Brittany (dog)
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Breed at a glance
- Origin
- France
- Height
- 47–51 cm [ 1 ]
- Coat
- medium length, flowing
- Colour
- piebald orange-and-white, liver-and-white or black-and-white; orange, liver or black roan ; tricoloured
- Litter size
- average 5 [ 2 ]
- Other names
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intro
The Brittany Spaniel or Breton Spaniel ( French : Épagneul Breton ) is a French breed of gun dog of spaniel type, bred primarily for bird hunting . [ 3 ] In the United States it may be called simply Brittany . It developed between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries in Brittany in north-west France, and was officially recognised early in the twentieth. It is one of five French breeds of spaniel, the others being the Épagneul Bleu de Picardie , the Épagneul de Pont-Audemer , the Épagneul Français and the Épagneul Picard .
Health
A 2015 French study found an median longevity of 12.6 years. [ 2 ] : 20 A 2024 UK study found a median longevity of 11.1 years for the breed, lower than the average of 12.5 for all dogs. [ 9 ] A North American study looking at over a million dogs found the dogs to be predisposed to hip dysplasia with an incidence of 4.22% compared to 3.52% overall. [ 10 ] Another North American study looking at over 250,000 elbow records found the Brittany to have the fourteenth-lowest rate of elbow dysplasia of 60 breeds, with an incidence of 1.7%. [ 11 ] A North American study found it to have a higher-than-average incidence of glaucoma , at 0.95% compared to 0.89% overall. [ 12 ]
History
The Brittany Spaniel originated in the Brittany region of north-western France, for which it is named. Scenes of orange-and-white dogs of similar type hunting and retrieving game appear in tapestries and paintings from the seventeenth century. [ citation needed ] The earliest written description of such dogs is that of Reverend Davies in 1850, where he described hunting with small "bobtailed" dogs who pointed and were excellent retrievers. [ citation needed ] It was around the same time that the modern breed to have been bred by mating with English Setters . [ 4 ] The Breton was first recognised as a breed in 1907 when an orange-and-white dog named Boy was registered in France. As a result, the first standards were outlined in the same year. It was approved by the American Kennel Club in 1934; in 1982 the "Spaniel" was officially dropped from the name. [ 5 ]
American type
The American Brittany has been bred differently from the French and international Brittany Spaniel, and is somewhat larger than the original breed. [ 7 ] It is a medium-sized dog, standing ( 44–52 cm (17.5–20.5 in) at the withers according to the American Kennel Club standard, tending to be larger and have a blockier head than the original French breed; body weights are between 14–18 kg (30–40 lb) . [ 8 ] The dogs are generally smaller than setters but leggier than spaniels. [ 5 ] The American Brittany standard specifies an acceptable tri-colour of liver, orange, and white with very specific colour placement. [ 8 ]
Characteristics
The Breton Spaniel has a spaniel-type head, a bob-tail, and cobby appearance. [ 3 ] The tail may be short or completely absent, or may be of normal length – in which case it is usually carried more or less horizontal. [ 3 ] Where legal, it may be docked to a length of between 3 and 6 cm ; [ 3 ] the Épagneul Breton is not on the list of breeds that may participate in shows of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale with a docked tail. [ 6 ] The coat may be black-and-white, orange-and-white or liver-and-white, either pied or roan, or may be tri-coloured; solid colours are not accepted. [ 3 ]