Brittany Basics
Characteristics
Brittanys are compact, athletic, energetic bird dogs. They love all types of training and require lots of exercise. They are friendly and strongly desire to be with humans. They also love to lounge on sofas, chairs and sometimes laps. Brittanys make great pets for active people.
Brittanys typically weigh 30-40 pounds. The breed standard requires they stand 17½ to 20½ inches, measured from the ground to the highest point of the shoulders. Their coat is easily cared for and comes in orange and white or liver and white or a combination of the three colors.
Environment and Needs
Brittanys are very active dogs. They need daily exercise and do best with with a reasonable level of off-leash running, which can be part of a training program. This could include field/hunting training or agility training.
A large yard supplemented with local parks, fields or farmland is an ideal home setting for a Brittany. The less space available at home the more often and creative trips to other facilities need to be.
Training
Brittanys thrive on human interaction and love to learn. Thus, whether they are in a large or small yard, a field or inside a house, Brittany's do best when trained regularly.
Training includes basic commands such as recall (“here”), sit, stay, heel, place, etc. For our dogs, it also includes crate training, waiting to be released after a door is opened, waiting for “OK” before eating from their food bowl and various other respectful manners.
We allow young puppies to run in the field on a check lead so they can explore the outdoors with human oversight. This also provides an opportunity for additional recall training - which is invaluable and essential.
Agility training, field training and obedience training all build on each other and increase the bound between dog and handler.
Brittanys love the great outdoors!