Tassie Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 6 minutes ago, JRG said: Except that they are NOT Spaniels ! There you go … thanks for that ..When I first started in dogs they were still officially known by their French name which included the Spaniel bit .. but it makes sense why it was dropped. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 Why was it dropped ? Are they not spaniels? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pjrt Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 34 minutes ago, juice said: Why was it dropped ? Are they not spaniels? I’d like to know too! I suppose it’s like Maltese ‘Terrier’. The breed is Maltese but everyone tacks on Terrier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRG Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 Don’t know much about the history of the breed,but they are more related to setters than spaniels. Their style of movement / working is different - they run and air scent then point their game from a distance,, whereas the spaniels sort of bustle, stay close to their handler, ground scent and flush./ startle their game immediately they find it. Horses for courses. I suspect their temperament is different too. - a dog that is bred to stay close to it’s handler would tend to view life differently to one bred to be more independent . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogsAndTheMob Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 (edited) Brittanies are Utility Gundogs, or hunter/pointer/retrievers, bred to find game, indicate it for the hunter and then retrieve it. Some American lines in particular are bred to travel up to 60 miles a day, working with hunters on horseback. They’re one of the few breeds without much separation between working and conformation lines. It’s said that there are more dual Conformation/Retrieving Champion Brittanies in the U.S than any other breed. Their working background means they need to be managed well in a pet home. My Brittany needs to run, but has no instinct to stay close to me. Luckily I have fenced paddocks, but even there I need to supervise her very closely, which was a shock after my border collies and German shepherds. On the plus side, she has an excellent off switch and is quite trustworthy with cats and poultry. I know other Brittanies which stay close to their owners without much training, but could never be trusted with cats or poultry. My girl is a wonderful dog to train - cleverer than a border collie - but she’s a social butterfly and I think she’d be unhappy if she was left alone all day. There is a very active Facebook group - Australian Brittany (L’Epagneul Breton) Owners Breeders and Enthusiasts- which is a great place to find out more about the breed. Edited August 24, 2019 by DogsAndTheMob adding information 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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