Epagneul Breton

[ianpadron]

French or American, doesn't matter, Britts do it best.

Never met a bird dog I didn't appreciate, but I'll never meet a dog I like more than a Brittany.

You have some seriously fun adventures in store. This fella will do 40 miles a day for a week straight and then pass out on the couch like a nut job.

 

[ianpadron]

My first EB was a bit of a bootlicker and always wanted to be near me but had a wonderful temperament and would hunt down cripples like nobody's business. I had an American Britt at the time that liked to range so they made a pretty good pair.

My current pair will push out to 150-200 yards in really open cover and easily hit 1/2 mile+ if chasing jackrabbits/deer. Most of the time they are inside of 100 yards but always actively searching. Hunting Gambel's quail with a pointing dog is really all about scattering a covey and working singles. A big/fast running will typically run right over the top of them due to our lack of humidity and small birds putting out very little scent.

It takes a few seasons for a dog to learn that they need to slow down when we are chasing singles. I'm starting to see the light come on this year and they are starting to figure it out. (Dogs are now 1.5) but our bird numbers are terrible this year and we have cover a few miles+ between coveys so they may just be getting tired!

Mine have all been natural retrievers and swimmers. Backing has NOT come naturally in my limited experience though having two young dogs hunting together is probably a large part of that. As has been previously mentioned, they want to be with/on you all of the time. Here's my old girl hanging with my severely autistic son.

Good luck with your pup!

There are few things in life as entertaining as watching a Britt at Mach 4 chasing a rabbit/hare across the Montana prairie.

 

[z987k]

Welcome to the club!

Do you ever take them on snowmachine trips for ptarms and such? I wonder how they do in the cold like we have right now. I've been looking at getting one for a few years now.

 

[cubdriver84d]

@z987k I have not. I wouldn't take them out in these temps, although they might be fine with a jacket and boots. Just not that enjoyable for me. My cutoff when I lived in fairbanks was 0F or above in town, which meant it was usually 10-20F up in the hills. Haven't done any winter/spring hunting down here but might this year, especially if the ski conditions are like last year. edit: I also am super cautious with these guys during trapping season because of their size, so I'd generally be nervous around areas easily accessible by snowmachine, unless it's at higher elevation above where most people would be trapping.

 

[cubdriver84d]

Always has to lay in the sun.

 

[loganwayne]

Always has to lay in the sun.

Ya that's something no one tells you about they are going to find the highest point on any chair or couch and that becomes their spot

 

[Gravel Road]

My 4 yo female is sleeping on the couch beside me right now. I think she's amazing although with our crap bird numbers she doesn't get a ton of action. If I let her she would hunt anything that moves and would be a very versatile dog. She'll range out pretty good if the terrain is open but always stays within eyesight and checks back to see where I am. Super easy to train but don't be heavy handed with them.
Another thing I like is that she is not a barker. If she barks even once it is worth checking out because something is in the yard. Not sure if they are all this way or not?
The only downside to her is that she cannot take the heat. I really won't hunt her if the temp is over 50 or have to keep it short. Some of that is because she goes so hard. Again, not sure if all are like this?

 

[ckleeves]

Worst dogs in the world. You will never have a place to sit, you start with one and 16 years later your on gen two of them and somehow ended up with 3 of them kicking it on your furniture.