first dog - thinking about a Brittany

MauserMike

MauserMike

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SW Ontario
Are there any Brittany owners here?

I've never owned a dog before but I've been considering for some time getting a dog as a family companion and a hunting dog for upland birds. As some of you know I have a family consisting of my wife, and two daughters aged 5 & 7. We own a detached home and have our own fenced yard.

The hunting part is important to me but of course the dog is a 365 day a year commitment and it must get along with and become part of the family. My girls love animals and get along well with the dogs they've been exposed to. (2 boxers, springer, and cocker in my extended family) I want an intelligent animal that is easy to train and eager to please. I'd also like a dog that is reasonably easy to groom and doesn't shed too much. We do have a pet rabbit which concerns me a bit as I don't know whether the dog can be socialized to accept it. My wife goes to school now but we are a bit uncertain whether she will run a home-based business or get a job when she finishes up next summer. I work full-time so there is a chance the dog will be left at home during the weekdays.

My research seems to lead me towards a few choices, but the Brittany Spaniel seems to stand out. We've got a well-known breeder of Brittany's fairly close to here.

Can anyone provide some guidance? What to look for in the puppies? The breeder? Any advice is welcome.

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Labrador , black. yellow or chocolate. easy to train ,great with kids. and affectionate,trusting companion s. I've had spaniels but they get real snappy as thet get older. Just my two cents worth. JITC
 
labs are great. i currently have a chocolate but they hate to be left alone. i would suggest getting your dog a friend, maybe a smaller dog if space is an issure. my lab cohabitates with a beagle. both active dogs.
 
Avoid spaniels if you don't know dogs well. I've met one nice one, but the rest have been a little crazy.

Labs are a great choice - they love working, love people, and really really love food. They're also quite smart, and almost universally great tempered - aka, amazing with kids.

They shed, but it isn't really a problem once you're used to it (all dogs except poodles shed at least a little, so you're kindof hooped regardless).

Labs are also quite motherly, so your bunny should be fine. Most I've known can be introduced to cats, rabbits, and even a ferret when they're older and can be left alone together without much worry. If you introduce them when your lab is a puppy, the lab will probably try to sleep with your rabbit.

If you've never had a dog before, make sure you take whatever you get and go to dog training courses. Dogs are smart, and will become absolute brats if they aren't trained properly. Perhaps make it a family thing, so that everyone learns how to live with the dog!

P.S. - as long as the yard is big, and shelter and water is provided, your lab should be ok outside during the day. Inside works too if they have access to a comfy couch.
 
MauserMike
I do not own a brit but my brother does she is great with his 15 month old baby but useless as a bird dog her half sister is a great bird dog but evil with kids. As Jim stated they tend to get snappy as they get older and when they are young they are mental. Brits are quite often very sensitive or delicate and have cronic ear infection problems like cockers do. as well as can't take the cold weather either. One major problem with most spaniels is they have a very soft coat and will gather every burr and hitch hiker that you pass and they are very hard to remove. I have hunted around or known enough of them that I would not reccomend them as a bird dog/first dog. I am a lab man to the end but labs also suit my hunting style as they are so versatile and tough. I believe it is possible to teach a lab to do anything and 90% are friendly and great with kids, the down side is they are a big dog. I will not tell you that a brit is not a good dog for you as that is your decision but I will tell you that they do have some negative attributes. You will not regret getting a dog as it will become your best hunting partner (if you put in the effort to train it at the begining), your best friend and family protector.
Good Luck, post some pics of the pup what ever breed you choose.
 
My last (and best) bird dog was a Brittany. He was fantastic with kids even the little eye pokers and hair grabbers. He was quite exhuberant until he was about a year and a half old and then settled right down and was the best family pet and hunting dog you could ask for. Fantastic nose and worked close unlike my pointers. He was ambivalent about retreiving but this was partly my fault as I didn't spend the time working with him on this. In his later years, he continued to be a great companion. I got him from a friend who has had four over the years -all with the same attributes (but his retreived :D). If I was getting another dog, I wouldn't even consider another breed although I would check out the breeder closely which is a good idea no matter which breed you choose.
 
My first gun dog was a Brittany.
He was a not so great dog in the field, but trained and exposed to every type of hunting animals and birds possible.

Brittanys, as all Spaniels, are a more sensitive dog, requiring attention for most of the day.

If you're hunting style is relaxed with a few partridge, woodcock, rabbit and the odd duck retrieve, it should do ok.

With the ladies in you're life, it will be loving the attention for sure, and may not want to get in the truck to go hunting.:D

For more serious hunting than that, I would look at another dog breed.

For finding, retrieving, killing, game nothing beats a wirehair pointer with the right exposure.
I've only had one of each breed, but for me the GWHP wins hands down for loyalty and being relentless in the field.;)
 
Brittany's are great upland game bird dogs. I like a little larger dog and I'm not a fan of the long hair and having to deal with the grooming, so I went the German Shorthaired route.

There's a great variety in dogs, both personality and quality. I know of lots of hard core hunting breeders in Alberta, but I don't get back east too much. Most of the Brit's I know are very energetic and driven which can make them great hunters, but more challenging to manage in a household family pet situation.

Try the Dog's in Canada website or catalog. It lists breeders throughout Canada by breed and province.
 
My old roommate had a Brittany and she was one hell of a bird dog, she hunted right until the end of her life. We hunted grouse pheasant, and chukars over her without fail. Bird hunting just isn't the same without a good birddog.
 
It's unfortunate how many people still recommend labs as upland hunting dogs. They can do a passable job, but are far from ideal for that purpose. Any of the European versatile breeds will do what you want. Unless hunting pheasant exclusively, in which case a flushing dog ( Lab or Springer ) will do fine, a pointing dog is a great advantage to an upland bird hunter. A good source of info is NAVHDA, the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. Dogs that pass their standardized tests with a good score are proven hunters, and you can confidently buy pups from bloodlines of NAVHDA tested hunting dogs. Stay away from show dogs! A Brittany from hunting stock would be a fine choice for your purposes. I have hunted behind several, and good ones are very able hunters.
 
I agree. I didn't want to jump on the Lab lovers because I agree they are great dogs, but they aren't a match for the kind of hunting I want to do with the dog. I think they are also a bit on the large side for my home and they shed a lot. If I had a little more space, I would consider a similarly sized dog such as a German Shorthaired Pointer.

Pheasants are on the menu but there are no really no wild populations in Ontario. I think a pointer can handle the the pen-raised birds we have in a few places around here, but will also help me with Woodcock, grouse, etc.
 
Longwalker said:
It's unfortunate how many people still recommend labs as upland hunting dogs. They can do a passable job, but are far from ideal for that purpose. Any of the European versatile breeds will do what you want. Unless hunting pheasant exclusively, in which case a flushing dog ( Lab or Springer ) will do fine, a pointing dog is a great advantage to an upland bird hunter. A good source of info is NAVHDA, the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. Dogs that pass their standardized tests with a good score are proven hunters, and you can confidently buy pups from bloodlines of NAVHDA tested hunting dogs. Stay away from show dogs! A Brittany from hunting stock would be a fine choice for your purposes. I have hunted behind several, and good ones are very able hunters.
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Spoken like a true Pointer man. I just told my lab that he can only do a "passable job" as an upland dog and he says take your beeper and get a grip on reality. We came home yesterday with 2 phesants,8 woodcock and 3 ruffed grouse not bad for 50 min total hunting time with a dog that is "less than ideal". The last line of your post says it all "good ones are very able hunters" the problem is getting a good one.

Mike
Like I said in my original post I won't say a brit is not a good dog for you as that is your decision. If you have your heart set on a pointer a shorthair would get my reccomendation first as I know many people with "good ones".
They are also not all big dogs and I know at least 4 that are around 45lbs just find a breeder that has smaller dogs.
P.S. They are way easier to get burrs off than a brit and in SW Ontario you will find lots as you already know.
Good Luck.
 
Im a huge fan of German Shorthair pointers, Ive got an 8 month female Im working with and she's fantastic in the field but I know guys here in Sask that take as much or more birds with their labs as Pointers.
I do agree that properly trained Pointer will be a better "upland dog" then a trained lab but for some less die hard bird hunters a lab works just fine.
 
I ahve a Brit. she is just turned 15 in Sept.
Great Dog She will be sadly missed by the whole family when the time comes. Me, Wife unit, Son 6 and girl 5.
She has been a great dog as I said. Not to many medical problem and willing to please the owner. As any dog she needs proper training.
She has been great w/ the kids. Because she is a 30lb dog she never ran the kids over like a lab or pointer might.
I have a female and I cannot say enough about her. Great in the field and the Water. She was pretty hiper but IMO that is what you want in a field dog.
FYI: Brits are the only spaniels that point in the field.
When she passes away i will be getting another for sure.
Enjoy.
 
BE VERY CAREFUL PICKING A BRITTANY BREEDER IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO. Please do your research and ask around.
 
About 6yrs ago I was having the same debate ... Lab vs Springer. I decided to go with the Lab and have never regretted the decision.

When it comes time for another dog, it WILL be a Lab.



MauserMike said:
I think they are also a bit on the large side for my home and they shed a lot. If I had a little more space, I would consider a similarly sized dog such as a German Shorthaired Pointer.
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If you want a smaller dog, you could look into buying and English style Lab. They are shorter and stockier than an American style Lab.


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