Home Forums Birds & Dogs Gun Dogs Brittany pup

We have a new Brittany pup arriving on 12/21. A Brit has been on my wish list for as long as I can remember and the time is right. I would like to hear some first hand accounts on any of the quirks with Brit’s. Everything I read suggests they respond very well to positive reinforcement, and are very sensitive to any sort of harsh commands. We will be crate training, as I have with all of my pups before him. I already have a good supply of various Kong type chew toys, as well as harder nylar type chew bones.
I’m not much of an upland hunter. We do have some partridge hunting, and limited pheasant around here, and it would be great to spend some days afield with a bird dog. So besides from being just a pet, I’m looking to do at least rudimentary hunting training.

A bird dog that is trained to come when it's called and then exposed to birds will do most of what you want. IMO ANY dog should be taught good obedience if it's gonna be around people. An obedience course is usually time well spent.

I'm on my 2nd Brittany. Got the first as a pup and she was very easy to train. She was a "Dog of a Lifetime". Great family member, very smart and great hunter.

Beware, they need lots of exercise. I agree that they sensitive to harsh commands. Makes training them easy.

When we lost her we decided to adopt. Found a French Brittany that was a "hunting dog". Was told she had never been in a house. Owner didn't know her age but guessed "Between 4 and 6".

Vet said he thought she was closer to 8. She didn't even respond to her name when we got her.

She immediately became a house dog. She mastered the dog door the first night. Was housebroken right from the start.

We've had her 2 years now and her personality has really emerged. I believe she is as smart as our first Brit. Of course she is a great hunter.

Dogs are a special kind of people.

Good luck with your new pup.

Had three over forty years...exactly as you heard..99% of the time a dirty look or harsh word was all the discipline required. One was hard headed and killed the neighbor's chickens, so I thrashed him with a frozen whole chicken...end of chicken fetish. The last dog was an absolute joy to work. Mostly I relied on the dogs nose and instinct, but occasionally I would see something in the distance over the sagebrush that the dog couldn't...and the dog looked at me frequently for cues...and would respond from my arm pointing or hiking direction. Like most dogs, the time you spend bonding with your dog really pays off...I was fortunate to have a job where I could take the dogs to work with me, the store, the gas station, the fishing trips, family outings. Time is the best gift for a dog or a kid, and it will payoff big.

I am wondering how he will behave with our flock of 16 chickens. Hopefully if we introduce them early enough and let him know they are part of the pack, he won’t try and “hunt “ them.

100% spot on. This is dog wisdom boiled down to it's essence.

They are the best.

Obedience is key. "Here" command being of utmost importance. Some britts require little training when it comes to pointing.

Teach Obedience. Once commands are learned, overlay with ecollar (if you want to use one), introduce the gun, then see how it handles birds.


Good luck.

Nearly all the upland pointers are hyper. Depending on where you live and how much land you have, I recommend getting a roading harness to help meet this need. A well exercised bird dog is a happy and easy to live with dog.

First dog I bought with my own money, I had to work all summer to save for it and that pup, over 40 years ago and probably 6 dogs later, was the best of the best. He had selective hearing when he wanted to, could put footprints on the ceiling, would go get in the truck if he saw guns coming out. By the time he was 2 he settled in, and at 4 could read my mind. He was sensitive, hard headed, did not tire, and was always up for an adventure.

About 20 years ago I switched to Border Collies for pets, everyone warned me how they needed a job and they were unlike any other dogs and were smarter than their owners, but after that Brittany, they have been a breeze. He taught me more than I taught him.

Enjoy the new pup, have patience, no rash judgements before they're two, and let the dog be a dog when it's not working! Although we'd all like to most of us can't hunt every day, so regular and consistent excercise keeps them from looking for trouble.

“Thrashed him with a whole frozen chicken”.

🙄🙄🙄

I got my first French Brittany in August and absolutely love this breed. I also read that they are a soft dog and very sensitive, I found this to be false! I shot her first woodcock over her at 4 months.

Great Hunting Dog, I owned one many years ago and was one of the best pheasant, quail dog. He required a lot of exercise every day. He had a decent yard to run in but nevertheless he had a daily romp at the park. Pigeons did not like having him around for sure.

Delivery has been delayed for a couple days, he’s supposed to arrive Christmas Eve morning. We’ll see, some nasty weather coming this way. I can’t wait to see the little guy!

Beautiful dog. I just lost my last Brittany this past weekend. He was about to turn 15 (pretty old for a Brittany). I've had three of them and my experience has been as others have said. They respond well to positive reinforcement and don't work well with a heavy hand. Mine have been high energy and needed some time to run, but are great family dogs and seem to have good hunting instincts. I hope to have another one someday myself. Good luck with your new pup!

I L O V E puppy breath! I envy you, and Merry Christmas.

L2S

My old bud Gavin is 11 and a half. We still hunt woodcock. We can hunt an hour or so and hobble back to the truck. He needs a ramp and I sometimes need my cane. I remember the day he came home. Just a little squirter like yours. Oh my! Puppy breath and soft and cuddly. I have puppy envy, real bad, too. You are a lucky guy.
Merry Christmas
Bfly

A boy and a dog go hand in hand, but an old dog with an old hunter-oh the stories they can tell and the special bond they have. I'm getting there myself-Merry Christmas!!



Congratulations Miguel!! Beautiful Pup, Merry Christmas!!

Gus finally arrived on the 26th. He is fitting in well with the other two dogs, and it doesn’t look like he has an overwhelming desire to eat my laying hens. He does have a real interest in the birds at the feeders! He has slept almost through the night the past 2 nights, I hope he keeps that up. He’s already starting to respond to his name and come when called. I think I’ve got a keeper here!!