Brittany Spaniel...

jmez

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2012
Messages
7,547
Location
Piedmont, SD
Great dogs. They aren't all close hunters and good in the house. Like any other breed there is a lot of variation between lines and dogs. I've been behind a lot of them. Some were 40 yard dogs and others 250 yard dogs. Good choice for a dedicated pointer.

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KurtR

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
3,949
Location
South Dakota
I have been around a few and they were nice fun little dogs. Off switch is made with good training know alot of high drive retrievers that as soon as they walk in the house are lazy bums
 

tboltz34

FNG
Joined
Nov 18, 2020
Messages
33
Location
Minnesota
I've never owned one, but I'm very interested in the small munsterlander. Everything I've read said they are good hunters and great in the house.

I do a lot of hunting and will always get a hunting breed but 98% of the time you spend with your dog will not be hunting so the every day life is more important to me.
 
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Ice_man

FNG
Joined
Feb 8, 2022
Messages
14
I've never owned one, but I'm very interested in the small munsterlander. Everything I've read said they are good hunters and great in the house.

I do a lot of hunting and will always get a hunting breed but 98% of the time you spend with your dog will not be hunting so the every day life is more important to me.
This is my same thought process as well.
 

Bobbyboe

WKR
Joined
Feb 3, 2016
Messages
620
I've had a few britts, including one that was my favorite "once in a lifetime" dog.

They can be pretty energetic. I've owned a GSP, and with that sample of one, I would not agree that britts are less wound up. Anecdotal, though.

There are three big differences I think you will see. First, britts (and other spaniels I've owned) are very much companion dogs. They want to be with you more so than other breeds.

The second difference is the coat. That long hair is a maintenance issue, plain and simple. You may or may not spend a hour or two digging cockle burrs out after many hunts.

Third, they are very intelligent, to the point of being devious. Not a bad thing, and quite often its amusing.

Aside from that, I think any other differences come down to the individual breeding rather than the breed. Britts are one of the "big four" breeds you see in field trials like NSTRA and AKC, the other three breeds being English Pointers and Setters and GSPs. That should tell you in terms of hunting ability, its a wash from breed to breed. Those four seem to comprise 80-90% of the winning field trial dogs.

They're great dogs. I'll own another one someday. They may or may not like water. Mine didn't. So if you still want to do a little light waterfowling (they cannot handle a real cold swim) they may not be your thing.

I've been pretty impressed with some wirehairs I've been around. From what you describe, they might be a great breed for you too. That will probably be my next pointing dog.

This post hits the nail on the head. My brittany, who is now 4 years old, was my first ever dog. I did lots of reading and liked the versatility of the breed being mild tempered and strong hunters. My britt is defiantly intelligent and devious. If he doesn't get the attention he wants/needs, he will grab a shoe, sock, blanket and begin to mouth it. He knows its against house rules and will immediately give it up when I walk over to him.

I bought my dog from a reputable breeder, who does hip testing. He was selected by the breeder to be trained and used in their breeding program. He was sent away to a nationally renowned trainer, who discovered he did not range far enough to win field trials. He was returned to the kennel and sold to me as a started dog at 9 months old. I have myself a dog who doesn't mind staying close, within 40-50 yards and hunts hard. He stays close in the grouse woods, but Ive found hes been ranging further this season while pheasant hunting. Maybe those field trial genetics are kicking in...... Oh, and I would defiantly buy a started dog again. He was kennel trained, house trained, basic obedience down, been shot over, and could be hunted the first year.
 
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