That combination makes it a joy to train for hunting. They, like most bird dogs, need a considerable amount of exercise, in addition to their regular training routine, in order to burn off some of that high energy. High energy levels and great stamina are an important trait of all hunting breeds. The Brittany takes its name from the province in northern France where it originated, possibly as long as 1,800 years ago. While there is no consensus on the origins of the breed, many experts believe the dog is a product of interbreeding between English pointers and spaniels native to Brittany. The strong historical ties between Brittany and southern Britain lend strong support to this theory, as frequent interaction between merchants, politicians and hunters could easily have resulted in pairings between English and French hunting dogs. Depictions of dogs bearing a strong resemblance to the Brittany can be found in paintings and tapestries dating back to the 17th century, in which one sees the dog being used to locate and capture game, much as it is used today.

The Brittany, as we would recognize it today, traces its origins back to the mid-19th century. The first written account of a Brittany (or a dog very much resembling one) dates back to 1850, when an English clergyman by the name of Reverend Davies wrote about hunting with small, bobtailed dogs that pointed, retrieved and worked well in the brush. Around this time, it is said that a local hunter in the small French town of Pontou bred his white-and-mahogany bitch with a yellow-and-white dog owned by an English sportsman who was in Brittany on a hunting trip; the resulting litter produced two tailless puppies, arguably the first of the Brittany breed.

The Brittany was first officially recognized in France in 1907 with the registration of “Boy,” an orange-and-white, as the first Žpagneul Breton queue courte naturelle (Brittany Spaniel with short natural tail). The Brittany was brought to the United States in 1931 and recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1934. In 1982, the AKC dropped “Spaniel” from the breed’s name in recognition of the dog’s pointer / setter-like characteristics, though the breed is still called Brittany Spaniel in other countries. To this day, the Brittany’s agility, obedience, and strong nose make it a perennial favorite among hunters and dog fanciers alike.

Many breeders differentiate between “American” Brittanies and “French” style Brittanies. Although generally recognized as sub-sets of the same breed, there are recognizable differences between the two. The American Brittany is taller and faster. It has been bred to cover more ground in order to hunt wide open spaces common in the United States. The French Brittany appears more “spaniel-like” in that it is smaller and the French Brittany generally works more closely to the hunter. If you are interested in a smaller member of the pointing breeds, and don’t mind using a bell or other locating device on the dog, when hunting in tall cover, the Brittany would be an excellent choice. And because of its small size, you might just be able to sneak it into the house without your wife noticing.! Your kids will love you for it!

Source: CountyPress.com

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