Gun Dog Forum

Ok so I really haven't been on here much, but I'm back. Anyways at the start of last year I began my puppy hunting quest and I was planning to go with an Australian shepherd, but my parents aren't to keen on getting another larger dog with a lot of fur so after a lot of thought I've fallen in love with Brittanys. So if anyone knows of any good breeders that are in GA or possibly Alabama I would love to hear about them.

I'm not planning to add another dog until towards maybe the middle or end of next year and I'm looking more at field/working lines instead of show lines. But looking at a lot of breeders that I've found so far I'm not seeing tons of health testing and with boxers and Aussies I'm so used to seeing tons of tests like CERF,OFA, Thyroid, MDR1 etc. So forgive me if this is sort of a newb question but is it usual for Brittany breeders to just tests the hips/OFA certify their breeding dogs?

Also as far as french and American britts go I'm fine with either since I won't really be looking at showing, but more as a companion for hunting upland game. I also plan to train/compete in Agility and Rally

Yes, it's normal for Brittany breeder to just OFA hips. Breeders test for prominant issues in their breed....hip dysplasia is still an issue in Brittanys, and many breeders CERF their breeding stock, although that hasn't really become the standard (yet).

Gotcha. I'm just so used to my current breeds of choice testing for lots of different things and so I was a tad confused, but thanks for clearing that up.

OFA or Penn Hip, Cerf for PRA are the main tests. Sometimes if a particular breeder has had difficulty with thyroid issues in their line they will also thyroid test but that is not something everyone tests for, which is unlike Aussies and Goldens where the problem is breed wide. The other testing that is showing up more and more although still on an intermittant basis is cardiac testing.

Overall, however, the Brittany is a pretty healthy breed compared to others out there. I think I'd probably have to contribute that to the fact that on the whole, the fact that we have a such strong tendency to want to breed for the Dual dog, that there isnt a great deal of inbreeding/or really tight line breeding going on which is where alot of the bigger problems can stem from.
Not to say that it doesnt happen but that there are more breeders out there looking to the whole dog in their breeding programs, rather then just one trendy aspect.
Just sayin.....

There are a lot of great brittanys out of Georgia. Not many "breeders" per say, but lots of good breedings come out of here. PM sent.

Jet

Try this site out. A good friend of mine has a young dog with a trainer now. He ggot it from Carter. He loved the temperment, and the trainer has told me he really likes the dog too.

http://www.carterbrittanykennels.com/