French Brittany Care

The French Brittany (often called the Brittany Spaniel, or simply the Brittany) is the epitome of a hunting dog: athletic, intelligent, enthusiastic, and extremely loyal to its owners or trainers. Overall French Brittany care and maintenance won't take too much work, but will need to include a lot of daily exercise.

Below you'll find details on caring for a French Brittany including puppy development, exercise needs, and shedding/drooling tendencies. Find answers to your questions about raising a Brittany in the following sections!

As an energetic, athletic hunting breed, French Brittany exercise requirements are very high. Besides their athleticism, these dogs are intelligent and task-oriented, so they'll need a variety of activities that both condition them physically (walking, fetch) and stimulate them mentally (games, canine sports). They make good jogging and bicycling companions as well.

The typical adult Brittany will need 90 minutes or more of proper exercise each day. You can start exercising your Brittany puppy when it's three months old by taking it on short walks, then you can increase the walks' length as the pup grows.

Precautions with French Brittany exercise:

• Don't exercise puppies too hard before they're a year old
• High prey drive means a leash is required when exercising in public
• Yards should be securely fenced to keep the dog from running off
• Possible separation anxiety; exercises should be done together with people

Exercising your Brittany every day is a must. Without consistent activity, these active dogs will become frustrated, disobedient, and destructive--so regular exercise will be great for both the dog's and your own peace of mind! A few exercise ideas:

• Walking/Jogging/Bicycling: Two 30-minute walks (or 20-minute jogs or bike rides) per day is a good target
• Fetch/Frisbee: Brittanys love chasing a ball, stick, or Frisbee
• Hunting: Puts these dogs in their natural element
• Dog Park: Your Brittany will enjoy the company of other dogs
• Canine Sports: These dogs can excel at obedience or agility trials and other events
• Hiking: Excellent bonding activity; bonus if you can find a remote area where the dog can be off-leash

When indoors, give your Brittany access to balls or toys that will allow the dog to burn excess energy. It's also good to have a regular exercise schedule for the dog, such as walks, jogs, or bike rides after breakfast and dinner and playtime in the afternoon.

These dogs need moderate maintenance overall. French Brittany shedding is seasonal: fair for most of the year, but heavier during the twice-yearly shedding seasons. Drooling is a minor issue.

Brittanys have short, dense, double-layered coats that shed a fair amount most of the time--but when they blow their undercoats in the spring and fall, the shedding is more profuse. Owners can brush their Brittanys twice a week or so with a bristle or pin brush to help collect dead hairs, and cleanup--vacuuming the floors, and lint rollers on clothes and furniture--will be necessary from time to time, but won't be a constant chore. (Brushing and cleanup will obviously be required more often during shedding season.)

And a Brittany may drool a bit in anticipation of food, after drinking water, or when especially excited or nervous--but the drooling definitely won't be heavy and frequent like that of a Saint Bernard or Bloodhound. If your French Brittany is drooling excessively, it might be a sign of a medical issue, in which case a veterinarian's care is needed.