Brittany Spaniel - Agile, intelligent bird hunting dog

Brittany Spaniel (Brittany) - a bird hunting dog breed from France, stands out with its small appearance, short, smooth hair, naturally bobbed tail and gentle, intelligent temperament.

The Brittany Spaniel, or Brittany for short, is a top-notch bird hunting dog from Northwest France. Not only does it have a compact body, beautiful coat color, and a naturally bobbed tail, it is also intelligent, flexible, and friendly - making it a great candidate for a hunting dog, a sporting dog, and even a family pet.

In the article below, let's learn dog breed more about Brittany Spaniels to see what their appearance, habits and behavior are like that makes them so famous and loved!

Origin of Brittany Spaniel

Learn about the origin of the Brittany Spaniel.

Brittany Spaniel (Brittany for short) - a bird hunting dog breed originating from the Brittany region (Bretagne) - northwestern France, where bird hunting has been popular since the Middle Ages.

The Brittany was bred from native French Spaniels with some English Pointers and Setters to produce a hunting dog that was durable, had good hearing, was compact, agile, and was more trainable than other hunting dogs of the time.

The process of recognition and development of the Brittany dog breed is as follows:

• In 1907, the first Brittany dog was officially registered in France under the name “Épagneul Breton” - Brittany Spaniel.
• In 1934, the Brittany was recognized by the AKC as a separate breed in the United States.
• In 1982, the AKC dropped the word “Spaniel” because the Brittany had a hunting style more like a Pointer than a Spaniel, so they were shortened to the name “Brittany” from then on.
• Today, the Brittany has become one of the most popular hunting dog breeds in the US and Europe thanks to its excellent bird hunting ability.

What does a Brittany Spaniel look like?

The elegant appearance of the Brittany Spaniel.

The Brittany Spaniel has a compact, muscular body, short, smooth coat and a characteristic bobtail - very suitable for outdoor activities. Let's find out more about the physical characteristics of this breed below.

Size & body :

• Male: Height 48 - 50 cm, weight from 14 - 18 kg
• Female: 46 - 49 cm, weight from 13 - 17 kg
• Body: Slim, firm body, deep chest, straight back, slim waist looks very sporty.

Head & Face:

• The head is slightly round, the muzzle is straight, not long or short, looks very harmonious.
• Large nose, nose color usually follows main coat color such as brown, black or liver.
• Round eyes, medium size, look very intelligent, alert, eyes are amber, light brown or dark brown.
• The ears are moderately long, thin, always drooping down on both sides of the cheeks, and often have a characteristic slightly curly fur on the ears.

Foot :

• Medium length, strong, straight and muscular legs
• Feet have thick pads, curved, strong nails

Natural bobtail :

• Naturally short tail under 10 cm or no tail at all - the most distinctive feature of the Brittany
• Some are born with naturally missing tails, or else they often have their tails legally docked at a young age to suit hunting.

Coat & Color:

• The fur is quite short, smooth, close to the body but not thick, the fur behind the ears and thighs is slightly wavy.
• Common coat colors: White-orange, white-liver brown, tricolor. Some also have small spots on a white background called “ticking”.

Brittany Spaniel Temperament and Behavior

Image of Brittany Spaniel dog running and jumping around.

Let's learn in detail about the habits and typical behavior of the Brittany Spaniel - a bird hunting dog from France to see what makes them so outstanding and loved.

Sharp hunting instinct

The Brittany is an upland bird dog, so they have an extremely accurate sense of smell, fast movement speed, and can detect prey in a “pointing” position - like a Pointer. They can work independently in searching for wild birds but still be in control.

Extremely active

According to many studies, Brittany is a high-energy hunting dog breed and they need to exercise at a high frequency every day. They love running, throwing balls, hiking or sports training, intellectual games.

If your dog doesn't get enough exercise, he'll become depressed, start biting and digging.

Friendly & approachable

The Brittany is known for being a friendly, playful and sweet dog with everyone, including children. They are never aggressive or territorial, making them perfect family pets.

This breed of dog especially loves attention, petting, and participating in family activities and does not want to be left alone for too long.

Intelligent, easy to train

As shared above, Brittany is a very intelligent dog and has a spirit of learning. They quickly absorb training lessons from basic to advanced, have the ability to handle situations and evaluate commands. They also especially love to please their owners.

Concentrate while working

When tasked with hunting or training, Brittanys are highly focused and quick on their feet - which is why they are so popular in agility competitions.

Are Brittany Spaniels popular in Vietnam?

Brittany dog in familiar "pointing" pose.

Currently, the Brittany Spaniel is a relatively rare breed in Vietnam. Although they are not yet popular in the pet dog world, they are gradually becoming known in the hunting dog, sport dog and high-class pet dog breeding community.

Rare in the mass pet dog world

Compared to popular dog breeds such as Corgi, Husky, Poodle, Brittany is still a strange name to most dog owners in our country for the following reasons:

• Brittany is a specialized bird hunting dog breed, needs a large space, needs a lot of exercise so is not suitable for raising in narrow apartments or townhouses.
• High cost of import, raising and care.
• Few domestic dog farms breed so few people have access to them.
• Not suitable as a pet dog or guard dog.

Has appeared in the hunting and sporting dog world

Although not popular, Brittany Spaniel is still sought after and highly appreciated by some hunting dog enthusiasts in Vietnam thanks to its fast running speed, sharp sense of smell, friendly, loyal, and easy-to-train temperament.

Has potential for future growth

With its cute appearance, small size, sociable and intelligent temperament, we believe that Brittany Spaniel will have the potential to be known and more popular in Vietnam in the future.

Notes when raising Brittany Spaniel dogs in Vietnam

Important notes when raising Brittany dogs.

If you want to raise a Brittany dog in Vietnam, you need to pay attention to the following things to ensure that the dog can develop best.

Need spacious exercise space

Brittanys are high-energy hunting dogs and need at least 2 hours of exercise per day, ideally in a house with a yard. If they are kept locked up all day, they will become bored and destructive.

Don't leave Brittany alone for too long.

This dog is very affectionate, attached to its owner and does not like to be left alone for long hours. If you are at work all day and there is no one at home to talk to or play with, Brittany may become stressed or suffer from separation anxiety.

Poor heat resistance

Brittany originally comes from France - a country with a temperate climate all year round, so living in Vietnam - a tropical country will make them sensitive to hot weather, especially in the summer. To limit this, you need to keep Brittany in a cool place, with a fan or air conditioner when it is too hot!

Train from an early age and be consistent

Although intelligent, Brittanys have strong hunting instincts, are easily distracted, and are disobedient if not trained from a young age.

You should teach basic commands like come here, sit down, stay still, don't bark,... as soon as possible.

Regular health check-ups and full vaccinations

Like other imported dog breeds, Brittany needs to be fully vaccinated against basic diseases such as 5 diseases, rabies, care, parvo and dewormed periodically every 3 months and 1 month, and have a general check-up every year.

In addition, they can suffer from some diseases such as hip dysplasia, retinal dysplasia or skin and ear diseases due to humidity and high temperature - you need to observe and monitor them every day to detect early abnormalities and promptly treat them.

Beautiful Brittany Spaniel Dog Pictures

Right below is a collection of the most beautiful and impressive Brittany dog images in daily activities such as resting, hunting, exercising,... Let's admire more to better visualize this super bird hunting dog breed!

Image of Brittany Spaniel carrying the spoils.

Brittany Spaniel standing in the snow.

Adorable Brittany Spaniel puppy running around in the woods.

Mother Brittany Spaniel and two super cute puppies.

A wet Brittany Spaniel wades through the water.

Picture of Brittany dog running very fast.

Through the article that dogbreed.wiki shares, it can be seen that the Brittany Spaniel not only impresses with its sharp bird hunting ability but is also extremely intelligent and affectionate. If you are looking for an active, friendly and easy-to-train "companion", the Brittany is not a bad choice.

Goodbye and see you again in other articles of the Blog section to continue the journey of discovering interesting dog breeds and hunting dogs around the world!