dual champion, field lines, or hunting

[lockhart52]

looking for a brittney but not sure on what blood line to go with. (dual champion, field lines, or hunting) I am a foot hunter and also want to run foot trails. the main thing I want out of my dog is hunting ablilty.
Ohio

dual champion, field lines, or hunting

[Fireside]

I always figured that life is too short to hunt with an ugly dog... so i go for the dual lines.

[jetjockey]

You can bring them in, you can't necessarily push them out. I would look for field lines over anything else. There are some REALLY nice Brits within a couple hundred miles of you. Like the other thread, I HATE the word "foot hunting". I "foot hunt" over my Brittany that competes in the All Age Brittany circuit. Well bred dogs know the difference between hunting and trialing and they know how to adjust their range. Unless you want to compete in a beauty contest, who cares if the dog is a "dual" dog. Your looking for a hunting dog. I understand I'm in the minority in the Brit world when it comes to not caring about a dual, but IMO these are hunting dogs. And they were originally bred to hunt, not look pretty in a show ring. But then again, I've rarely seen an ugly Brit IMO.

[RayGubernat]

Lockhart52 -

If you intend to trial the dog, you need to understand that in many locales, the competition at Brittany trials is pretty intense. The trials are usually full and every competitor came to win.

That being said, if you wish to be competitive, it would make sense to look into lines of dogs from kennels that are currently competitive in your area. There are lots of things that a dog has to have to be competitive and a kennel that produces competitive dogs has done a lot of that for you already in terms of breeding in the things that make the difference.

Be as forthright with the breeder as you can in terms of your experience level, your intentions and your desires for this dog. Most good breeders will do their best to set you up for success, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because a happy, successful customer is a great advertisement for them.

Good luck.

RayG

[Mountaineer]

If you do not have much experience, as the question begs, then I would look for a Brit from a hunting kennel....possibly an older dog.
If you are primarily interested in hunting with some experience then I would consider a FT washout....went to a picnic at a setter trialers in SE Pa once. When both the setter folks and the Brit folks(Brit guy did the cooking, fwiw) learned I was a hunter, they all had the perfect dog , for me.
Enjoy the search and take your time.

As far as dog looks....attractive occur outside the Dual ranks, as well as in.

From Ohio myownself, so I expect you will do your birdhunting at the far end of the Superslab.
Good luck with that as well.

[bb560m]

Why do you want a Brit?

[lockhart52]

If you do not have much experience, as the question begs, then I would look for a Brit from a hunting kennel....possibly an older dog.
If you are primarily interested in hunting with some experience then I would consider a FT washout....went to a picnic at a setter trialers in SE Pa once. When both the setter folks and the Brit folks(Brit guy did the cooking, fwiw) learned I was a hunter, they all had the perfect dog , for me.
Enjoy the search and take your time.

As far as dog looks....attractive occur outside the Dual ranks, as well as in.

From Ohio myownself, so I expect you will do your birdhunting at the far end of the Superslab.
Good luck with that as well.

I am a very experienced dog owner; however never this will be my 1st gun dog.

[lockhart52]

thank for the help

[codym]

I once had a short hair from dual lines, long story short you couldn't pay me to take another one. If your interest is hunting then stick to field lines, I think you will be much happier. I am JMO. Hope this helps

[mrcreole]

I will tell you, over the last 10 years the finest foot hunting brits I've been around usually go back to Nolan's Last Bullet. As far as consistency Nolan's dogs turn out. My son has been on my butt about getting him one of those hairy little dogs!

http://www.beelinebrittanys.com/
Nolan Huffman

With that said, there are some Brit breeders on this board that turn out great dogs.

[Chaingang]

I once had a short hair from dual lines, long story short you couldn't pay me to take another one. If your interest is hunting then stick to field lines, I think you will be much happier. I am JMO. Hope this helps

Cody, what dual lines would those be and aren't dual lines field lines also? History says there have been some mighty fine duals, some HOF. I mean part of being a DC is attaining your Field Champion title right?

I think Brenda from Walnut Hill may beg to differ with you.

[AZ Brittany Guy]

In my opinion you should get the best FT lines you can afford. A field trial champion means that many knowledgeable people have looked at (judged) the parents and ancestors and fell the dogs have superior hunting instincts.
How you train the pup is up to you but you have improved your odds of finding a good hunting dog.

[codym]

I once had a short hair from dual lines, long story short you couldn't pay me to take another one. If your interest is hunting then stick to field lines, I think you will be much happier. I am JMO. Hope this helps

Cody, what dual lines would those be and aren't dual lines field lines also? History says there have been some mighty fine duals, some HOF. I mean part of being a DC is attaining your Field Champion title right?

I think Brenda from Walnut Hill may beg to differ with you.

I don't want to put the name out there but if you would like to know the line pm me. I'm sure there are great dogs from dual lines but I stand by my earlier comment, I would never go back toward the bench side. It was my opinion and I am only speaking from my experience which in terms of shorthairs is limited. My advice for someone looking for a good hunting dog is to get something out of the best hunting dog breeding they can find and usually that takes them to good field trial stock. Thats just my simple advice.

[Chukar12]

In the Brittany competition world DC's are relatively common. The parent breed club makes a strong effort to insure that their committment to the "Dual Dog" concept is maintained; you will see it clearly in the election of officers and directors. Some of the iconic names in the breed such as Ban Dee and Scipio's Little Chick were dual dogs. More recently, and arguably the most successful dog campaigned evetensively; RU Jem's Touch of Bourbon is not only a National Champion but a dual champion as well. Now...all that aside, I would certainly make sure that your breeder is focused on field dogs first, whether that be hunting or competition but preferably both. There are some fine field dogs bred that show well on the bench, you should be able to tell with very little research and discussion those who are committed to the former and aren't willing to sacrifice field characteristics for the latter.

The regional clubs in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Pa. are among the strongest in the country and the memebers in those clubs could certainly point you in the right direction. If you have questions about a specific litter please don't hesitate to PM me; if I dont know the dogs I will help you find someone who does.

Joe

[ultracarry]

I once had a short hair from dual lines, long story short you couldn't pay me to take another one. If your interest is hunting then stick to field lines, I think you will be much happier. I am JMO. Hope this helps

Cody, what dual lines would those be and aren't dual lines field lines also? History says there have been some mighty fine duals, some HOF. I mean part of being a DC is attaining your Field Champion title right?

I think Brenda from Walnut Hill may beg to differ with you.

Not a lot of judges withhold placements. Sometimes people get some home cooking.

And not all dogs throw good dogs.

[ACooper]

Are there "field only" lines? Dual only lines? Most pedgriees of dual dogs I look at have a large dose of FCs and AFCs.

[Fireside]

In the Brittany competition world DC's are relatively common. The parent breed club makes a strong effort to insure that their committment to the "Dual Dog" concept is maintained; you will see it clearly in the election of officers and directors. Some of the iconic names in the breed such as Ban Dee and Scipio's Little Chick were dual dogs. More recently, and arguably the most successful dog campaigned evetensively; RU Jem's Touch of Bourbon is not only a National Champion but a dual champion as well. Now...all that aside, I would certainly make sure that your breeder is focused on field dogs first, whether that be hunting or competition but preferably both. There are some fine field dogs bred that show well on the bench, you should be able to tell with very little research and discussion those who are committed to the former and aren't willing to sacrifice field characteristics for the latter.

The regional clubs in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Pa. are among the strongest in the country and the memebers in those clubs could certainly point you in the right direction. If you have questions about a specific litter please don't hesitate to PM me; if I dont know the dogs I will help you find someone who does.

Joe

+1

I think in many ways the dual dog concept of the Brittanys speaks to the owner's focus on making their dog the best they can be. they enjoy working with their dogs and want to do things with them. Lots of Brittanys are used as Therapy Dogs as well. I think the more things that an owner/breeder does with their dogs, the better!!! Why not have it all??

[KwikIrish]

I always figured that life is too short to hunt with an ugly dog... so i go for the dual lines.

So says my liscense plate cover

[DonF]

You know the OP said "foot trials". This could be someone just looking at NSTRA. He wouldn't need big range for that. Matter of fact it can be a detriment. Even a horseback gun dog can run to much for NSTRA. Best thing about Britt's is that there are a lot of dual champions, the Britt club is focused on that, only club that is! Those duals did not become duals by accident. I have seen some Britt's from strong field lines that were pretty sorry looking dogs. A good thing is that with the Britt it is harder to get a bad dog than most any other breed. Even from dual lines if you get a pup, it may not win but it will most likely be competative in trials and the ring. Straight show I would forget and in Britt's I'd also forget straight field. You will surely pass up some awfully good dogs that way but with dual lines you'll probably get a dog competative in the field and on the bench. And I have never owned a Britt but have trained several. Hardest breed I know of to find a cull in.

[Mountaineer]

I reckon we all interpret a thread's words differently.
I read that he is a bird hunter, first and foremost.
What I'm guessing is that he has read and thinks that trials, of some level, may be a fine way to spend time with his dog and allow the dog and he to learn together.
Needing a dog to be competitive in a "trial" is likely wish book thinking at this point.
Hopefully, he finds a dog that fits his first avowed need....first.

[lockhart52]

I reckon we all interpret a thread's words differently.
I read that he is a bird hunter, first and foremost.
What I'm guessing is that he has read and thinks that trials, of some level, may be a fine way to spend time with his dog and allow the dog and he to learn together.
Needing a dog to be competitive in a "trial" is likely wish book thinking at this point.
Hopefully, he finds a dog that fits his first avowed need....first.

your spot on. I love dogs more than hunting even. I am always looking ways to spend more time with my dog.

[lockhart52]

thank you for all of the help i have got help on the board and also received pm that help as well. thank agin