Brittany Dog Breed Information

The Brittany is one of NZ’s most popular versatile gundogs, particularly among gamebird hunters who want a smaller, friendlier alternative to the German pointers. The breed points, holds steady, retrieves to hand and lives well in the house, which is a rare combination and the reason a Brittany is the default choice for many NZ rough-shooters working pheasant, quail and chukor on foot.

Adults stand 47 to 52 cm at the shoulder and weigh 14 to 18 kg, smaller than most pointing breeds. The dense flat or slightly wavy coat is short to medium in length, with light feathering on the legs and ears, in orange and white, liver and white, tricolour, or roan patterns. Lifespan is 12 to 14 years, which is long for an active gundog.

The signal that defines daily life with a Brittany is biddability paired with high drive. The breed wants to work, wants a job, and wants to please the handler doing it. That combination makes the Brittany easier to train than most continental pointers and a far easier house dog than a working-line German Shorthaired Pointer or Vizsla.

Personality and behaviour

Brittanys are deeply affectionate with the household, friendly with strangers and good with other dogs and children. The breed sits closer to the Labrador end of the gundog temperament spectrum than the high-strung end: sociable, openly happy, and eager to be wherever the family is.

Around children the breed is gentle and patient. The energy level is the watch-point, not the temperament; an adolescent Brittany can knock a toddler over without meaning to, but the underlying disposition is soft.

The trait that surprises new owners is sensitivity. The Brittany reads handler tone fast and shuts down with harsh corrections. Yelling at a Brittany puppy for chewing creates a Brittany adult who avoids the room when you raise your voice. The breed responds brilliantly to clear, calm, reward-based handling and frustratingly poorly to anything else.

The protective instinct is moderate. A Brittany will alert at the gate but is not a guard dog. The default reaction to a stranger at the door is curiosity, not warning.

Loneliness sits hard on the breed. A Brittany left alone for nine-hour workdays develops vocal and destructive habits within months. Daycare, lunchtime walkers, or a working-from-home household make the difference between a settled and an anxious adult.

Care and exercise

Plan on 75 to 90 minutes of exercise per day, with real off-lead running on safe ground. The breed needs to gallop, scent and problem-solve, not just walk. Tramping, beach running, retrieve work, scent games and gundog training all suit the breed. A pair of 30-minute on-lead walks holds weight but does not satisfy the underlying drive, and underexercised Brittanys become restless, vocal and chewy.

Grooming is light by gundog standards. Brush weekly through the dense flat coat, tidy the feathering on legs and ears occasionally, and bath only when needed. Most NZ owners never book a professional clip. After paddock, beach and rural walks, check ears (the dropped ear is a moisture and grass-seed trap) and clear seeds from feet and behind ears in summer.

Watch the weight. Pet-line Brittanys gain weight readily without daily running. Measure portions, weigh the dog every two months and split the day’s food into two meals.

Training a Brittany in New Zealand

Brittanys are among the most trainable continental gundogs. The breed combines high biddability, strong food and toy motivation and a willingness to work close to the handler that makes basic obedience and gundog work both straightforward.

In practice that means:

• Start training the day the puppy comes home. Crate, name, recall, sit, leash pressure, all in week one. The breed learns fast and learns unwanted behaviours just as fast.
• Reward-based methods only. Harsh handling sets the dog back weeks. Clear, calm, consistent rewards work brilliantly.
• Recall is the lifetime project. The pointing-retrieving drive overrides loose training in adolescence; build recall from puppyhood, escalate rewards through ages 8 to 18 months and use a long line in unfenced country.
• Gundog training suits the breed exactly. The NZ Gundog Trial Association runs field events for pointing breeds in most regions, and many Brittany pedigrees in NZ trace through trial-trained lines.
• Adolescence (8 to 18 months) is the testing phase. The puppy you raised becomes opinionated about recall, scent and boundaries. Don’t slacken the routine.
• Reward-based NZ trainers (K9, Bark Busters, NZIDT-accredited independents) and SPCA puppy classes all work well. Expect NZ$150 to NZ$300 for a six-week course.

Climate fit across New Zealand

The medium-length dense coat handles the full NZ climate range, with regional watch-points.

• Auckland and Northland. Summer heat is the main concern. The dense coat insulates more than it looks, and the breed’s working drive means dogs push through heat without self-regulating. Walk early or late, avoid midday December through February, and use sea or river swims to cool the dog.
• Wellington. Wind and rain are not problems for the coat. The breed suits the city’s outdoor walking culture and adapts well to townhouse and terrace living when the daily exercise plan is real. Towel down after wet walks.
• Christchurch and Canterbury. A natural fit. Cold winters are no issue and the plains, Port Hills and Banks Peninsula suit the breed’s working-pace style. Brittanys are common in Canterbury gamebird country, both as pet and trial dogs. Watch for grass-seed embedment in feet and ears through summer.
• Central Otago and Southland. Excellent fit. Long winter walks across hills and tussock, NZ Deerstalkers gamebird country, and lake-side exercise suit the breed exactly. Working-line Brittanys appear regularly in this region.

Where to find a Brittany in New Zealand

Three reasonable paths.

1. Registered NZKC breeders. The Dogs NZ breeders directory lists registered Brittany breeders by region. Expect a 6 to 12 month waitlist, NZ$2,000 to NZ$3,500 per puppy, and parent health screening (hip scores, eye certificates, thyroid where relevant). Working-line breeders may also share trial pedigree information; pet-line breeders typically focus on conformation and temperament.
2. NZ Gundog Trial Association contacts. Working Brittany litters often move within the trial and rough-shooting community before reaching public listings. A connection through a regional gundog club or NZ Deerstalkers gamebird group is a common way working puppies find experienced homes.
3. Rescue. Pure Brittany surrenders are uncommon at SPCA but occur a few times a year, typically adolescent dogs whose owners underestimated the energy. Brittany-cross dogs (often with Labrador or Spaniel) appear more regularly. Adoption fees NZ$300 to NZ$700.

Avoid Trade Me listings without parent health screening, and any breeder who can’t show you the dam in person. The breed’s dual pet-and-trial appeal means honest line information matters.

Working line vs pet line

Both register as the same breed but raise differently. Working-line Brittanys are leaner, faster, higher-drive and bred for trial and gamebird work. They suit gundog and active rural homes and can be too much for general pet life if the daily exercise structure is not real. Pet-line dogs are slightly stockier, calmer, and settle earlier as adults; they suit active suburban families well.

Many NZ Brittanys fall between the two extremes. Ask your breeder which lines the parents trace from and what the parents’ temperament is like as adults.