French Brittany vs English Springer

[ward1]

I have beenresearching dogs that makegood pheasant dogs and good family pets. I have narrowed my search to French Brittanys and English Springers. At this point we have the opportunity to obtain a puppy of either breed, and the cost is the same between the two.So, I'm looking for some expert advise as to which breed I should consider.

Thanks!
Chris

[seattlesetters]

Before moving to English Setters, I raised and hunted with Springers for 20 years. Not a finer pheasant dog exists, I can assure you.

Great family pets, Springers are perhaps among the smartest of all dogs. If you like a little bit of excercise with your hunting, and don't mind be able to "Hoof It" every now & then after a Springer that is on a hot trail....there really is no comparison.

[cmccauley1]

Not that this helps, but I had a brittany/springer mix for 17 years. He was a fantastic dog. Highly intelligent, wonderful disposition, and great with kids. Once a toddler, who was just learning the names to body parts, decided to demonstrate her knowledge of "eye" by touching my dog's eye over and over again. He just sat there wincing, but not moving or getting aggravated at all.

You really can't go wrong with either. But, that said, Springers have more ear infection problems than brittanys and in the past were too inbred due to their popularity.But if you are careful and get a good breeder you should be okay.

Also, brittanys have less hair so they don't need to be groomed the way a springer does a few times a year. If you don't mind the expense or maintenence then it is a moot point.

[petrey10]

i am in the same boat kind of with the GSP thrown in....I do NOT want a dog that gets too far out there and flushes the bird to where it will make for a very hard shot or no shot at all... which breed will want to stay closer to me? or can this just be trained into the dogs mind? what techniques are used to do this?

[Jimmy S]

I honestly don't have any first hand input on a Brittanys, although I have heard nothing but good things about them from a few friends that have had them.

I do have a 4 1/2 yr old male Springer that I inherited when he was 11 months old.He came from a reputable breeder. My wifeand I decided to put him through three levels of obedience training, ending with advanced training.This was one of the best things we did. At that point I had a dog that obeyed very well and loved to be worked. It was obvious early on that this breed was highly intelligent.

Yes, because of their long ears, they are suseptable to ear infections and they sure do shed a lot and required weekly brushings. Routine maintenance and checkups are crucial, as with any dog, but it is small price to pay to keep them healthy.

Since he was a bird dog, I wanted to see if he had that potential. I was given support and guidance from one of the folks on this site. We have since become very close friends that have spent many days in the field with our dogs. He gave me excellent advice and training exercises that are very useful to this day.

What I really wanted was a good family dog that I could spent time each Fall hunting birds. The "family part" was already in place as he was dedicated and loving as we could have hoped for. The hunting part would come with time. Based on input from mybuddy and also a professional trainer (he set me up with), I was told he had good potential to be a decent bird dog. His biggest hurdle to overcome was the bird itself. At that time he had never even smelled a bird.

Well that has all changed over the past 2-3 years. By using the advice given and working and hunting with him, he has developed into a wonderful bird dog that now lives to be in the field. He may not win any awards, but just watching him work as hard as he does for me and loving every minute of it, is more than I expected just a few years back. Plus the pheasant dinners don't hurt either.

He is now dedicated and relentless when in the field as well as a wonderful, loving family dog.

Plus, he always does one very important thing for me ....He always puts a smile on my face.

[tatonka]

Keep in mind that Brittney's are a pointing breed and Springers are a flushing breed....... Also, as I'm sure you know there is a very large split between Field and Show lines with Springers. A Field-Bred Springers is nothing at all like a Show-bred Springer. I've raised field-bred Springers for about 19 years now. I've never had ear infection problems and the coat on a field-bred Springer is much shorter and flatter than a dog from show lines, so there is very little difference in coat between a Springer and a Brittney. I've never hunted over a French Brittney, but I understand they are a close working dog from what I've read.

[hatchet jack]

YES

[apple12]

Brittany all the way. I've had one for 10 years.I've shot alot of birds off him. i don't hunt him alot now because of his age. But that said buy the dog that get into your hart.

[KSbowman]

I raised to brittanies when i was in junior high and hunted behind them many times. I had problems with them wanting to run out too far but after i put a shock collar on them and zapped them less than a hand full of times they never went out too far again. Brittanies are a little more hyper than springers too. In march i will be getting a springer pup and look forward to training her to do lots of things. Springers are very intelligent and have the most loving temperment. They love to retrieve (more than brittanies) and were bread as flushing dogs. However I have heard of some that point like the parents that i am getting a pup from. Since they were bread as flushers they will probably stay closer to you while in the field, alot of it is training. I do have a love for each breed but since i was introduced to springers I will have one for the rest of my life.

[Elkhntr04]

French Brit all the way. I can put you in contact with the guy I am getting my pup from if you would like more info. He has a litter coming due in a month. I can't wait.