The Brittany Spaniel is, as its name suggests, a dog originating from France and more precisely from Brittany. Faithful and curious, he is one of the best French hunting dogs, classified in group VII of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), that is to say as a pointer. It is also one of the darlings of the French since it is the 15th most popular dog in France.
If you want to know everything about the Brittany Spaniel, its physical characteristics, its character, its education, its care and its he alth problems, continue this breed file of the Brittany Spaniel from PlanèteAnimal.
Origin
- Europe
- France
FCI Nomenclature
- Group VII
Physical Characteristics
- Long ears
Size
- Average
Height
- 45-55
Adult Weight
- 10-25
Life expectancy
- 12-14
Recommended physical activity
- High
Character
- Balanced
- Smart
- Active
- Affectionate
- Quiet
Ideal for
- Children
- House
- The hunt
- The guard
Recommended climate
- Temperate
Hair type
- Short
Origin of the Brittany Spaniel
The Brittany Spaniel is the oldest Spaniel dog breed. He is from France, precisely in the center of Brittany. The Breton Spaniel dog breed is the first breed of French pointing dogs, which was improved for hunting at the beginning of the 20th century with a sharp selection and various crosses. In 1907 a selection for the creation of a standard was started in Nantes to present the Brittany Spaniel to the first Assembly of the Loudéac Club in 1908. The breed was formalized and recognized by the FCI in 1954.
Physical characteristics of the Brittany Spaniel
The Brittany Spaniel is known as the smallest pointing dog, of the Spaniel type. It is a Braccoid with a short tail or without a tail. The Brittany Spaniel is harmonious, with a strong and muscular frame but which maintains an elegant appearance. He has a lively, intelligent look, with a head in proportion to the rest of his body. It has a slightly rounded skull, with a gently sloping stop. The Brittany Spaniel has a large, moist nose, always in harmony with its coat. Its jaw, articulated in scissors, forms a triangle going with its ears, rather broad and short and covered with hairs at the ends. You will always see a Brittany Spaniel move its ears when alert, as does its tail.
Although at PlanèteAnimal we completely condemn this practice, its tail is sometimes cut with a length of 3 to 6 cm and must not exceed 10cm.The Brittany Spaniel has a lively pace, a firm body with thin skin. His hair should be fine and not silky, slightly wavy on the body but never curly. Her dress can be:
- White and orange
- White and black
- White and brown
" Her dress will always be in the form of irregular spots, often speckled on the face, lips and legs. A one-colored coat for this breed is not allowed."
Brittany Spaniel males measure on average between 48 cm and 51 cm and females between 47 cm and 50 cm.
Breton Spaniel Character
The first thing we should tell you is that the Brittany Spaniel is the 19th most intelligent breed in the world according to Stanley Coren, reported in his 1994 book Intelligence of Dogs.
the Brittany Spaniel has a rather playful character with a shifty look and it is not at all an aggressive, biting or fearful dog.He is affectionate, very loyal to his tutor and above all has a highly developed hunting instinct. It is a great life companion, since the Brittany Spaniel is ideal for children: it will always be happy, very active, sporty and at the same time ready to give you lots of hugs. Very sociable, he will not hesitate to go see strangers to play. He is also not clumsy and has a certain independence, which makes him one of the best dogs for any household that wishes to adopt a new dog, especially for families.
His very active nature makes the Brittany Spaniel ideal for homes with a garden. If you have an apartment, avoid choosing a Brittany Spaniel and favor smaller, quiet dogs.
Brittany Spaniel care
The Brittany Spaniel being a short-haired dog, its maintenance is very easy. In addition, it is a dog that does not generally smell bad.Therefore, you should bathe your Brittany Spaniel only very rarely. The Brittany Spaniel needs to follow a hygienic routine, in which he must be brushed at least three times a week in order to eliminate his dead hair in order to allow him to display his most beautiful hair.
As we said in the previous paragraphs, living with a Brittany Spaniel means knowing that he is a very active dog, for this reason we recommend taking him out at least 3 times per day one hour each time or take it out 4 times for at least 40 minutes. Combining the walk with exercise is the most advisable to prevent it from developing stress or anxiety. In addition to physical exercise, remember that it is very important to stimulate it mentally. Due to their high intelligence, the Brittany Spaniel tends to get tired of performing the same exercises and being rewarded for the same routine of commands, which can make them a frustrated dog.He entertains himself by learning endlessly and pleasing his guardians, so he can feel happy if you teach him new things.
Amount of food for a Brittany Spaniel
Amount of food for a puppy Brittany Spaniel
The Brittany Spaniel reaches maturity after the first 12 months of its life. So until he is 12 months old, we will have to give him dry food from the junior range, made exclusively to meet the needs of this breed of dog.
The selected food must contain a high percentage of proteins and nutrients to promote the digestive system and ensure the proper development of the puppy's intestinal flora. In addition, it will be important to find in its composition essential minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, which help the good formation of the dog's skeleton and avoid problems in its joints.
When feeding your Brittany Spaniel puppy, you should take into account the following considerations:
- To encourage food intake during the first two months, it is recommended to moisten the food in water to soften it. Then you will need to reduce the amount of water until the food is completely dry.
- From 2 to 4 months, you will ration the grams per day in four daily doses.
- From 4 to 6, you will give them three times a day.
- After 6 months, you will be able to give it everything divided into two doses a day.
Amount of food for an adult Brittany Spaniel
At 1 year, the Brittany Spaniel dog is already an adult, so you must provide him with dry food from the adult range. Also, to prevent your Beagle from suffering from obesity, the daily quantity must decrease and be balanced with the intensity of his physical activity.
Being a breed of dog with a virtually insatiable appetite, don't be surprised if you find that after ingesting the recommended amount, it demands more food from you. At this stage, it is essential to remain firm and not give in to their demand, because their nutritional needs are already covered by the quantity provided and, therefore, their body does not need more food. However, if your Brittany Spaniel starts losing weight gradually, you should go to the vet and detail all the exercises he does per day, maybe you should increase the dose.
When choosing feed, it must be ensured that the percentage of protein remains the highest, occupying 40% of the total composition, and that minerals such as calcium and phosphorus are present for maintain their bones and joints in perfect condition. In this sense, the consumption of EPA and DHA is also fundamental to promote he althy bones and skin, as well as to maintain the shiny coat of the Brittany Spaniel.
Education of the Brittany Spaniel
" As said before, the Brittany Spaniel is very intelligent, and therefore very docile: by nature he will be very obedient. However, if you want to adopt a Brittany Spaniel, you must take into account that it is a hunting dog, a pointing dog. Its instinct is therefore to sniff, search, dig and hunt. This is very important especially during walks since the Brittany Spaniel will look for his game and you must therefore educate him so that he does not go all over the place during walks."
Since he is very tender, the Brittany Spaniel is also very sensitive. In order to obtain the mentioned results and enjoy a balanced dog, it is essential to follow positive training methods. Like all other dogs, although it is a sociable breed with the rest of the other dogs, the Brittany Spaniel must be socialized correctly from a very young age with other animals, people and new environments.From the age of 6 months, you will be able to start practicing the basic training orders with him and once he has mastered them, go directly to the advanced orders to stimulate him mentally and thus prevent him from feeling frustrated. Another way we highly recommend to stimulate his mind is to enroll him in a canine sport called Agility.
Learning to motivate him is very important, to do this you can reward your Brittany Spaniel with cookies, take him to new places to train or give him different toys. However, we would like to point out that the Brittany Spaniel is a stubborn dog, so it will be necessary to combine tenderness and firmness for a successful education.
Brittany Spaniel He alth
As a hunting dog, the Brittany Spaniel is a strong and robust dog that has almost no he alth problems. Its life expectancy is about 14 years!
Both to avoid these diseases and to detect them in time, we recommend going to the veterinarian periodically, as well as religiously following their mandatory vaccination schedule and deworming the dog externally as well only internally.If he receives all the care he needs, follows an adequate diet and exercises, he is a dog that can accompany you for a long time!
Like any dog, you must also watch his eyes and ears to be sure that your Brittany Spaniel does not catch any infection.
Brittany Spaniel photos
