French Brittany vs American Brittany

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northwoodshunter
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French Brittany vs American Brittany

Post by northwoodshunter » Sat Jun 02, 2018 6:45 am

I am hoping to get a new pup next spring and am considering all the options and I would like to narrow it down and start looking into different kennels and upcoming litters so I’m ahead and when I’m ready to get the pup, I know what breed I want and from which kennel. I already know who I will be going through if I want an English Setter and English pointer. But the other breeds I don’t know yet. There is a nice gsp kennel somewhat close to me so i got that. But I was looking into Brittanys and I would like to know the bigger differences between the American Brittany and the French Brittany. What are their characteristics for hunting like range and such(generalization, I know every dog is different and can handle different). What would you all suggest looking into most of suggest I get? I mostly hunt grouse, take a trip or two to North Dakota every year for pheasants and I’m hoping to get a couple more trips this year. I have an English Setter right now and he will be get training to hopefully break him or get as close to it as he can in a month this summer.
Thanks

Thinblueline
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Re: French Brittany vs American Brittany

Post by Thinblueline » Sat Jun 02, 2018 10:15 pm

I’m no expert because my first French Brittany is only 14 months old. I’ll tell you how I decided on the French over the American. First, my dog was almost certainly going to be a house dog, and inevitably end up in our bed. My late yellow lab, who was 100 pounds, dictated where my wife and I slept in our own king bed, so we wanted the smallest package we could find this go around. I knew I wanted a pointing breed because after three knee surgeries and one ankle surgery, I just can’t keep up with a flusher hot on a trail. When I searched for “smallest pointing bird dogs”, it became clear the French Brittany’s are considered one of the smallest, if not the smallest pointing breeds. I think the French Brittany’s are consistently described as slightly smaller than the American Brittany, and in fact, my little male is just under 35 pounds, so I’m pretty pleased with his size.

Second, my yellow lab, who had a brown nose, contracted Discoid Lupus in his last years, an auto immune disorder causing painful lesions or scabs on his nose. I spent every day putting different concoctions on it to try to make him more comfortable, but there is no cure. While searching for various remedies, it became apparent in different forums and websites that American Brittany’s, with their brown noses, are susceptible to this disorder. I hated to think of dealing with this problem all over again but I knew the French Brittany’s, with their darker noses, are far less susceptible to this problem.

Third, most articles I read indicated the French Brittany’s, from which the American descended, is generally considered a closer working dog for the foot hunter, even more so than the American Brittany, which is leggier and in some cases stretching the field more so than in days past. The reputed closer working French Brittany appealed to me as my primary quarry is grouse and woodcock in thick woods.

Fourth, some of my research seemed to paint a picture that the French Brittany’s are a slightly calmer animal in the house.

Lastly, the French Brittany’s are allowed to have black hair, and although mine is orange and white, I think the tri-colors and black and whites look super cool. In fact, there is a noticeably different look in the face of the French Brittany’s as opposed to the American Brittany, which I find more appealing for some reason. It’s hard to describe the different look but it’s there. I have no doubt there is a huge contingent of American Brittany owners who find the American Brittany much cooler looking. Looks are an individual thing.

Having said all that, I do concur with much of what I had read concerning the French dogs to be a little softer and/or emotional, such that they can be big drama kings and queens. I’ve also come to find out after communicating with other French Brittany owners, and from my own experience, that the French Brittany might not be as prone to handle birds with locked tight, staunch points, at as young an age as many of your English Pointers/Setters and German Short Hair Pointers. My own dog didn’t point his first wild birds until he was one year old, which I’ve heard is not super uncommon or abnormal, while I’ve known friends to kill birds over very solid and staunch points from their pointers at five or six months old. Not saying their aren’t French Brittany’s who will point at a real young age; I’m just saying mine didn’t, nor did some others I’ve heard about. When he did start pointing though, they were a thing of beauty, and held nice and tight.

Overall, I’m very pleased with my little Frenchy. We love him him to death, and if I decide to get another pointing dog, it will very likely be another French dog.

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Re: French Brittany vs American Brittany

Post by Trekmoor » Sun Jun 03, 2018 7:48 am

I have owned and trained 3 brittanies, all bitches. My first ever pointing dog was a Brittany and she had an American dam and a French sire. She pointed birds from 8 weeks old ....she began with our budgie and then moved on to hunting for and pointing wild partridge by 4 -5 months old. She was very easy to train as a pointer but not as a retriever .....that changed as soon as I began to shoot birds over her points .....she retrieved quite naturally when real game was the retrieve object !

In general she was easier to train than the two French brit pups I bought to follow in her footsteps. She was a very good , all-round ,shooting dog on anything that might be considered to be game ....including rabbits and hares. She won tests, she won trials and she even won the Brittany class at Crufts dog show. In trials she is still, 30 plus years later, the only Brittany to have won an award in our versatile dogs championship.

Her range was naturally wide but by "wide" I mean by British standards not American. She'd hunt out to about 3 -400 yards but was also easy to train to hunt much closer when in woodlands.
For a Brittany bitch she was pretty big, her fit weight was about 35 lbs. The two French brits I owned weighed a bit less and were about 2 inches less in height than my first brit.
I liked the two French brits but "Vicky" my first brit was a better dog than either of them...... maybe she had hybrid vigour or maybe she just had more "willingness to please ?" Or maybe I was just 30 years younger when I had her and far better able to move fast and far when I needed to control her ?

As a matter of interest you might like to know that many of the French field trial folk now require their dogs to hunt more widely than they used to. I was talking to one of Britain's top brit breeders , she told me she'd seen what may be evidence of English Pointer blood among one or two of the trial winning kennels of brits while on a trip to France.
It may be true .....I really don't know. These rumours always seem to pop up whenever one or two lines of dogs is winning over the other lines !

I can only say that my last French Brittany went like the clappers and would if allowed and if the terrain permitted it, hunt out to at least 400 yards .....a couple of my friends said the distance was more like 5 -600 yards ! That's not what I want.

Bill T.

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Dakotazeb
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Re: French Brittany vs American Brittany

Post by Dakotazeb » Sun Jun 03, 2018 7:59 am

French or American? I've seen this debate on other forums in the past, probably a thread on here also. While Thinblueline made some good points I don't agree with them all. As far as size, temperament and hunting range is concerned it's probably better to look at the breeding and the kennel the dog comes from than whether it's a French or American Brittany. You can have 50 lb. Brittanys and also some under 30 lbs. I have an American female that is 33 lbs and most American Britts will be in the 30-40 lb. range. All my American Britts have been very laid back and easy going in the house. And while some American Britts will range out to several hundred yards some are very close working dogs. To some degree the same can be said about the French Britts. That's whey I say you need to look at the individual breeder and what they are producing more so than whether it's a French or American Britt. The two breeds do have a different appearance so it could be you like one's looks over the other. Good luck in your decision making. After all, the process is always fun and a learning experience.

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Re: French Brittany vs American Brittany

Post by DonF » Sun Jun 03, 2018 7:41 pm

Britts are nice dog's and easy to work with. I have trained a few and they were real easy. I have read about the French dog's and seem's to me they do what Britt's do but better handling quality's! I have been thinking a lot about my last dog, getting to old and don't want a dog to out live me. Ideally it will die of old age one day before me! For a long time I have always though it would be a GSP, boy I love those dog's. But after five years of Stormy I think it will be another Red Setter! Dog I'm thinking about getting one out of is in Wisconsin! Berg Bros has a few Red's, mostly E. Setter's though. One of their dog's really trip's my trigger, Bridget. She's due to whelp pretty quick And it's a bit early for me a new pup right now. Maybe a year from now or next spring. Thing's I look for is back ground on the dog's and how they look. At eight weeks a pup just doesn't really show all it's gonna be so I have to have dog's out of hunting line's and let the breeding take care of itself. Looking at pup's I look for one I like to look at. I spend more time looking at and petting my dog's than I do working them, I bet most everyone with their bird dog in the house does! My favorite breed for many years was GSP's and I always though my last dog would be one. But Stormy has me thinking about it. At this point I can see my last dog actually being two dog's, a GSP and a Red Setter!

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Re: French Brittany vs American Brittany

Post by Robbw » Mon Jun 04, 2018 5:50 am

I've had an American Brittany for 7 years and have been around the breed (friends and local club for that time). I love their hard work and nice temperament. But most of the ones I've seen have been big running dogs. I've had a French Britt for 9 months,She is a breeder rehome who is 4. She is also hard working, smart and very sweet, of a little crazy. But she and the other French Britts I se are closer hunting. They tend to work out to a max of about 100 yards, better than the 300 yards my big running American averaged. My AB is 42 lbs. My FB (or EB) is 24.

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isonychia
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Re: French Brittany vs American Brittany

Post by isonychia » Mon Jun 04, 2018 3:23 pm

At the end of the day, when I was recently thinking about this, I decided for my second britt to be american just like the first. Why:

1)First, there isn't much that hasn't been talked about with french vs american just search.

2) French britts are over priced and half the breeders don't seem to me to know really what they are doing, at least they can't PROVE it because only one french britt has really done much in the trialing ring as of when I did the research.

3) Frenchies are smaller

4) Frenchies have black noses and eyelids

5) From what I have seen, they look more like spaniels when they run, as a matter of personal preference, I do not really like that style at all.

6) Frenchies will probably be better for woodcock and possibly ruffed grouse

7) American's will probably be better for Western country where you want a dog that runs out past 50 - 80 yards

*** You are comparing Setters vs Pointers vs GSP vs Brittany VS Epagneul Briton - By far, the closest ranging of those would be the EB. Pointers>English Setters>Brittanys>=GSPs>>>>>>>>>>French Brittanys range wise

There are frenchies that will range out 100 yards + but those seem to be the exception. This can be an excellent asset to you, if it is what you want - just figure that part out and you should be good.

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ezzy333
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Re: French Brittany vs American Brittany

Post by ezzy333 » Mon Jun 04, 2018 4:37 pm

My first Brits had French dogs in their pedigree. They were a little smaller, heavier coated, many more roans, less style, and softer temperament. At some stage they became Brittanys as they continued to be bred to the type of dog that worked best here in the states compared to how they were used in Europe. And of course it was just a few years till someone decided they liked the European dogs so they imported some and called them French Brittanys. though all of the Britts were French with some just being here longer. We are now seeing history repeat itself. I have no idea what we will call the next set of European dogs but you can bet the farm someone will come up with a name and tell us they are a new breed. For old timers like myself, we will continue to look not only at the Britt, but all the breeds and know there is only one breed but several strains that due to the fact many people think they can improve the breeds by changing the standard they breed to rather than breeding to the standard that the dogs had when they came here that allowed each breed the best chance of succeeding at the task they were intended to perform in the continental arena of the old country. We do have breeds bred for about everything but it seems many think it is better to change how their favorite breed looks and works instead of changing to the breed that has been bred for years to perform in that manner

I do think it is easy to understand how this all happens but I for one at least would love to see it stop. I see today Britts that would be disqualified by color or markings. I have lived through a period where it seemed the ability to run was more important than finding birds. And as much as we all like style, it should never trump talent and ability. And it might be just me, but I want to see each breed perform as that breed was intended and not to a standard of some other breed. I have found great dogs of every breed are just that, great dogs that I would be very proud to own and of course most of us have also seen the opposite.

I could go on and write a book I suppose but I think you all know where I am coming from. Let work very hard at breeding the best of each breed, work very hard at keeping each breed what it was bred for, and for Heaven sake, lets keep each breed recognizable by its looks, such as size, color, markings, coat, and temperament. Believe it or not those qualities were all recognized for a purpose that includes a great deal more than just looks. As breed lovers, breeders, and guardians, it is our responsibility to teach and educate our next set of owners that are learning from us.

Ezzy

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dan v
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Re: French Brittany vs American Brittany

Post by dan v » Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:47 am

If you think that " In the olden days", the dogs were all robotically the same within the breed. You couldn't be more wrong. People, even in "The Olden days" had differing preferences for what they liked/preferred in their chosen breed of dogs. Breeders placed different priorities on differing traits....yes, even in the "Olden Days."

People were people then, just as people are people today.

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Firelight
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Re: French Brittany vs American Brittany

Post by Firelight » Tue Jun 05, 2018 9:11 pm

Although I am a 5 decade setter person, I also live and hunt with my partner's French Brittanys, 7 or 8 of them over recent years. So am not an expert on them but have followed them for a whole lot of miles over multiple bird species. I know less about 'American' Brittanys but have spent time with quite a few. The FBs I have known have shown very strong natural ability out of the box. Staunch and early pointing, backing, retrieving. Some of the Am Brits have shown less natural retrieve. Fr Brits seem to more naturally hunt with the gun, fewer straight line runs, more hitting the cover. The FBs we have also seem to keep an eye on other dogs of our 'pack' as they hunt and we get lots of backing situations because of it, often long distance backs. The FBs are 'livelier' or more energized than my setters in the house/yard and require a more firm hand but frankly they are more obedient in part because they are more pack oriented and less independent when they hunt. FBs are better than my setters at ground tracking/trailing running birds such as a rooster or group of huns. As far as range, in ruff woods 40-75 yards, on prairie 50-150 would be typical. They are a tough, sturdy little dog.

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