Brittany E-Book

Richard G. Beauchamp

• Herausgeber: CompanionHouse Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Serie: Comprehensive Owner's Guide
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 207

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Bred in France to perform the duties of a setter and spaniel, the Brittany is one of the world's most versatile hunting breeds. Beyond the dog's field abilities are his exceptional qualities as a companion dog: handsome, affectionate, industrious, comical, and protective. For a family with children and for the active owner, the Brittany is an ideal choice. Author Richard G. Beauchamp, a world authority on sporting breeds, award-winning writer, and international judge, provides insightful chapters into the breed's development in Europe and the United States and its characteristics as a pet and working dog.New owners will welcome the well-prepared chapter on finding a reputable breeder and selecting a healthy, sound puppy. Chapters on puppy-proofing the home and yard, purchasing the right supplies for the puppy as well as house-training, feeding, and grooming are illustrated with photographs of handsome adults and puppies. In all, there are over 135 full-color photographs in this useful and reliable volume. The author's advice on obedience training will help the reader better mold and train into the most well-mannered dog in the neighborhood. The extensive and lavishly illustrated chapter on healthcare provides up-to-date detailed information on selecting a qualified veterinarian, vaccinations, preventing and dealing with parasites, infectious diseases, and more. Sidebars throughout the text offer helpful hints, covering topics as diverse as historical dogs, breeders, or kennels, toxic plants, first aid, crate training, carsickness, fussy eaters, and parasite control. Fully indexed.

Leseprobe

Physical Characteristics of the Brittany

(from the American Kennel Club breed standard)

Skull: Medium length, rounded, very slightly wedge-shaped, but evenly made. Width, not quite as wide as the length. Well defined, but gently sloping stop.

Eyes: Well set in head. Well protected from briars by a heavy, expressive eyebrow.

Ears: Set high, above the level of the eyes. Short and triangular, rather than pendulous, reaching about half the length of the muzzle. Should lie flat and close to the head, with dense, but relatively short hair, and with little fringe.

Nose: Nostrils well open to permit deep breathing of air and adequate scenting. Tight nostrils should be penalized.

Neck: Medium length. Well set into sloping shoulders.

Muzzle: Medium length, about two-thirds the length of the skull, measuring the muzzle from the tip to the stop, and the skull from the occiput to the stop. Muzzle should taper gradually in both horizontal and vertical dimensions as it approaches the nostrils.

Color: fawn, tan, shades of brown or deep pink.

Chest: Deep, reaching the level of the elbow. Ribs well sprung. Adequate heart room provided by depth as well as width.

Shoulders: Shoulder blades should not protrude too much, not too wide apart, with perhaps two thumbs’ width between. Sloping and muscular. Blade and upper arm should form nearly a 90-degree angle. At the shoulders, the Brittany is slightly higher than at the rump.

Front Legs: Viewed from the front, perpendicular, but not set too wide. Elbows and feet turning neither in nor out. Pasterns slightly sloped. Leg bones clean, graceful, but not too fine. Height at elbows should approximately equal distance from elbow to withers.

Topline: Slight slope from the highest point of the shoulders to the root of the tail.

Back: Short and straight. Slight drop from the hips to the root of the tail.

Tail: Tailless to approximately four inches, natural or docked. Set on high, actually an extension of the spine at about the same level.

Hindquarters: Broad strong and muscular, with powerful thighs and well bent stifles, giving the angulation necessary for powerful drive. Stifles well bent. Thighs well feathered but not profusely, halfway to the hock. Hocks should be moderately short, perpendicular when viewed from the side.

Coat: Dense, flat or wavy, never curly. The front and hind legs should have some feathering, but too little is definitely preferable to too much.

Skin: Fine and fairly loose.

Feet: Should be strong, proportionately smaller than the spaniels’, with close fitting, well arched toes and thick pads. An ideal foot is halfway between the hare and the cat foot.

Color: Orange and white or liver and white in either clear or roan patterns. Some ticking is desirable. The orange or liver is found in the standard parti-color or piebald patterns.

Size: Height: 17.5 to 20.5 inches, measured from the ground to the highest point of the shoulders.

Weight: Should weigh between 30 and 40 pounds.

Contents

History of the Brittany

Born from a need for a hunting companion that could help locate, rather than kill, game, the Brittany originated from spaniel/setter crosses in the Bretagne region of France. Learn about the breed’s development and follow its establishment in Europe, acceptance in the UK, instant popularity in the US and rise to world-wide recognition.

Characteristics of the Brittany

A working dog at heart, the Brittany is a devoted and intelligent companion with energy to spare. Gregarious, loyal, good with children and wanting nothing more than to be a true member of the family, the Brittany makes a wonderful pet for those who can provide adequate activity and much affection. Learn about the breed’s personality and physical characteristics, as well as owner suitability and health concerns in the breed.

Breed Standard for the Brittany

Learn the requirements of a well-bred Brittany by studying the description of the breed as set forth in the American Kennel Club’s breed standard. Both show dogs and pets must possess key characteristics as outlined in the breed standard.

Your Puppy Brittany

Be advised about choosing a reputable breeder and selecting a healthy, typical puppy. Understand the responsibilities of ownership, including home preparation, acclimatization, the vet and prevention of common puppy problems.

Everyday Care of Your Brittany

Enter into a sensible discussion of dietary and feeding considerations, exercise, grooming, traveling and identification of your dog. This chapter discusses Brittany care for all stages of development.

Born from a need for a hunting companion that could help locate, rather than kill, game, the Brittany originated from spaniel/setter crosses in the Bretagne region of France. Learn about the breed’s development and follow its establishment in Europe, acceptance in the UK, instant popularity in the US and rise to world-wide recognition.

Training Your Brittany

By Charlotte Schwartz

Be informed about the importance of training your Brittany from the basics of house-training and understanding the development of a young dog to executing obedience commands (sit, stay, down, etc.).

Health Care of Your Brittany

Discover how to select a qualified veterinarian and care for your dog at all stages of life. Topics include vaccination scheduling, skin problems, dealing with external and internal parasites and the medical and behavioral conditions common to the breed.

Your Senior Brittany

Recognize the signs of an aging dog, both behavioral and medical; implement a senior-care program with your veterinarian and become comfortable with making the final decisions and arrangements for your senior Brittany.

Showing Your Brittany

Experience the dog show world, including different types of shows and the making of a champion. Go beyond the conformation ring to field, obedience and agility trials.

KENNEL CLUB BOOKS®BRITTANY

ISBN 13: 978-1-59378-285-6

eISBN 13: 978-1-59378-892-6

Copyright © 1999 • Kennel Club Books® • A Division of BowTie, Inc.

40 Broad Street, Freehold, NJ 07728 USA

Cover Design Patented: US 6,435,559 B2 • Printed in South Korea

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, scanner, microfilm, xerography or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Photographs by Carol Ann Johnson with additional photos by Norvia Behling, Mary Bloom, T.J. Calhoun, Doskocil, Isabelle Français, Bill Jonas, Mikki Pet Products, Alice Roche, Karen Taylor and Alice van Kempen.

The publisher wishes to thank the following owners for allowing their dogs to be photographed for this book: Emile J Berlet, Thierry Bouty, William Crépelle, Moira Doherty, Barbara Dunkling, Steve Izod and Linda McCartney.

Illustrations by Patricia Peters

The Brittany was developed by combining the desirable traits of spaniels and setters into a breed that could assist hunters in locating game. The result was an exceptional breed of dog—a natural beauty who is an all-round wonderful worker and companion.

There are far more pure-bred breeds of dog existing throughout the world today than most people will have the opportunity to see in a lifetime. As strikingly dissimilar and diversified as these breeds are, they all trace back to one common ancestor—Canis lupus—the wolf. Everything dogs are and everything they do was passed down through thousands upon thousands of generations to what is universally considered “man’s best friend.”

Archeological discoveries lead us to believe that the relationship between man and dog or, as it was in the beginning, man and wolf, was based upon man’s struggle to survive in the most inhospitable of times. The wolf’s prowess as a hunter was something that early man could not help but observe and there seems to be evidence that man himself may have put some of those techniques to use as well. Then too, the wolf had many social habits similar to man’s own and this undoubtedly assisted in creating that first step toward compatibility.

In The Natural History of Dogs, authors Richard and Alice Feinnes classify most dogs as having descended from one of four major groups: the Dingo Group, the Greyhound Group, the Nordic Group and the Mastiff Group. All four trace back to separate and distinct branches of the wolf family.

The Dingo Group traces its origin to the Asian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes). Two well-known examples of the Dingo Group are the Basenji and, through the admixture of several European breeds, the Rhodesian Ridgeback.

The Greyhound Group descends from a coursing-type relative of the Asian wolf. The group includes all those dogs that hunt by sight and are capable of great speed. The Greyhound itself, the Afghan Hound and the Saluki are all examples. They are not true hounds in that they do not hunt by scent.

The Brittany is a celebrated sporting dog, gregarious and obedient.

A relative of the Brittany is the larger Breton Spaniel. This is Int. Ch. Fanchio de Cornonaille of Breton.

Eng. Ch. Aotrou de Cornonaille in a photo circa 1930. This dog resembles an English Springer Spaniel of setter type.

A dog resembling the Brittany of the early 1900s, who was a noted worker and prizewinner of his time.

The Arctic or Nordic Group of dogs is a direct descendant of the rugged Northern wolf (Canis lupus). Included in the many breeds of this group are the Alaskan Malamute, Chow Chow and German Shepherd Dog.

The fourth classification, the Mastiff Group, owes its primary heritage to the Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus chanco or laniger). This group encompasses the greatest diversity of breeds and the extreme diversity indicates the descendants are not entirely of pure blood. The specific breeds included have undoubtedly been influenced by descendants of the other three groups. This influence is of consequence in that some Mastiff Group breeds have acquired characteristics that others do not share at all.

Of importance here is the fact that the Mastiff Group is known to include many of the scenting breeds—breeds which find game by the use of their olfactory senses (their noses) rather than by sight. These breeds include those we now classify as gundogs or sporting dogs well as the true hounds.

As man became more sophisticated and his lifestyle more complex, he found he could produce dogs which could suit his specific needs from the descendants of the wolf. Often these needs were based upon the manner in which man himself went after game and the terrain in which he was forced to do so.

By this time man had taken control of the individual dogs that mated. Particular characteristics were prized and inbreeding practices employed to perpetuate these characteristics.

It is an established fact that dogs and horses traveled all over the world with their owners during the first Crusades. Even if the animals that left their native lands were of a pure strain, there can be little doubt that the offspring they produced along their journeys were the result of an infusion of foreign blood. English, Spanish, French and Arabian bloodlines were thus coursing through the veins of the animals that accompanied the Crusaders back to their homeland.

One type of hunting dog popularly used at that time retained the wolf characteristic of pursuing the prey until it was cornered or captured and killed. This practice is more or less typical of the dogs known today as the true hounds. While their tenacity in pursuit was held in high regard, the hound’s willingness to chase could continue on and on for miles if need be, and some men found keeping up rather tiresome or impossible.

GENUS CANIS

Dogs and wolves are members of the genus Canis. Wolves are known scientifically as Canis lupus while dogs are known as Canis domesticus. Dogs and wolves are known to interbreed. The term “canine” derives from the Latin derived word Canis. The term “dog” has no scientific basis but has been used for thousands of years. The origin of the word “dog” has never been authoritatively ascertained.

Thus was born a need for the hunting dog that did not follow through with the chase or the attack. Their job was not to do the hunting or killing, but rather to assist the human hunter by finding, flushing out or retrieving the game. These dogs worked quietly so as not to scare away the birds and, like any good assistant, they obeyed their masters’ commands without hesitation.

During the Middle Ages, before guns were invented, hunters used nets and trained hawks to capture their prey. Assisting them were little dogs that some believe actually had originated in Spain. The Latin word for Spain is Hispania and it is from Hispania that the name “Spaniells” (later “spaniels”) evolved.

Once the game was located, some of these Spaniells would drop to the ground, remaining motionless until the hunter arrived to throw his net over the birds. These “Setting Spaniells” were used in the development of the breeds that became known as our modern-day Irish, English and Gordon Setters.

Another group of the Spaniells was trained to find birds and drive them out of the underbrush so that they could be pursued and captured by falcons. These dogs were called “Springing Spaniells” because of their talent for springing or flushing birds from their hiding places. Since they most often had to track their prey through dense shrubs and tangled thickets, the dogs needed compact, smaller bodies and powerful legs to help them move through the difficult terrain that often stopped other dogs cold.

The dogs had long silky coats that offered protection against the thistles and brambles of the dense undergrowth. The tails of these dogs were docked to prevent them from being caught in the brush. They had higher rounded foreheads, which were thought to have shielded their eyes against branches. Their long lobular ears gathered and channeled scent molecules to their large ultrasensitive noses.

THE FRENCH DEVELOP THE BRITTANY SPANIEL

In the middle years of the 1800s, the resident farmers of the Bretagne region of France began crossing some of their own spaniels with setters that had been brought in by wealthy hunters from England. Little did they realize that the breed that was to develop from these crosses would eventually impact the hunter’s world around the globe.

It is important to note, however, that the English Setters of that period were most probably not the dog as we know it today. Nevertheless, it was from these crosses that took place in Bretagne that the Brittany Spaniel was to derive its name.

Just after the turn of the century Major P. Gran-Chavin, a cavalry officer and veterinarian assigned to the Bretagne region of France, wrote of the many small spaniels he saw. The dogs, he said, had short tails or no tails at all and rather short ears for the spaniel breeds. He describes them as being colored white-orange, white-liver and white-black, with some tricolors as well. He also made special note of their distinctive “short gaited” movement.

ORIGINS

A good many authorities doubt that spaniels originated in Spain but rather that they were taken from Wales to Spain. Those who follow this theory indicate that the spaniels then flourished and later spread to France, England and Scotland.

At any rate, about 1910 when M. Le Comte Le Conteux de Canteleu drew up his chart of the French breeds that we find first mention of “Chien de Bretagne,” the dog of Brittany. Despite its spaniel heritage, the breed was first known simply as the “Dog of Brittany” and it was not until later that the name was changed and the breed became known officially as the “Brittany Spaniel.” Of course, in recent times the “Spaniel” has been omitted since this versatile gundog breed is considered by some to be more of a pointer than a spaniel.

REASONS FOR TAIL DOCKING

Tail docking was performed for many reasons throughout history. Early on it was thought the practice prevented a dog from contracting the rabies virus. Another more plausible reason was that long tails could easily be injured as the dogs plunged through brush and thicket to perform their duties, whether those duties were assisting hunters or herding livestock.

Eng. Ch. Mars, a dog of the early 20th century. This photo bore the caption, “That these dogs are really Setters is proved by their appearance, which closely resembles the English Setter, though the name Épagneul is used in France.”

Much speculation exists as to which spaniel and which setter form the basis for the dog from Brittany. Attempts to determine which breeds specifically might be credited for its development are of little consequence in that the heritage of any of the spaniels of that era was questionable at best. In England, the main source of the spaniel stock, littermates often were considered different breeds depending upon how large they grew or what they looked like at maturity. To further complicate matters, the French were known to have bred their setters to some of the imported spaniels to enhance scenting ability and improve staunchness.

An English Springer Spaniel, a breed closely related to and part of the ancestry of the Brittany.

NO TAILS

The first dog in French Spaniel history to be born without a tail is said to be the result of a cross between a French Spaniel and an English Setter. At first, this natural phenomenon was to be considered a distinctive and highly desirable trait of the breed being formed. Later, it was agreed that dogs born with tails could also be registered but their tails had to be docked close to the body.

Also popular among the French peasantry were the pointing breeds known as the Braques. It would be difficult to entirely deny the existence of the latter in the breeds that contributed to the genealogy of the Brittany Spaniel.

There is clear indication that there was at least some tendency to a very short tail or no tail at all in the initial crosses that produced the Brittany and that the colour was often white-orange or white-liver. The short tail was preferred as it was less likely to get torn by the heavy cover of the region. The more supple spaniel skin was also preferred as it lessened the likelihood of damage in the region’s dense brush.

The spaniel most often credited as the cornerstone for the development of the Brittany is the Welsh Springer Spaniel. There is little doubt that spaniel blood does indeed course through the veins of today’s Brittany, but to give his origin over entirely to spaniel blood would be shortsighted. Doing so would be to discount the upstanding profile and entirely un-spaniel-like character of the modern Brittany.

Although controversy may still exist as to the specific breeds used to found the basis for the Brittany, there is certainly no doubt that the end justified the means. The French produced a dog that delights all those who share their interests afield with their Brittanys, and a breed that provides great companionship for those who appreciate the breed simply for its great intelligence and enthusiastic temperament.

STANDARDIZING THE BREED

The first dogs to be shown in France that actually fit the description of the Brittany began to appear in the last decade of the 1800s. They were at first shown in a miscellaneous class open to all French Spaniels. At the same time, they participated in field trials.

Working dogs from France classified as Braques are cited in the genealogy of the Brittany Spaniel.

LEGEND HAS IT

Legend would have us believe that the first Brittany Spaniel came about when an old French hunter and guide surreptitiously bred his liver and white female hunting dog to one of the dogs owned by a visiting English hunter. The resulting litter contained a mixture of black and white and orange and white puppies and at least one without a tail. The tailless dog proved to be a great hunter and the dog upon which the entire breed is based.

Interest grew on both levels, and the development of railroads at the turn of the century gave Frenchmen an opportunity to hunt areas that were previously largely inaccessible. Interest in Brittany’s own versatile spaniel grew rapidly as the hunters began to recognize both the remarkable scenting powers and the great adaptability of the breed.

In 1907 Arthur Enaud, M. de Fougeres and Dr. Gastel called a meeting at Loudeac, France to draw up a standard for their breed of choice and form a club for the advancement of the breed. Their efforts were finalized and the first Brittany Spaniel Club was formed.

Although World War I seriously crippled the efforts of many Brittany fanciers, the breed had become too popular and admired to fall into obscurity. Through the war years breeding programs, though curtailed, were carried on and the breed emerged ahead of where it had been before the war years.

THE WORD SPREADS

The Brittany was embraced and utilized on the Continent early on in the breed’s development. In America acceptance was early and the Brittany earned enormous favor, fortunately among those dedicated to maintaining the breed’s great ability in the field.

Although the Brittany’s origin, at least in part, takes one back to British roots, acceptance was much slower in the UK. Although held in high regard among those who used the Brittany in the field, the first Field Trial Champion was not recorded until Angie Lewises’ Riscoris Fleur De Lys earned the title in 1987.

The Kennel Club did not award Challenge Certificate (CC) status to Brittanys until 1997, after which time several Show Champions were made up. In 1999 Michael and Pauline Beaven’s Eng. Ch. Tchao de L’Hospitaier at Brittyfull became the first “full” (field and bench) champion recorded for the breed.

COLOR

The earliest dogs known as the Brittany Spaniels were orange and white and liver and white. Later, to assist in maintaining the desired rich pigment the color black was permitted. In the USA, black on the coat is a disqualification.

Tchao was bred in Belgium by Georgine Dieck Weber and purchased by the Beavens as a puppy. He enjoyed an outstanding career in the show ring and completed his Show Championship at the 1998 Windsor Championship Show.

It is, however, the enormous immediate popularity of the breed in America and the changes that surrounded that popularity that make a brief retelling of those events noteworthy.

The versatile Brittany can be an excellent retriever in water or on land if properly trained.

The first Brittany Spaniels that appeared in North America were those imported by Señor Juan Pagibet of Villa Obregon near Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1928. The next individual of note to import the breed was Louis A. Thebaud, who brought the breed to the United States in 1933. Upon Mr. Thebaud’s request, the French Kennel Club sent him the Brittany Spaniel’s standard of perfection in July 1934. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized the breed in August of that same year, but did not approve the standard until March 1935 after an acceptable translation had been completed.

America was the first country in the world not to refer to the spaniel from France as the Brittany Spaniel. Here it is simply called the Brittany. The actual reason for the change was created by the American Brittany Club (ABC), a splinter group of the original Brittany Spaniel Club of North America (BSCNA), which had been founded in 1936. World War II all but destroyed the original club and the rapidly rising popularity of the Brittany stimulated interest in forming a new club—the ABC.

Just back from a water retrieve, all he wants is his owner’s approval and appreciation. A Brittany thrives on his owner’s praise.

The AKC questioned the fact that “Brittany” stood alone in the club’s name. The club, however, challenged the AKC’s objection, stating that spaniels flushed their game and that the Brittany was a pointing dog, and not actually a true spaniel. Eventually the BSCNA and the ABC were to merge under the name of the latter and the name “Brittany” was officially adopted. The Kennel Club in Britain has also adopted this name for the French spaniel.

A MAXIMUM OF QUALITY

Gaston Pouchain, past president of the Kennel Club of France and the Brittany Spaniel Club of France, captured the essence of the breed most admirably when he described his breed as “A maximum of quality in a minimum size.”

Confirming the accuracy of Pouchain’s apt description is the phenomenal world-wide growth in popularity of the breed in less than 100 years. When one stops to consider the fact that the Brittany was not breeding true to type until approximately 1910, the standardization and international acceptance are amazing.

The liver tri-color, shown here, is acceptable but not preferred in AKC shows.

There can be no doubt that dedication to dual purpose has genuinely assisted in maintaining the breed’s true character. Responsible breeders continually strive to improve the conformation of the dogs they produce. However, no attempts are made to have the Brittany bred and shown for purely esthetic purposes. Thus, the hunting instinct remains foremost in the breed’s character.