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 | The Brittany Spaniel: Great Indoors or Outdoors
The Brittany Spaniel is a superb hunting dog which developed in the French province of the same name, as far back as 150 A.D. Found frequently in tapestries and paintings of the 17th century, he has remained a popular field and companion animal throughout the years. In fact, the versatility of the Brittany Spaniel is almost surprising. He appears to have changed little from the dogs depicted in the old artwork and yet he has developed into an ideal multi-purpose dog - not only is he a capable pointer and retriever, but the Brittany Spaniel is also a very intelligent and affectionate family pet. While he may not always seem as polished as some of the smooth-coated breeds, the Brittany Spaniel has his own earthy beauty and an outgoing nature that tends to outshine all others around.
Standing approximately 20 inches tall at the top of the shoulder, also known as the withers, the Brittany Spaniel appears a rather square dog, in shape, and only weighs an average of 30-40 pounds when fully grown. This makes them much better suited for an indoor/outdoor lifestyle, when compared to some of the larger, more active hunting dogs and, quite commonly, they seem to adopt a lifestyle of a sort of do-anything and go-anywhere dog for the family. Whatever the family plans are, the Brittany Spaniel is more than happy to hop in the car and go along for the ride.
The Brittany Spaniel bears close resemblance to the Welsh Springer Spaniel, and it is believed that both breeds not only shared many of the same foundation bloodlines, but that they probably were allowed to interbreed as well. The end result was to create this wonderfully intelligent and enthusiastic little individual who behaved, not so much as the spaniel that the was named for, but more like a pointer or retriever, despite his small stature. Of course, one would never think of telling the Brittany Spaniel that he’s a bit on the short side - everything that this dog does is with gusto and enthusiasm, his dark eyes gleaming with intelligence and almost appearing to be grinning with everything he does.
The Brittany Spaniel comes in several different colors, though the most common shade is white with orange spots, or patches. Also acceptable are black and white, liver and white, and tri-color with black. Roaning (white hairs in colored areas) or ticking (dark speckles in white areas) are both allowed, regardless of color. Interesting to note is that, while many registries do accept them, black Brittany Spaniels are unregisterable with either the American Kennel Club or the Canadian Kennel Club, neither of which acknowledge them as an acceptable color. While not all countries require them to have their tails docked (cut short), it is very rare to find a working or companion dog with his tail left long, in their native country.
The Brittany Spaniel is a sweet-natured spirit and well-suited for family life. Exuberant and playful, he is an excellent companion with children, though care should be taken when he is around the smaller members of the family, as he could accidentally hurt them if not properly supervised. Brittanys also do quite well in multi-dog households and, quite often, enjoy the ability to work with other dogs and team up in the field. Active and alert, however, the new potential Brittany Spaniel owners should note that these dogs do require a lot of exercise and room to run, which makes them ill-suited for city life. Equally worthy of note is that, due to this dog’s outgoing personality and sweet disposition, they are not a wise choice as a protection animal; more often than not, your Brittany Spaniel is going to happily watch the burglar wander around your house then and offer to shake hands, as soon as opportunity presents itself. Not that he doesn’t love and adore his master; he just tends to believe that everyone deserves a fair shake and a good tail-wagging.
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