French Brittany

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Timewise65
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French Brittany

Post by Timewise65 » Mon Feb 04, 2019 10:48 am

I recently lost one of our 3 Golden Retrievers, she was 141/2 years old. Over the last 25+ years we have owned and trained (with the help of pro’s) many field bred Goldens. I have been an active waterfowler and AKC Hunt Test participant. Over the last season I have done more upland game hunting than waterfowl and at 68 now feel that the activity associated with Pheasant and Quail hunting is a better form of hunting for me. Waterfowl hunting involves a lot of sitting in blinds, I much prefer walking at this point in my life.

Therefore, I am considering getting a new pup. After much research and discussion with professional guides, and fellow upland hunters, I now am leaning towards a French Brittany. Now, I know that many, including the AKC do not recognize the difference between the French and American Brittany. But my research suggests that they ‘generally’ are a smaller dog, with shorter hair, and tend to hunt closer in. All very attractive traits for older guys, hunting pheasant and quail. Of course the key is finding a well bred pup and getting a professional trainer to work with us...

Any of you that have good experience finding, training, and hunting upland game with Brittany’s, I would appreciate your perspective and comments. Any good breeders you use and suggestions for trainers. I am not object to looking further at other breeds, but my initial research lead me to the Brittany.

Novice123
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Re: French Brittany

Post by Novice123 » Mon Feb 04, 2019 2:12 pm

Timewise, I have never owned a French Brittany but I am going to buy a puppy this spring from Mark Dinesmore. Mark posted that he has a few extra puppies that are not yet born and is taking reservations right now for a confirmed litter. His facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/LEtoile-du-Nor ... 495388563/ . He is a real expert on the breed and is really nice to visit with. He had the first Grand Champion of the field 'Vern'.

Warrior372
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Re: French Brittany

Post by Warrior372 » Mon Feb 04, 2019 5:29 pm

French Brits are great upland dogs! I have a 2.5 year old male from Mark. Mine is very fun to hunt with, extremely smart, nice size, very friendly around other people, dogs and kids. I primarily hunt chukar and Huns here in Idaho with mine - and occasionally pheasant in Oregon. His range varies with the terrain. On flat land or rolling foothills he can get out to 100-200 yards and in really thick stuff or thick cover he could be 20-30 yards in front of me.

It looks like you are in Missouri? If that is correct you have a lot of great breeders in surrounding states. Rolling Red Prarie in Oklahoma, Trinity and Buckley kennels are in Iowa, Sur La Delavan (1-Champion and 3-Grand Champions), Bent River, Des Plaines all in Illinois. There are a lot of great bloodlines through a lot of the mentioned kennels dogs. You will see a lot of Champions and Grand Champions.

There are also several great breeders in the Dakotas and Minnesota as well. There is also a Facebook page you could check out for French Brittany breeders. Most of the breeders in the US are members and they freely answer questions and actively post info on upcoming litters. It is something like - Breeders of French brittanies of America. Hopefully some of that helps you.
Last edited by Warrior372 on Mon Feb 04, 2019 8:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Featherfinder
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Re: French Brittany

Post by Featherfinder » Mon Feb 04, 2019 8:37 pm

If you want a French Brittany for reasons valued to you, that is fine. None of the prescribed suggestions you were offered support getting a French Brittany ie: size, hair, range. Some American Britts have longer hair while others have lower maintenance hair. For the most part, how a dog develops is determined by the owner and their typical habitat and most importantly, how the dogs are trained.
I had Brittanys for 26 years. One of the most unruly renegade Britts I ever saw was a tri-colored French Brittany.
I re-iterate, habitat and training play a huge part in ANY bird dog's devlopment....as well as genetics.
To say that a French Brittany is better than an American Brittany is akin to saying a red car is faster than a black car.
Last edited by Featherfinder on Mon Feb 04, 2019 8:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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deseeker
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Re: French Brittany

Post by deseeker » Mon Feb 04, 2019 8:41 pm

I have seen Mark Dinsmore's dogs run in hunt tests in South Dakota. He has real nice dogs Check him out--I don't think you'll be sorry.
He usually has a waiting list, so get on it early if you decide you want one of his pups. Good luck when you get your new pup. :D
Edit--Mark used to be on this site, but I haven't seen him post for awhile

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Dakotazeb
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Re: French Brittany

Post by Dakotazeb » Mon Feb 04, 2019 9:56 pm

+1 for Mark Dinsmore. His handle on this site is ohmymy111. But I see he hasn't posted here since 2017. Mark certainly knows his French Brittanys. Here's the link to his web site: http://letoiledunordkennels.com/home.html

As with every breed the size of the dog, length of coat, etc. can vary greatly within the breed. I've seen some awfully wooley Frenchies. I have American Brits and my last two have had short flat coats that never need trimming. And as far as size, for the most part there is not a huge difference. Frenchies tend to be a tad smaller but not always. Hunting close also has more to do with the breeding and training. Whether you end up with a French or an American you need to find a breeder producing that type of dog you want.

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Re: French Brittany

Post by Trekmoor » Tue Feb 05, 2019 5:08 am

I have owned two French brits and one American type brit , she was a cross between a French and an American brit and she looked American in "type" ….. a slightly longer muzzle , longer hair and a bit bigger than the frenchies. She was a really good worker and is still the only Brittany in Britain to have gained an award in our Hunt - Point - Retrieve Championships. She also won in the showring at Crufts ...not that this really matters ! :lol:

All of my brits would hunt to about the same distances out from me which, in general, was about 2 -300 yards out in open country but they would also hunt even further out if game was scarce ….and if I let them ! In woodlands I worked them much closer in, seldom allowing them to go more than 50 yards from me as I don't use bells or locator collars.


It's not a big cross section of brits to give you some idea of what to expect from the two "types" but it's the best I can do. I think brits are one of the most worthwhile gundog breeds on the planet .


Bill T.

Timewise65
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Re: French Brittany

Post by Timewise65 » Tue Feb 05, 2019 8:30 am

Featherfinder wrote:If you want a French Brittany for reasons valued to you, that is fine....

One of the most unruly renegade Britts I ever saw was a tri-colored French Brittany. One experience does not really suggest a problem with the breed does it?


I re-iterate, habitat and training play a huge part in ANY bird dog's devlopment....as well as genetics. Habitat is rolling plains with corn, wheat fields...in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri...


"I now am leaning towards a French Brittany. Now, I know that many, including the AKC do not recognize the difference between the French and American Brittany. But my research suggests that they ‘generally’ are a smaller dog, with shorter hair, and tend to hunt closer in. All very attractive traits for older guys, hunting pheasant and quail. Of course the key is finding a well bred pup and getting a professional trainer to work with us..."


To say that a French Brittany is better than an American Brittany is akin to saying a red car is faster than a black car.
I do not think I said anything about a French Brittany being better than an American Brittany..see my exact quote above...!

Timewise65
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Re: French Brittany

Post by Timewise65 » Tue Feb 05, 2019 8:31 am

Novice123 wrote:Timewise, I have never owned a French Brittany but I am going to buy a puppy this spring from Mark Dinesmore. Mark posted that he has a few extra puppies that are not yet born and is taking reservations right now for a confirmed litter. His facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/LEtoile-du-Nor ... 495388563/ . He is a real expert on the breed and is really nice to visit with. He had the first Grand Champion of the field 'Vern'.

THANKS....I will check them out for sure....!

Timewise65
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Re: French Brittany

Post by Timewise65 » Tue Feb 05, 2019 8:37 am

Warrior372 wrote:French Brits are great upland dogs! I have a 2.5 year old male from Mark. Mine is very fun to hunt with, extremely smart, nice size, very friendly around other people, dogs and kids. I primarily hunt chukar and Huns here in Idaho with mine - and occasionally pheasant in Oregon. His range varies with the terrain. On flat land or rolling foothills he can get out to 100-200 yards and in really thick stuff or thick cover he could be 20-30 yards in front of me.

It looks like you are in Missouri? If that is correct you have a lot of great breeders in surrounding states. Rolling Red Prarie in Oklahoma, Trinity and Buckley kennels are in Iowa, Sur La Delavan (1-Champion and 3-Grand Champions), Bent River, Des Plaines all in Illinois. There are a lot of great bloodlines through a lot of the mentioned kennels dogs. You will see a lot of Champions and Grand Champions.

There are also several great breeders in the Dakotas and Minnesota as well. There is also a Facebook page you could check out for French Brittany breeders. Most of the breeders in the US are members and they freely answer questions and actively post info on upcoming litters. It is something like - Breeders of French brittanies of America. Hopefully some of that helps you.
Warruir372...Thanks, lots of good information. I knew you all would help me find some good resources, be assured I will investigate each one of these.... Yes, I am in the Kansas City area. I have easy access to lease land in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri. I belong to a sporting club and we have tons of good leased land....


Timewise65
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Re: French Brittany

Post by Timewise65 » Tue Feb 05, 2019 8:39 am

deseeker wrote:I have seen Mark Dinsmore's dogs run in hunt tests in South Dakota. He has real nice dogs Check him out--I don't think you'll be sorry.
He usually has a waiting list, so get on it early if you decide you want one of his pups. Good luck when you get your new pup. :D
Edit--Mark used to be on this site, but I haven't seen him post for awhile
deseeker........Thanks....I will check Mark out! I am not in a big rush, and I may wait until my older Golden passes....he is 12+ now!

Timewise65
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Re: French Brittany

Post by Timewise65 » Tue Feb 05, 2019 8:44 am

Dakotazeb wrote:+1 for Mark Dinsmore. His handle on this site is ohmymy111. But I see he hasn't posted here since 2017. Mark certainly knows his French Brittanys. Here's the link to his web site: http://letoiledunordkennels.com/home.html

As with every breed the size of the dog, length of coat, etc. can vary greatly within the breed. I've seen some awfully wooley Frenchies. I have American Brits and my last two have had short flat coats that never need trimming. And as far as size, for the most part there is not a huge difference. Frenchies tend to be a tad smaller but not always. Hunting close also has more to do with the breeding and training. Whether you end up with a French or an American you need to find a breeder producing that type of dog you want.
Dakotazeb.....thanks for the added perspective. Having worked for years with Golden Retreivers, we found that field bred retrievers came in all sizes and hair lengths...two of my last three dogs were very small and had very short hair for 'Goldens'...which made them perfect for hunting, although they had to drag a goose back to me...! I clearly understand that dogs very in color, size, length and talent....that's why doing this research is so important, to try and minimize the variables.....

Timewise65
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Re: French Brittany

Post by Timewise65 » Tue Feb 05, 2019 8:50 am

Trekmoor wrote:I have owned two French brits and one American type brit , she was a cross between a French and an American brit and she looked American in "type" ….. a slightly longer muzzle , longer hair and a bit bigger than the frenchies. She was a really good worker and is still the only Brittany in Britain to have gained an award in our Hunt - Point - Retrieve Championships. She also won in the showring at Crufts ...not that this really matters ! :lol:

All of my brits would hunt to about the same distances out from me which, in general, was about 2 -300 yards out in open country but they would also hunt even further out if game was scarce ….and if I let them ! In woodlands I worked them much closer in, seldom allowing them to go more than 50 yards from me as I don't use bells or locator collars.


It's not a big cross section of brits to give you some idea of what to expect from the two "types" but it's the best I can do. I think brits are one of the most worthwhile gundog breeds on the planet .


Bill T.

Bill.........thanks for the perspective! The members on this website from England and other nations, provide a lot of 'new' perspectives that adds value to the whole experience on this website. Your last comment is the one comment that really helps me feel better about my primary decision to go with a Brittany as opposed to some of the Spaniel breeds....all great gun dog breeds, but the 'Brit' seems to fit my life style and hunting style best.....

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Featherfinder
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Re: French Brittany

Post by Featherfinder » Wed Feb 06, 2019 10:27 am

"Any of you that have good experience finding, training, and hunting upland game with Brittany’s, I would appreciate your perspective and comments. Any good breeders you use and suggestions for trainers. I am not object to looking further at other breeds, but my initial research lead me to the Brittany."


Timewise, I responded to the generic quote from you above. I may have misunderstood. All I was TRYING to say was that what you were told about the diversity of French vs American was not exactly true. If you choose to acquire a French for other reasons, I hope it makes you even happier than you are now.

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ohmymy111
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Re: French Brittany

Post by ohmymy111 » Sat Apr 13, 2019 8:40 am

French Brittany or American Brittany? Both are good dogs. The EB, Epagneul Breton, which is the correct name, tends to be a smaller more compact dog.They have blockier heads as a general rule and a bigger chest. Then there is the obvious difference, they can have black in their coats. Depending on the American Brittany lines, the American Brittany may run bigger. However my dogs will range out 1/4 mile if I am hunting in Montana where they can see me that far out. The EB is imo more connected to their owners in the field. That is a broad generalization I know, am I am certainly not disparaging American Brittanies , I like them both.

I wouyld say that it is best to see the parents if you can. Not always possible I know, as I have 3 dogs in Hawaii. If you can't see the dogs then ask about titles. I know most people will say I don't care about field trials or I don't want a field trial dog. That is the wrong attitude. Field Trials are the proving grounds for dog. I will bet you a dollar everyone you talk to will say their dogs are great hunters. Think about it, how can they all be great hunters? Field Trials will tell you if they are or not. Once again imo the breeders that say that aren't raising field trial dogs are the ones that either have never competed or were unsuccessful. I can not think of a single dog that was a Field Trial Champion, that wasn't also an excellent hunting dog. But a good hunting dog doesn't necessarily have what it takes to compete. If you want the best dog possible go with proven dogs as much as possible.

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Featherfinder
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Re: French Brittany

Post by Featherfinder » Sun Apr 14, 2019 1:19 pm

ohmymy111, I agree in that you can get a good or bad specimen in either French or American. It is true, in America and not only where Brittanys are concerned, that the need for independence in order to be successful in trials - especially horseback trials - was introduced/nurtured by the trial world. As a result, if cultivated, the chances are reasonable that you can end up with a Brittany that is too independent if he/she is raised alla trial dog. A dog trained this way as in, let them run "...they're just puppies and have to learn. Once they are 1 1/2-2 you start formal training." With this type of dog, you hunt dog rather than birds. In the end, you end up with a quasi-setter/pointer as well as a quasi-Brittany - the best of neither.
That said, I prefer very hot horseback bred champion setters or pointers for my foot handling hunters. They are for the most part proven AND I tailor their training to suit my preferences. Co-operation can be instituted/rewarded. Getting a boot-licker to hunt wild birds effectively is much more work.
We ran 2 close-handling dogs yesterday. They were never far from sight. Ran my setter which I saw on rare occasion but I knew exactly where he was and he knew where I was. The setter worked at "bird finding range" and collected 3 wild bird finds. The other 2 handled more closely and.... didn't find a thing.
For what it's worth, only 1 of my American Britts had longer hair. The other 3 had short very low maintenance hair. All of them trialed and made wonderful foot-handled wild-bird dogs. 2 of those same 4 dogs made open horseback champions.
Buy proven well-bred dogs - raise/train them well - take them hunting - cherish the moments together!

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