Épagneul Breton

Originating from Brittany in the 19th century, the Brittany Spaniel descends from European hunting spaniels, possibly crossed with English setters. Initially developed for woodcock and partridge hunting, the breed gradually refined itself. Officially recognized in 1907, it conquered European dog shows while remaining a staple of the French hunting field. Its international success testifies to its ability to combine hunting performance and domestic adaptability.

The Brittany Spaniel is described by the FCI standard as a dog adaptable to any environment, sociable and balanced. It is an obedient dog, very intelligent, easy to train and which presents strong training abilities. Of a balanced character, it can also make a good companion dog because it does not have an aggressive temperament, even though it is quite independent. Affectionate and sociable, it gets along well with its peers, as well as with children. Lively and sporty, endowed with excellent sense of smell, it is a born hunter who prefers the countryside to the city, but can be satisfied with apartment life if taken out regularly.

The Brittany Spaniel is a sporting spaniel, compact, and solidly built without being heavy. Small in size - it is the smallest of gun dogs -, it appears high on its legs. Some Brittany Spaniels are born with a naturally short tail, so they are said to be born 'anurous' and others, with a long tail, although Brittany Spaniels do not have very long tails unlike French spaniels. If born with too long a tail, it is usually shortened to three to ten centimeters (one to four inches), in countries authorizing tail docking. Slightly oblique and oval, the eyes are a color in harmony with the coat. The drooping ears are triangular in shape, short and wide. The coat is of moderate length, dense, flat, or wavy, with slight fringes on the ears and paws. Fringes of greater length adorn the front and rear limbs. Too much fringe is undesirable, as it hinders the dog's work in the brush. The most common color for the Brittany Spaniel is orange (fawn) on a white background. Other colors are widespread: brown and white (most frequent color until the 1930s), black and white, as well as tricolor black-white-orange and brown-white-orange. All these color combinations have been admitted since 1956, black having been prohibited in earlier standards, either with pure white (white) or with roan white (mixture of white and orange hair) or grizzled (mixture of white and black hair). The American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club still do not identify black as an acceptable color for the breed (in these countries, it is grounds for disqualification), despite the fact that it is recognized worldwide and, especially, in its country of origin, France.