Hailing from the region of Brittany, France, the Brittany Spaniel is a creature considered as an excellent gun dog and a very superb hunter. This French dog first appeared in the 1800s and gained recognition in 1938. The Brittany has been used and recognized as a working dog and until now, even though at most times it is adopted as a pet, its natural instinct to hunt is till strong inside of him.
As a naturally active creature, the Brittany Spaniel has a body of an athlete dog, a well-built and lean looking musculature. However, this body build does not make this dog heavy but instead; it makes it look light and able. Its head encloses a rounded skull and bears a pair of intelligent, alert and curious pair of eyes.
Its legs are long and lean, perfect for perpetually running and chasing around the acreage of its surroundings. When it walks, it is always in a manner of flexible, long and free strides. As often seen, the Brittany Spaniel always has a short tail and this may sometimes come naturally or docked since Brittanies born with long tails undergo docking.
There are two recognized sub-varieties of the Brittany Spaniel and they are the American Brittany and the French Brittany. The American Brittany appears in tri-colors of white, orange and liver and other combinations aside from these are considered disqualifications. French Brittanies, however, accepts other color combinations aside from white, orange and liver; the French variety sometimes appears in black.
There had been many contradictions too regarding the assignment of the name Brittany Spaniel since many claim that this dog is not of the spaniel kind but of the pointer or setter. This dog appears spaniel-like but it never does the spaniel job like game flushing, but does more of the pointer job such as sniffing and pointing games. In the US, the use of spaniel for this breed’s name has been discouraged and therefore this dog is simply called the American Brittany there.
The Brittany is an outstanding dog for hunting but is a very intelligent, biddable and sweet companion at the same time. It is very energetic and loves to frolic and be carefree in the open. Because of its unbounded spirit and energy, it is best to allow this breed to run freely on a fenced yard, daily and with an alternating leashed and unleashed activities.
There are some instances that a Brittany is obnoxiously wild and irrepressible but this can only be blamed to the owner’s improper training and raising of the breed. Brittanies that aren’t well-exposed tend to become shy and fearful of strangers. But if they are well socialized and well treated, they grow up smart, sociable and sweet.
Just like any other breed, the Brittany strives to experience human companionship and love from the master always. If it is not given enough attention and love, it becomes a problem dog with destructive behaviors. Apartment or crammed-spaced dwelling does not fit this dog but rather a well-conditioned and wide spaced yard is best for it.
