Britt Question

P

Pheasantphan

Member
Got a Brit about three years ago and she has been a good dog. I like her attitude, drive and willingness to hunt and learn. Always had labs, this is my first experience with a pointing type dog and and I am looking at getting another pup to go along with her.

My question - do Brits come in different sizes? Mine is a smaller dog - maybe 30 lbs, but I have been seeing other Brits that are much larger and stockier. I really like her smaller size so that is what I want to look for. I know looking at parents, etc will help but are their designating factors that will distinguish sizes? I know from experience with beagles that there are some designations in their breeding for size.

Thanks for your help.

Chuck
 
As in any breed you will find dogs will vary in size. The majority of Brittanys will run in the 30-40 lb. range. 30 lb. being on the small side. You will also run across some that will weigh 40-50 lbs. I had a male that was in the 50 lb. range. He was not fat, just a stocky, stout dog. I currently have 2 females that are both in the 35-38 lb. area.

If you want a smaller Brittany you will need to find a sire and dam that are on the smaller side also. A good breeder should be able give you a very good idea as to what size the pups will be based on the parents and previous litters.
 
I went to Britts about 3 years ago. A lot of this you already know. In general, the "american" britts tend to be bigger and leggier than than the closer import french dogs. There are no certaintities in this, I subscribe to the theory that a Britt is a Britt, but the various registries, Espanuel Breton, French Brittany Club, AKC, all lends to the confusion, and slightly different breed standards, as to color, type, even hunting style, of what is essentially the same dog! Frankly, had I realized what a mess all that was, I would have gone a different direction. As far as the dogs go, they are everything you could reasonably ask, natural hunters, learn by experience with little formal training. Livable in the house. Deserving of being more popular then they are. I happen to have tri-colors, and liver and white, and black and white, among mine. I have a tri-color bitch, about 30 pounds, I have raised two litters from, she is NAVHDA, and AKC registered, all her offspring are smart and birdy, I have had pups from her that matured at 50#'s, and pups that matured at 28#, in the same litter! with all colors. So even within the litter, there are certain differences in size. I personally notice that the little britts struggle in chest high prairie grass, so do I! But the gam little buggers plow on through. I would look for the litter I liked, and then look for the individual pup within that litter, if size is a big factor for you. As much as the little ones struggle in dense crp, they fly like demons in the hedgerow cover, run really wide, and cover the ground. Point high and tight. I have never used or needed a shock collar. Nor have I had to do more correction than voice tone, and lift and jostle while scolding firmly. Good Luck.
 
You pretty much described my dog i the last few sentences. I do use a collar on her, but only use the tone. She has trained herself, as you stated and though small, has a heart that defies her body size. Great dog, hope to find another one in the next couple of months. Would like to find a liver and white.
 
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