All About
Brittany

With a trust zest for life, Brittanies are a happy, energetic breed that loves the outdoors. They are excellent family dogs who love to go on hunting and outdoors trips with dad as much as they enjoy playing with children in the back yard. They are even-tempered and loyal, their family is their pack and they can always be counted on to be happy and affectionate.

The Brittany should do well on a high-quality dog food, whether commercially manufactured or home-prepared with your veterinarian’s supervision and approval. Any diet should be appropriate to the dog’s age (puppy, adult, or senior). Some dogs are prone to getting overweight, so watch your dog’s calorie consumption and weight level. Treats can be an important aid in training, but giving too many can cause obesity. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not. Check with your vet if you have any concerns about your dog’s weight or diet. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.

The Brittany’s flat or wavy coat is mostly fairly short and requires minimal grooming. A once-over with a soft brush or hound glove and a quick comb-through of his featherings should keep him looking his best. For the show ring there is some light trimming done to neaten the dog’s head and neck. The underside of the ears should be inspected regularly and wiped clean if needed, and the nails trimmed every month if not naturally worn down.

Brittanys are active, indoors and out. They do best if they have a large yard or, better yet, some acreage where they can run off some of their excess energy. They're not best suited to apartment life or city living unless you truly have the time and dedication to provide them with the amount and type of exercise they need. This breed is resistant to cold and damp conditions when hunting, but should live indoors with the people they love. Like any dog, they should be confined to a safely fenced yard when they aren't being supervised.Limit exercise to no more than half an hour at a time in puppies younger than two years of age. Their joints aren't yet fully formed, and neither is their muscle coordination and ability to focus. Take a break from training, play, or other activity any time your Brittany pup seems tired or unenthusiastic.Brittanys love to run in wide-open spaces. It's essential to teach them to come when called. Train them with firmness and consistency, but never be harsh. Often, a sharp word is more than enough to stop any misbehavior.Like any dog, Brittanys can be destructive as puppies. They can also be destructive as adults if their needs for mental and physical challenges aren't met. Keep them occupied with exercise and training, and crate puppies to prevent them from getting into trouble if you're not around to supervise.

Major concerns: CHD
Minor concerns: epilepsy, lipfold pyoderma
Occasionally seen: spinal paralysis
Suggested tests: hip
Life span: 12-13 years

The Brittany takes his name from the Celtic area of northwest France that was once an independent kingdom. Brittany lies just across the English Channel from Wales, and for well over a thousand years there was a great deal of commerce between the two countries, with dogs surely being a part of that trade. It's easy to see by their coloring alone as well as other physical characteristics that the Brittany and the Welsh Springer Spaniel probably had common ancestors.The first records of Brittany-type dogs are visual: paintings and tapestries dating to the 17th century. They show a liver and white dog pointing partridge. Modern Brittanys started to take shape in the mid-1800s in Pontou, a small town in Brittany. It's said that they were the result of a cross between a white and mahogany female owned by a French hunter and a lemon and white male brought to Brittany for shooting by an English sportsman. Of the two pups they produced, one was considered to have the requisite hunting ability and became a popular stud in the area. The result was bob-tailed dogs that pointed and retrieved. Apparently, local poachers were quite fond of them for their speed, agility, and willingness to take direction.Around the same time, dog shows became popular in Britain and other parts of Europe, including, naturellement, la France. Brittanys moved effortlessly from the field to the show ring and were recognized as a breed in France in 1907. The first French Brittany registered in that country was an orange and white dog named Boy.Brittanys didn't make it to the United States until 1931, but once they became known, they gained steadily in popularity. The first Brittany registered with the American Kennel Club was Edir du Mesnil, in 1934. The American Brittany Club was formed in 1942 and rewrote the French standard to suit themselves.Like so many breeds, Brittanys suffered a decline as a result of World War II. In France, breeding of Brittanys came to a halt during that time. After the war, French breeders decided to allow black spotted dogs in the standard because the gene pool was so depleted throughout Europe. U.S. breeders did not follow suit. Even today, black is not an accepted color for Brittanys in the U.S. and Canada, but it is accepted in all other countries.For many years, many breeders wanted to delete the word "spaniel" from the name of the breed because Brittanys are pointing dogs, not flushing dogs like spaniels. In April 1982, the AKC Board of Directors approved changing the name to Brittany, deleting the word "spaniel" as a part of the name. In some other countries, however, they still are called Brittany Spaniels. Today, the Brittany ranks 31st among the 155 breeds and varieties registered by the AKC.