Brittany Spaniel...

[jmez]

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.

Sent from my moto g power 5G - 2024 using Tapatalk

 

[idcuda]

Brittanys! Great family and hunting dogs. Mine love water, too.

 

[Gravel Road]

Beautiful dog! I've been leaning more towards a liver color variation and this has me second guessing!

I had my heart set on a black and white color but wouldn't change a thing now! She's my constant companion. As others said, she does not handle heat well.

 

[KurtR]

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]

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.

 

[Ice_man]

Brittanys! Great family and hunting dogs. Mine love water, too.View attachment 787807View attachment 787808

Great photos! Beautiful dog work.

 

[Ice_man]

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]

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.

 

[Bobbyboe]

 

[Bobbyboe]

 

[Ice_man]

Brittanys! Great family and hunting dogs. Mine love water, too.View attachment 787807View attachment 787808

What’s your camera setup?

 

[idcuda]

What’s your camera setup?

It's a Sony A6400. I have several lenses, but I think this was with a Sony 18-135.

 

[loganwayne]

If your interested in a small frame brittany. I'd suggest a French brittany. I have 4 of them usually they are 40 lbs max. Ages 13 to almost 1 now. They take turns going to work with me.

 

[Dos XX]

I have 2. They weigh 38 and 39 lbs. They are both good in the house. One is 3 and the other is 2.

 

[Dos XX]

They hunt, too.

 

[idcuda]

If your interested in a small frame brittany. I'd suggest a French brittany. I have 4 of them usually they are 40 lbs max. Ages 13 to almost 1 now. They take turns going to work with me.

I have one of each - the French (liver color) is a crack head, but in an awesome way. The American is the sweetest dog ever. Both are great/lazy in the house, but unstoppable when you step outside - just like some others have mentioned.

 

[TSnave]

You guys are killing me with the pictures!

 

[Dos XX]

Also, not all Brittanys have thick coats. My liver and white has a pretty thick coat. I do have to comb burrs out after some hunts. The orange and white one is really flat coated. He doesn't catch burrs nearly as much.

The tradeoff, at least on my two, is the flat coated one doesn't have much hair on his belly and chest. He is more susceptible to getting gouged and scratched in the heavy cover. I put a Skidplate on him to help with this. The thick coated one's hair on his belly and chest protect him and he doesn't need a Skidplate. I will say that the flat coated one is more aggressive in the brush overall, but the liver and white one gets in there, too.

You can ask the breeder about the coats on their dogs. If they are breeding hunting dogs, they will know what you are asking.

 

[loganwayne]

I have one of each - the French (liver color) is a crack head, but in an awesome way. The American is the sweetest dog ever. Both are great/lazy in the house, but unstoppable when you step outside - just like some others have mentioned.
View attachment 788282

You nailed the French Brittany's. They are crazy but I love it. All of mine are super sweet dogs. And if you exercise them they really aren't bad in the house... now if you don't they will destroy everything

 

[Dos XX]

And if you exercise them they really aren't bad in the house... now if you don't they will destroy everything

This is the answer,

Get two. They will exercise themselves. Sometimes.