CaseyKay

I never use dog parks. We use a couple of large offleash parks which are near us or we go to the forest or the lake, both very large areas. My dogs like to meet friends both human and canine on walks but none of them have any interest in dogs they don't know. Kep who is an adolescent entire male likes all kinds of dogs and his social skills are good even with dogs I consider incredibly rude. But neither of my adult females are interested in dogs they don't know and generally just ignore ones we meet on walks. Scout the Brittany hates small dogs that run up to her barking and can get predatory if they do the dash at her and yap thing. I just leash her if I see one coming. The idea of taking them to a confined area with lots of dogs to "play with" is such a foreign concept to both them and me :)

One of my Border collies was like that her whole life. She loved to work with me (obedience/agility/tracking, she did gorgeous heelwork for example, and was a happy dog on walks but at home she preferred her own company. She liked to be in her outside kennel mostly. I remember once I was out gardening in the summer and left the back door open. My company was the 3 younger dogs and the cat. No Maddie to be seen. When it got a bit hot me and my entourage went inside, Maddie went past us on our way in and went and lay under a tree. It was hard not to feel rejected! Every puppy since her I have been sure to check with the breeder that the puppy is cuddly and people orientated. She was very aloof even as a baby puppy. I think some dogs are just like that.

We have a 3.5 year old Brittany girl. She is really lazy around the house, if she doesn't get a walk for a few days she is still lazy around the house. Generally gets an hours running offlead in the morning with me (her recall and turn commands are excellent but she runs flat out non stop), then hangs out with my husband until he goes to work late afternoon, he will often do some training with her. I don't know how she would go being alone all day, we crate her for the short times no one is home, maybe an hour at a time. She has been known to amuse herself by chewing stuff up if left out. Whereas I go to work in the morning and leave my BCs loose at the other end of the house from roughly 6 months old. Scout is a hunting/field trial dog. We got her specifically from working parents. If I wanted a pet gundog breed they would be at the bottom of my list along with working line spaniels etc, but other lines may be less hunting obsessed and easier to handle when out on "nice walks". We have a friend with a young Welsh Springer. I really like him for a pet gundog and that breed would be top of my own list for pet gundog. Same with Vizslas. They would have been my second choice for a hunting dog as well as seem to be a good combo of hunting ability (without being off the radar) and snuggly pet.

I own a Brittany girl (Scout) and walk regularly with lady who owns a 12 months Welsh Springer boy. He is way more laid back than our Brit. Stays closer and just seems in general very sweet natured and less intense. He goes on walks and Scout goes on hunts. He is very good with other dogs, he is best mates with my same age male BC. When she is not busy hunting, Scout is a very soft dog. As I also do agility I would say the Welshies I know in that sport are more steady and sensible than the Brits I know!

All my puppies have been crated in the bedroom beside my bed. This is mainly because I like my sleep and don't function well without it! Of my 5 puppies I have had, all moved out of the bedroom and now sleep elsewhere (except my current oldest one, she's my favourite :)and never moved out) I know your baby puppy seems needy and it really isn't my favourite stage of dog ownership, definately the hardest of my puppies was the first one (prior to that I adopted adult dogs)but to some extent with all of them I went through the "I have made a terrible mistake and ruined my life" phase, even knowing that phase is short lived and they settle in your routine. But when Pup is 5 months old and feeling the need to be independant and not listen to you, you will probably miss the sweet needy puppy who wants to be with you at all times!

I lost my 2 oldies in 2013 and now have 3 young dogs under 5 years. I miss my oldies so I always stop and make a fuss of ones I see. The park I walk in there are a few who made it to 17 or 18 and still enjoy/ed their daily walk even if it was only a short one.

I often send pics and news of our three dogs to their breeders, the 2 BCs are from the same breeder. I let them know if they get a title in something and I always send happy birthday pics! Always get a nice response too :) Scout's breeder sent lots of pics of pups from Scout's mum second litter too.

Look forward to seeing baby Brit photos:) We have a girl Brittany just turned 3 years old.

So sorry for your loss It sounds like she had a very full and interesting life and was absolutely loved.

Generally our youngest gets called "Puppy" as a nickname until the next actual puppy turns up (ours currently aged 5 years, 3 years and 6 months). Then you realise how grown up they are and how much hard work actual puppies are!

My Border Collie girl had a similar thing last winter, on the front of her neck. First trip they drained it and gave us antibiotics ($80), but it came back up again (bigger!), and she had to have an op to look for what was causing it($400). The vet rang me straight afterwards very happy because a big grass seed popped right out when they opened it up. She said sometimes by the time you do the surgery it has disappeared somewhere else

I only added my next dog recently (BC Boy puppy) so in all fairness next one will be OH's, so undoubtedly another French Brittany. I think he should import a Portuguese Pointer (a closer working pointer breed), I have developed a thing about them. For me one day when I don't feel like running around agility but still want to do sports I would love a Rottweiler.

I would take my Brittany. She is an awesome hunting dog, yet small enough she wouldn't need too much to eat. She is fast and agile. She is also warm and snuggly so I would not get lonely and she is very suspicious so would let me know if there were any strangers or anything like that. I would actually prefer the company of my border collies but they would pretty much just expect me to take charge and look after them. Scout would be useful :) My ninja dog:

Run free Malmsteen, a beautiful boy with a beautiful soul. Lovely pictures of him for you to treasure.

I used to drop one of my dogs off for day boarding at a kennel close to my work once a week so I didn't have to go home and get her before agility training (40km there and back). The charge was 2/3 of the usual rate. Which I thought was fair as she was taking up a kennel space but wasn't being fed or exercised.

We had 4 for two years which seemed like too many and then had 2 for a year which wasn't quite enough so now back up to 3 which I think is a good number!

We had 4 for a couple of years (3 mine 1 OH) until the 2 seniors passed away leaving 2. My oldest BC girl was best friends with the Brittany pup so they naturally grouped in pairs. In many ways 2 dogs was easy and we took them on holiday for 2 and a half weeks around the south island which I would not have done with 4. BUT as one was mine and one was OH someone was often getting left alone. I looked after my friends dog for a few days and really enjoyed the 3 again. So after 10 months of 2 dogs we got puppy Kep and I am happy again with 3. My husband wants a second Brittany in a year or so, so we will be back up to 4, 2 each this time. I think that will work well as they will be in pairs. Many people have said to me that 2 or 4 is better than 3 as with 3, 2 might pair up to play etc and someone is left out.

Gael: I love everything about my best girl, but especially I love Gael cuddles, wiggly cuddles, she can't sit still and there are paws and nose going everywhere, she just can't get close enough. Scout: love how much Scout completely and besottedly adores my husband. Before we got her he was worried that as the other dogs (3 at the time) were my dogs she would be too. Kep: Kep is only 10 weeks old but I love how he likes to explore and find stuff, which he picks up in his mouth and his first thought is to bring it to me and show me, so I can tell him what a clever boy he is to find such an interesting thing

You could contact the club, Club L'Epagneul Breton, based in Victoria, they can tell you who breeds which type and maybe who has puppies planned as well. They have a website. Differences in terms of hunting, some people in the states(I read this on the internet a lot :)) think the French Brits hunt closer to their handlers and are therefore more suitable for rough shooters/foot hunters, if that is the case no one has told ours that :) We live in NZ and ours was bred here and has some relatives that were exported to Australia and have been bred there.

No I haven't, thanks for that Tassie :)

I have a new BC boy puppy coming in two days time so I have enrolled for my first course from there: "empowered puppy raising". Just as a Bronze level to see how I go with online structure and if I actually keep up with it, but if it goes well there are quite a few I am interested in doing :) maybe a play one and a precision heeling one.

Scout the Brittany was a very naughty pup and a shock after 3 border collie girl pups. The naughtiest thing I think she did? She had an 8 week puppy preschool class so must have been around 16 weeks old. The last day was graduation where she passed the little test like an angel and got a lovely laminated certificate with a ribbon down the side and some nice photos of her on it. Afterwards she played with the other pups for about an hour. It was Mothers Day so we were going for lunch straight after. She said hi to everyone in the parking lot at the restaurant and Simon put her on the front seat of the van where she curled up into a little ball on the sheepskin cover. I went to pick her up to put her back in her crate and Simon said "oh leave her there, she's very tired and we won't be long". I clearly remember asking if he was sure (or out of his mind). An hour later we went back and I firstly looked in the passenger window and there was our sweet adorable puppy still curled up, and when she saw me she did a big stretch and yawn. Awwwww, what a good girl. I opened the back to give Mum her present only to find it had already been opened, investigated and chewed. Scout's lovely graduation certificate was chewed into confetti throughout the van. My husband was still saying "oh its okay" unless he noticed she had also chewed the handbrake lever. And the bottom of the steering wheel :)

Something I have noticed some clubs do here which I appreciate. A rally entry for an outdoors trial is generally $7. But at some clubs if you enter Adv B and Exc B at the same trial they charge a combined entry of $10. Our first go in Exc B is a quad in July so instead of $56 it is $40 for Gael's entries. We need to get 100 to qualify in Excellent here in New Zealand and 95 in Advanced. I think it was set up by serious obedience people because it is HARD to not make one mistake over a whole course. Not one delayed response to a "sit" command even! That is how we got 99 at her last one...but she is a lovely hard-working wee dog, and took 3 of 6 attempts to get 100 for her RE so at that rate I need to get to at least 20 rally shows And that is just dog errors not stupid handler errors! But there are quite a few in Exc A who have been in it a while and are yet to earn a qual cert. Exc B is not a large class, maybe 5 or 6 dogs locally. Most of them have been in it a year or so and have RAE.

Mid year Update Ohutu Gaelic Blues CDX UDX WDX AD JDX RE Gael: 4 year old Border collie CRC in Jumpers A: CRC in Senior Agility: Agility CC Jumpers CC AD title Finally!! ADX title 2nd WDX...proving elusive, next attempt in November Teach Hard Surface tracking for TD...not started CDX-Silver title...haven't tried this one yet RE title now start trying for RAE but not a 2014 goal at the rate we get to rally shows! Eclaireur du Montier QC RN Scout: 2 year old French Brittany RA title (2/3) 10 CRC in Jumpers C (3/10) Pass NZ Versatile Hunting Dog Test Association's Intermediate Test (w husband)..looks like first and only attempt is in November as need to be under 3 years old, fingers crossed isn't on heat QC title (w husband) Get above 75 points in Champ Pointer/Setter trial(w husband) Field Trial Champion, let's dream big (1/6 CC gained) For me: Maybe a new BC puppy late in 2014?