KYhunter14

I am seriously thinking of buying a brittany spaniel. This will be my first bird dog and I was wondering about the pro's and con's of this breed?Also what is most important in training them? I will be hunting mostly grouse and some quail with this dog. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Frank

SWOSUMike

Hello. I have hunted over some britts. Fine dogs! This is for sure. I personally have squirrel dogs, but my buddies have the britts. Here's what I know. First, they are no longer called a spaniel, just a brittany. They are more of a pointer. Anyway, they hunt fairly close compared to some other dogs as I understand it. They are a companion hunting dog in that they like to stay close and hunt with you. This means you don't usually need a tracking collar to find your dog on point. You just need to stay up with your dog and teach him to stay back with you. They aren't known to have the nose of a pointer, but they still have a good nose that gets the job done. We followed my buddies 1 year old this season for probably 70 yards to flush one bird. We just kept following him, thinking that surely he had a bird the way he was winding and acting. They will retrieve, and will "get 'em up" in the air for you. Some guys say that they work for retrieveing ducks. They will retrieve doves. They will find the quail and pheasants here in Oklahoma. We don't have grouse, so I don't know how they act with them, but considering I know of them doing fine with quail, pheasants, dove, and ducks, then I am sure they can handle a grouse. I have one buddy with two britts (another one he had recently passed away), another buddy with two britts, another friend with 3, and several acquaintances who have one dog, and they all seem to be pleased with the way they hunt. I know I enjoy getting to go with them. Your cons would be if you want a dog that ranges out really far or has the best of the best of noses, a pointer would be a better choice. But if you want to hunt close with you dog and spend a lot of time near them, get a britt. As far as training... They are generally quite sensitive, as in they will get their feelings hurt if handled harshly. The one's I have been around seem eager to please. My friend is currently finishing up the first season with his 1 year old. He is showing what it takes to be a good birddog. I believe he has had to wrap pine cones with bird skins/wings to teach the dog to handle more gently. I know that not every individual dog meets it's breed standards, but this is just what I know and have seen with my friends' dogs. Even though I hunt curs on squirrel, I still think I will own a britt one of these days. By the way, my mountain cur treedog will point quail if given the chance...it is great. Good luck. -MIKE

Rebel Hog

KYhunter14,back in the 70's I had 2 BRITTS,they were Choclate and White.Had them trained
by professional trainer.The female was SPAYED and the male was NUDERD. I hunted with them
about 5yrs and so did all my friends,but I had to keep them and feed them and VET bills.
They take alot of care and grooming,but wonderful BIRD DOGs.They were always ready to go.
IN 1983, a friend in Tenesee that was a VET and use to come to FLA and hunt with us took
the dogs with him as a gift I made to him.Then I got into Hog hunting with 6 CATAHOULA hounds.
I think you might consider GERMAN SHORT HAIR POINTERS.Alot less grooming!
Make sure your friends know how to shoot over dogs.If not you will not have it to long!
KYhunter14, I wish you much luck and safety in the field for many years to come.....GOOD LUCK...

bowhuntinoh

britts seem to love people thay do need a lot of exercise as with most bird dogs they need to get out and run a little i have seen a few folks hunt with em them they do a decent job they do have a lot of hair i dont know of any bed things about britts i have an english setter and i like gsp`s there realy loyal i dont care for english pointers thats to much dog for me of course it depends on the dog i buy my dogs based on their personality and ability o prefer older dogs who are already started i may breed my setter next year i think she has what it takes to improve the breed ill know for shure over the summer and into the quail season let me see if i can upload a pic its not working today