Brittany spaniels

[jetjockey]

most pointy breeds have some EP hiding in the wood shed.

jet jockey, what are the main differences between french brittanies and american? I always thought it was mainly size, but there are sume huge French britts out there.

Black is an accepted color in French, but not in American.  I believe that was actually done by the AKC to keep cross breeding out of the American Brits.  I've heard that in France, they are a hell of a lot less worried about it than we are.  With that said, French Brits are typically a little smaller and work closer, and still have more of the "versatile" style than American Brits.  American Brits are moving away from the versatile breed they were originally bred for and going the way of the Setter and EP and are only being bred for upland hunting.  Hell, next thing you know Brit folks will be breeding to hounds to get the 12 o'clock tail like the ES and EP people did years ago.  Typically though, the French Brits are smaller and closer working, and they often have black noses and coats.  But the a came from the same stock.

[AspenBud]

I believe French Brittanies generally have to be titled in conformation events before they can run in whatever the equivalent of field trials is in France.

Regarding Pointer blood being injected into the breed, I think that's potentially true for all of the breeds from field trial lines. ie - It's generally accepted that a lot of lines of German Shorthair have had a lot of Pointer blood pumped into them over the years. So much it's often kind of hard to tell them apart if you open up an issue of American Field. I suspect it's because the Pointer has been much more selectively bred over the years than the other pointing breeds and thus giving them consistently desirable traits.

[Happy Gilmore]

I believe French Brittanies generally have to be titled in conformation events before they can run in whatever the equivalent of field trials is in France.

Regarding Pointer blood being injected into the breed, I think that's potentially true for all of the breeds from field trial lines. ie - It's generally accepted that a lot of lines of German Shorthair have had a lot of Pointer blood pumped into them over the years. So much it's often kind of hard to tell them apart if you open up an issue of American Field. I suspect it's because the Pointer has been much more selectively bred over the years than the other pointing breeds and thus giving them consistently desirable traits.

In Europe you must complete a field title and conformation title before either count. You cannot have one without the other. With that being said, they play games differently over the pond.

I've been around a few french brittany's. They were neither overly happy and friendly nor overly birdy. If a dog is just a "cool" dog to be around it and fun to hunt with it can make up for one which "has it all" in style and birdiness. I found the French Brittany's kind of blah on both scales. 

[wildweeds]

My birdhunting vet has a french brit,she runs around the office,as has been stated she is standoffish and don't get all worked up over to much.I've had him out to shoot birds,she's plenty  birdy but doesn't exude the enthusiasim other breeds do.I think I remember he got her from a breeder in north dakota.

[AspenBud]

I think the popularity of French Brits among some is tied to a desire to have a closer working dog.

My only argument with that is there is a line of Brittany out there for everyone. Not all American lines are big running dogs.

[jimmy z]

My French britt kicks ass! He is very friendly, very birdy, teach it twice and he's got it smart, and extremely eager to please. A fast hard working dog that loves to hunt and will listen as well. He will work far out if I let him or I check him close And he works there.

He has been on over 100 birds at 18 months and continues to amaze me.

Did I say he was easy to train!

[skagit]

Cant say it enough, great dogs!

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[ecnclan]

Had a Brittany before my Springer and she lived to hunt.  Great at retrieving on land or water and didn't care how tough or thick things got, she was game.  I hunted in Arizona for Quail, Ducks and Doves but she died before I was able to hunt her Washington.  Always wanted to see her work on some Pheasants.

[wildweeds]

The grin on the kid says it all! Great photo showing saftey and fun,Chamber open,muzzle up!GREAT JOB DAD!

Cant say it enough, great dogs!

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[jetjockey]

Back to the OP's original question.  Brits are great upland dogs.  American Brits are the most common you see.  They can very in size, how big they run, and hunting ability.  Stay away from the show dogs unless they have field titles to go along with them.  If you want closer working dogs it's easy to find proven field dogs with NSTRA lines.  "Buddy" is a dog you hear a lot about.  Also known as Nolan's Last Bullet.  He was the winningest dog in NSTRA history.  If your looking for a wider ranging dog look for a dog from Horseback AKC and AF lines.  Especially dogs who ran All Age trials.  There are not many of those types of dogs in the PNW however.  Also, don't let people scare you about trial dogs being too wild and crazy.  My dog competes in HB AA trials at the highest level and is great around the house.  She also adjust her range and speed accordingly if I'm on a horse or on foot with a shotgun.  Getting a dog from trial breeding won't guarantee you a good field dog, but it will greatly stack the odds in your favor.

[Birddogman]

Brits have everything a multi fur and feather hunter could want.  They are at home in the open field, cover, water and rimrock.  Brits are quick to learn and have fewer genetic issues due to selective breeding practices by good a reputable breeders.  Brits have more Dual bred champions than any other breed.  They can range big (hundreds of yards out) or work in close, and some can figure that out really easy.  Best bang for your buck too.  I have heard of many hunting birds in the fall, rabbits in the winter and pigs in the spring (Gordon Theilen  hunted all his Brits on wild pig in Cali.).  In europe the French Brit hunts both and does it well.  A strong instinct to retrieve and closer range is what they are known for.  If your hunting eastern WA. and need to cover some territory, that's not my top pick.  I'd look for an american Brit for the run and better genetics.  Good breeders all over WA. and OR. with some really good lines coming out of the Northwest.  The NW has produced a lot of National Champs and a couple of AF champs too....lines you should look for are.....Beans Blaze, Chickamin and Tia Maria.  If you can buy a pup with they three in the lines you will get some real winners.

PM me if you have any questions.