Brittany Spaniel

The Brittany Spaniel is a breed of gun dog that is primarily bred for bird hunting. Although the Brittany Spaniel is often referred to as a spaniel, the breed's working characteristics are more akin to a pointer or setter.

Appearance

The Brittany Spaniel should be athletic, compact, and solidly built without being heavy. It is long-legged and elegant. Its expression should be one of intelligence, vigour, and alertness. It should never be heavily built or cumbersome. Its gait is elastic, long, and free.
Some Brittany Spaniels are born with naturally short tails and others with long tails. If born with a long tail it is normally docked to a length of 3 to 10 centimetres (1 to 4 inches). In countries where docking is illegal long-tailed Brittany Spaniels should carry their tails level with the back or slightly lower.

Temperament

The Brittany Spaniel breed is noted for being easy to train, sensitive, and sweet-natured. Many enthusiasts agree that it takes little more than a stern look or cross word to chastise a Brittany. As a consequence, care must be taken during training so as not to break the dog’s spirit. Brittanys are excellent with children but they are an exuberant breed and if not well supervised may accidentally harm a small child. Brittanys get along well with other dogs and enjoy working with other dogs as a team. Many Brittany enthusiasts encourage new Brittany owners to be a two dog family. The dogs are active and require frequent exercise and room to run. As pets Brittanys are first-rate companion dogs but they do need plenty of exercise. Their outgoing nature makes them poor candidates for protectors.