¶Table of Contents
¶Quick Facts
The Brittany (Breton) is the smallest of the pointing breeds, but works as a full-sized gundog. The breed comes from France, has FCI number 95 and belongs to group 7. In Sweden, it is used chiefly to hunt game birds lying tight in cover and to retrieve on land and from water.
- Dogs should stand 48–51 centimetres at the withers and bitches 47–50 centimetres. The standard permits a deviation of 1 centimetre beyond these limits but gives no weight.
- The Brittany (Breton) needs to quarter, use its nose, run freely and work with its handler. The Swedish Kennel Club expressly says that anyone who does not intend to hunt would probably be better served by another breed.
- The breed standard describes the Brittany (Breton) as balanced and sociable. The Swedish Kennel Club highlights energy, intelligence, willingness to cooperate and low aggression, but every dog must still be assessed as an individual.
- Both parents must have an official recorded hip dysplasia result for a litter to be registered in Sweden. The breed club's good-breeding guidelines are stricter than the minimum rules.
- Lumbosacral transitional vertebra, LTV, is not covered by a mandatory Swedish health programme for the breed. The breed club nevertheless encourages voluntary spinal screening alongside hip screening.
The decisive question is not how many minutes of exercise you can provide, but whether you can offer suitable work, safe off-lead movement, training and recovery over many years.
¶Appearance & Coat
The Brittany (Breton) should be compact, square and strong without appearing heavy or coarse. Body length should equal height at the withers. Solid bone, a short back and well-muscled legs enable the dog to work at a gallop across fields, mountains and woodland. Movement should be easy, powerful and lively.
Ideal height is 49–50 centimetres for dogs and 48–49 centimetres for bitches. The standard gives no weight. Figures in breed guides are therefore only estimates and should not be used to force a dog towards a particular number on the scales. Assess body condition, muscle, structure and working ability instead.
The coat should be fine but not silky. It lies flat or is slightly wavy and must never be curly. There is feathering on the backs of the legs. Permitted colours are white with irregular orange, liver or black patches. Pied and roan coats, ticking and tan markings occur, while a solid-coloured coat is not permitted.
The tail may be long, naturally short or absent. Most Brittanys in Sweden have a long tail. The standard's 3–6 centimetres and maximum of 10 centimetres refer to a docked tail, not a natural one; docking is prohibited in Sweden. At registration, the dog is recorded as tailless or as having a bobtail, short tail, full-length tail or a tail that was legally docked abroad.
Coat care should follow the dog's daily life. Brush out loose hair and tangles, bathe when the coat is dirty, and check paws, skin, ears and feathering after work in cover. Dry the dog after water retrieves. Do not use an ear cleaner unless there is a need or your vet advises it.
¶Temperament & Personality
The Brittany (Breton) should be balanced, sociable, attentive and willing to cooperate. Contact with the handler is a working trait: the dog must hunt independently while remaining in touch and responsive at a distance. That is more informative than simply calling the breed cuddly, sensitive or easy to train.
The Swedish breeding strategy calls for more dogs to be assessed through BPH or MH. There is therefore no support for the detailed Swedish BPH profiles sometimes presented in search results. Meet the parents and mature relatives instead. Watch how they recover after surprises, cope with noise and unfamiliar surroundings, greet people and dogs, and switch from work to rest.
High energy can lead to unruly behaviour when the dog does not understand what is expected. Simply trying to tire it out is not enough. Practise waiting calmly, handling, undisturbed sleep and settling between activities. Clear reward-based training builds cooperation without suppressing the dog's initiative in the field.
Life with children requires adult supervision, clear rules and a place where the dog can be left in peace. A lively youngster may knock over a small child despite being friendly. Cats may be compatible after a slow, controlled introduction, but a bird dog's hunting instinct makes outdoor behaviour less predictable. Birds, rabbits and small rodents must be capable of being kept physically separate. With other dogs, too, the individual, its experience and play style matter more than a general description of low aggression.
¶Training & Exercise
The Brittany (Breton) needs gundog training and off-lead movement on suitable ground, not merely walks or a prescribed number of exercise hours. The Swedish Kennel Club's advice is clear: if hunting is not part of the plan, there are probably better breed choices. Dog sports, running and scent work are valuable additions, but do not automatically turn the breed into a purely companion dog.
During a hunt, the dog quarters for birds and adjusts to wind and terrain. On finding scent, it should hold a firm point. On command, it moves forward and flushes the bird, then must remain steady so that a safe shot can be taken. It should subsequently find, retrieve and deliver the bird, including from water. Quartering, stop, retrieve and cooperation are therefore trained as parts of the same job.
Build recall and a stop cue from an easy environment towards longer distances and harder distractions. Use a long line or enclosed ground to prevent the dog from pursuing wildlife. Cues reduce the risk but do not remove hunting instinct; near traffic, livestock and wildlife, a lead may be the only safe option.
No authoritative source provides a universal formula in minutes. Consider instead whether the dog uses its nose and body, can run safely, recovers well and settles at home. Develop a puppy's fitness, body awareness and stamina gradually. Adapt longer runs, pulling work and other repetitive exercise to age, health and training history.
Keep the dog physically and mentally fit before the season rather than trying to condition it rapidly when hunting begins. After a demanding day it needs water, food and sleep, as well as checks of its paws, skin, claws and movement.
¶Health
The Brittany (Breton) is covered by a mandatory Swedish hip dysplasia, or HD, programme. Under the Swedish Kennel Club's registration rules for 2026, both parents must have a known official HD result before mating. A dog graded HD E must not be used for breeding. Under the general rule, a dog graded D may only be mated to a dog graded A or B, and a dog with clinical signs must not be bred from regardless of its radiographic result.
The Swedish Brittany club's rules for puppy advertisements are stricter: both parents must be graded HD A or B, and the litter's estimated HD index must be at least 100 when an index is available. The club also requires field-trial and show results. These club requirements are not the same as the Swedish Kennel Club's registration rules.
HD is complex. Two dogs with A or B hips can still produce offspring with dysplasia. Ask about the parents' results, the litter's index and hip results in siblings, previous offspring and older relatives. Official HD radiographs can be taken from 12 months of age.
LTV is a congenital change at the junction of the lumbar spine and sacrum. A Norwegian study of HD radiographs from 14 breeds included 835 Brittanys and found LTV in 46.2 per cent of the sample. Types 2 and 3 were statistically associated with mild and severe HD. That figure is neither the Swedish prevalence nor an individual dog's risk of illness.
Sweden has no mandatory LTV programme for the Brittany (Breton), and the prevalence and clinical significance in the country are uncertain. The breed club encourages voluntary spinal radiographs alongside HD screening. Ask which relatives have been examined, how the images were assessed and how the results influenced the mating.
Eyes and epilepsy also call for specific but measured questions. The Swedish Kennel Club does not require an eye examination for registration, but the breed club's advertising rules exclude parents with certain confirmed forms of inherited cataract. Ask to see any eye certificates. The Swedish breeding strategy says the number of reliably diagnosed cases of idiopathic epilepsy is unknown and probably very small; a diagnosed dog must not be used for breeding. Ask about confirmed seizures and diagnoses in the family rather than accepting a vague assurance that the line is “healthy”.
¶History & Origins
The Brittany (Breton) was developed in Brittany in north-western France during the 1800s through crosses between setter-type dogs and local spaniel types. The first standard was established by the French breed club in 1908. Those facts are well documented; more detailed stories about named foundation dogs, a precise date or individual British shooting parties require their own evidence and are not central to the breed's history.
The breed was shaped as a compact pointing dog capable of finding game, pointing, advancing on command and retrieving. Its hunting function is therefore not a historical extra but the basis of both its structure and temperament.
The Brittany (Breton) reached Sweden via Norway. The first Norwegian dogs were imported from the United States in 1954, and the first dog arrived in Sweden in 1958. Today, its Swedish field work and breeding are overseen within the specialist club for Continental pointing dogs and the Swedish Brittany club.
¶Living with the Breed
A Brittany (Breton) can live in a flat if its routine meets the needs of a working bird dog. The size of the home cannot replace suitable ground, safe off-lead movement, gundog training and recovery. Long working days away from home require a sustainable arrangement for exercise, company and supervision.
Time alone should be taught gradually, not judged against a supposed breed limit expressed as a number of hours. Begin when the dog has been out and is calm, leave for a short time, and extend it only when the dog genuinely settles. A camera can reveal pacing, barking, howling, destructive behaviour or an inability to take food. If the dog shows clear distress, reduce the difficulty and seek professional help if needed.
After work, check for wounds, grass seeds, ticks, cracked pads, damaged claws and tenderness. Dry a wet dog, examine its ears and watch for any change in movement after rest. This is more useful than following a fixed timetable for bathing and ear cleaning.
Before buying a puppy, the breeder should be able to answer the following questions clearly:
- How are the parents used in practical shooting, and what do their field-trial results show about quartering, pointing, cooperation and retrieving?
- What are the parents' official HD results, what is the litter's index, and what hip results are recorded for close relatives?
- Have spinal radiographs for LTV or eye examinations been carried out, and what do the results and their limitations mean?
- Is there confirmed epilepsy, cataract, spinal disease or a pattern of recurring injury in the family?
- How do the parents react to noise, surprises, unfamiliar people and dogs, and how quickly do they recover?
- How have the puppies experienced people, surfaces, sounds, rest and handling, and how have they been introduced safely to the first elements of field work and home life?
Choose a Brittany (Breton) if you want to work with a pointing dog, have access to the right environment and value training that combines a wide-ranging search with reliable handler contact. This gives the breed's energy, intelligence and willingness to cooperate a clear purpose.
¶Characteristics
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Breed Type | Purebred |
| Aggressiveness | 3/5 |
| Child Friendly | 3/5 |
| Energy | 5/5 |
| Hair Shedding | 3/5 |
| Health | 3/5 |
| Intelligence | 4/5 |
| Grooming Needs | 2/5 |
| Learning Ability | 4/5 |
| Barking Level | 2/5 |
| Height | 47 – 51 cm |
| Weight | 20 – 23 kg |
| Life Expectancy | 12 – 13 years |
¶Frequently Asked Questions
What is the typical temperament of a Brittany and are they good family dogs?
They are generally friendly, affectionate, and highly people oriented. Most do very well in active families and tend to be gentle with children, but their energy level and enthusiasm can overwhelm very young kids if not supervised and trained. They thrive on close contact and tend to form strong bonds with their household.
How much exercise does a Brittany need each day?
This is a high energy pointing breed that usually needs at least 60 to 90 minutes of vigorous activity daily, not just casual walks. Off leash running in safe areas, field work, or structured sports such as agility and canicross suit them well. Without enough physical and mental exercise, they can become restless and develop problem behaviors.
Can a Brittany live in an apartment or is a house with a yard required?
Apartment living is possible if the dog receives plenty of daily outdoor exercise and mental stimulation. They do not self exercise in a yard, but a securely fenced space can be very helpful for safe off leash running. The key factor is how much time the owner can devote to activity, not the size of the home.
What health problems are most common in Brittanys?
They are generally robust, but can be prone to hip dysplasia, epilepsy, certain eye diseases such as cataracts, and ear infections due to their drop ears. Responsible breeders usually screen hips and eyes and monitor for seizure disorders in their lines. Regular veterinary checks and keeping the dog at a lean weight help reduce risk of joint and other health issues.
Are Brittanys easy to train or are they too independent?
They tend to be intelligent, eager to please, and very responsive to positive reinforcement methods. Their hunting heritage gives them a strong prey drive and enthusiasm in the field, so early recall training and impulse control are important. Harsh corrections usually backfire with this sensitive breed and can damage trust.
Does a Brittany get along with other pets, including cats?
Many live peacefully with other dogs and can coexist with cats if raised together and properly supervised. However, their natural instinct is to chase birds and small wildlife, so introductions to smaller pets should be done carefully. Individual temperament and early socialization make a big difference in how they handle multi pet homes.
How much grooming does a Brittany’s coat require and do they shed a lot?
The medium length, lightly feathered coat is relatively low maintenance compared with many sporting breeds. Weekly brushing is usually enough to remove loose hair and prevent tangles, with more frequent work during seasonal shedding and after time in fields or brush. They do shed year round, but not typically as heavily as many double coated breeds.
Is the Brittany a hypoallergenic breed?
No, this breed is not considered hypoallergenic. They shed and produce dander, which can trigger symptoms in people with dog allergies. Individuals with sensitivities should spend time around adult dogs of this breed before committing to ownership.
How suitable is a Brittany for hunting and field work today?
The breed was developed as a versatile bird dog and many still have strong natural pointing and retrieving ability. They can perform well in upland bird hunting, field trials, and hunt tests with appropriate training and conditioning. Even non hunting homes should provide outlets that mimic field work, such as scent games or search tasks.
How long do Brittanys live and what can owners do to support a long, healthy life?
Average life expectancy is often between 12 and 14 years, with some individuals living longer. Keeping them lean, well exercised, mentally engaged, and on a balanced diet helps maintain overall health. Regular veterinary care, hip and eye checks when young, and prompt treatment of ear or skin issues are also important for longevity.¶Comparisons with other breeds
Compare Brittany (Breton) with other breeds and see the differences in temperament, activity level, and care to make a confident choice. Show all comparisons
