Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs Brittany Spaniel thoughts...

True dat. That could be said of virtually any breeds....

You'll see a lot of GSPs and labs turned into shelters because they are too 'hyper'.

What this means in english is that the owners had NO concept of what living with a high drive dog was like, and were not willing to commit to it. Plus they picked the pup cause his daddy was a field trial champ...again not knowing at all what that means...other than something to brag about to their friends, before they turn him in at the pound.


Dog owners who don't do their homework are some of my favorite whipping boys...I could go on and on....

My Britt has been a wonderful dog. She would do best if she were a "house" dog but we don't have that capability right now. As long as I exercise her everyday and do some kind of little training, then she seems fine in an outdoor kennel.

She has been a very smart dog, occasionally stubborn but yet soft with discipline, loves water.

I totally agree with you ingwe. So lets blame the dog/breed because god knows it can't be the humans fault.

Ingwe, you're too right on that. Good gun dog stock tends to be high-wired, and too many folks have no clue what that is gonna mean, especially with puppies. Doesn't just happen with bird dogs, either... my youngest daughter got a standard poodle a couple years ago and he damn near destroyed her house!

Even a confirmed Spaniel man such as I am has come to the conclusion after nearly 30 years of training and hunting them that it's a lot easier on the furniture (and everything else) to get a started dog than a puppy. But you lose a lot of fun & memories, so it's a trade off.

I appreciate all the opinions written here. I'm looking forward to visiting some breeders and looking at some dogs & pups.

I've just started my research, dunno if I'll be able to find a good started dog, but that'd be my preference, I think.

I got my current Brittany from James Morriss, Lone Star Brittany's out of Midland. Great pet, smart, and he's a bird finding machine. I believe mine came from the last breeding he did with frozen sperm from Nolan's Last Bullet, A.K.A. "Buddy". James was easy to deal with. You might also check the NSTRA site, they usually have some great dogs advertised there. Good luck.

I've hunted with Britts and setters my whole life and I prefer Brittanys. They are great dogs. My current Britt lives in our home. They are a little hyper, but with daily exercise and a yard to run in they can be calm. All of the Brittanys I've been around were very smart. I agree they can be soft, but some are very hard headed.

Watching a rooster I missed fly away.


Pointing a rooster yesterday.

Doc, many here have more experience than I so I'll just pass along advice from a relative who has bred Britts for field trials for many years, and won too, If you're hunting on foot look elsewhere than field trial lines. Field trial dogs are meant to be very energetic and wide ranging.

Personally I want a companion most of the year and a companion that will hunt with me for the bit of a year that is the bird season. Not hunt on his own and point until I catch up. Britts are very good in the house and need to be around their people more than most hunting breeds.

I disagree with that for several reasons. First not all field trial lines are big runners. Second is that there are great bargains to be found from field trial lines. You can get a fully trained ready to hunt young dog for a steal just because it didn't make the handlers roster. Last if the dog holds point what does it matter if it ranges? Even the widest ranging French and American Brittany's tend to stay in the same zip code.

Agree.

On top of that, field trial stock for the most part is where the hottest noses reside. Most want their pointers to be too close anyway. I used to believe a close pointer was the way, until I hunted with some Dog men who knew how to play the game.

You can bring them in, but it is hard to make them get out.

All the brittanys that I have ever owned or hunted with were very socially oriented towards their owners. My last britt would pick up anyones bird (even rabbits for that matter) but would not retrieve to any one but me.
I think that is one thing that makes the breed generally range tighter as they have more of a desire to stay in visual check with hunter. Typically the tighter the cover the tighter they hunt, or should. To me that is the appeal of them as a pointing breed.
As with most anything, dog breeds, birds, or even hunting terrain as far as that goes, are not all the same.

All I can say is I trust the breeder/field trial guy who advised me, he's been running Britts fr decades for the love of it. Last time he hunted South Dakota he had trouble keeping his dogs on his side of the section until they tired a bit. He expected that, usually he's on horseback when the dogs are working. But his dogs win. Must be a reason the breeders I looked into in the region stress their lines are bred for foot hunting.

The big running field trial Dogs run in a brace and it is a foot race. Part of their training entails conditioning for a fast short run.

No doubt speed is born into the top ones, however that doesn't mean you can't take one of their pups and bring them in. It may take some patience, perseverance and time, but if he has the right stuff you will end up with a hot and stylish Dog that slams into its point. The type of Dog that says, "Right here, right now boss, step up and do your thing. I did mine." The type of Dog that takes your breath away and not one that makes you wonder if he is only stopping because he is thinking about doing something else.

Once you have seen that type of flashy Dog, then you will understand why it would be worth the effort to take the chance on hot blood.

Doc, check out Otter Creek Brittanys. They will be having litters this spring. I just paid my deposit for a female. I was lucky enough to get first pick.

Doc,

We owned and ran American Britts (many) for 40 years and hunted them from the Maritmes to the Dakotas for many of those years. Also were active in breed club activities on the East Coast. All this before and during the AKC name change and the introduction of HB handling to Brittany field trials, which I think was not a good thing on balance for the breed.

Am Britts are a great dog for the first time PD owner/trainer. They are just as "smart" as any other breed and make great pets/house dogs. I have never seen a well bred Britt who couldn't be made in to a decent bird dog for the average bird hunter. Most can be molded into a super gun dog in the right hands. Not so, for some other breeds IME.

Two GOTO names I would offer if I needed a good Britt:

Rick Smith (I believe his/his dad's bloodlines (Bazooka) are available from the Ronnie Smith kennels in Big Cabin, OK. Rick and Ronnie also put on excellent training seminars.

Dave Walker in ID.

Both are supernice guys and have top tier bloodlines. Good Luck and pics of your new pup are a necessity!!

NB

The smartest bird dog I ever had was a Brittany. He figured out how to hold blue quail. He run a fish hook pattern around the covey and stop them until I could catch up. The dumbest was a yellow lab out of the Kellogg pointing lab bloodline. I think the Brittany is the best compromise of gun dog and family pet.

I just put my 13.5-year-old Brittany down to relieve her of a losing struggle with bone cancer but I want to join the chorus of voices advocating for the breed.

As others have said, Brittanies are easy to live with. I've always lived in small-to-medium sized cities and the Brittany is an especially good breed when you're trying to hit that balance between field-capability and in-town livability. Mine absolutely loved to be inside with her people and her couch.

Dixie could be hard-headed when her birdiness overcame her training and good sense but that drive also made her a tireless and effective pointer. She was a big runner and needed daily exercise, but I expected that after having met her parents and understanding the nature of her field-trial lineage.

There's a pretty big hole in my life right now and I will be mourning Dixie for some time to come. But when it's time to bring a puppy back into our lives, I will be seeking out another Brittany without hesitation.

Brittany was my last bird dog and they broke the mold on the one I had, flat out hunting machine. I hope to see him again one day as well.

Steve you have my condolences , there are not many days that I don't think of the dogs that have passed from my life.

That is a beautiful picture Tom.