atghylin Posted October 11, 2003 Posted October 11, 2003 I'm going to start from the beginning so please bear with me here... Back in the mid-80's Mom bought Dad an orange and white Brittany female as a part time hunter and full time family dog. She was named Millie. (This was before Bush took office and HIS Millie became famous for kicking him out of his bedroom when she gave birth.) She came from excellent hunting lines and she was the only puppy in her litter that was sniffing around the base of a tree when Mom went to the breeder's home to take a look. For as long as I can remember Dad always took Millie hunting with him when he could. They had a very strong partnership. To the point that when Dad could not take Millie with him she would lay by the front door and cry until he came home then propmtly turn her back on him when he did. To her it was an grave insult to be left behind when he went hunting. Unfortunately, about 6 years ago Mom had to euthinize(sp?) her because she had developed tumors in her throat. :cry: A few months later Dad picked up a 6 month old black lab, Abby, he had hoped would be his next hunting dog. This did not happen! Abby prefered to play "keep away" or "catch me if you can" when out hunting. To top it off she would stop playing with Dad and start plucking the bird she was suppose to retrieve. :roll: After several incidents like this Dad has firmly retired her to the house as a family dog only. He keeps saying he wants to get rid of her because she cannot hunt but... he has three grandsons, and a fourth on the way, that will be VERY upset if he does and he knows it. As he adores his grandsons greatly Abby will be staying put until she is called to the rainbow bridge. :wink: Recently my sister and her husband bought an orange and white male brittany to go hunting with. His name is Copper. Copper really upsets Dad because niether my sister or her husband have been very aggressive on his training. He is about 8 months old now and instead of heading out on his first hunting trip, Copper is sitting at home learning how to sit. Dad has become even more upset since learning that Copper doesn't have the first inkling on how to retrieve. What makes this even more upsetting to Dad is Copper's lines. He comes from several generations of Champion Hunters. SEVERAL GENERATIONS! And they have done very little training. :evil: Dad is always talking about finding a new hunting dog. He keeps mentioning a Golden Retriever but this is not where his heart lays. Mom, my sister, and I all see it when ever he talks about Copper. He gets angry about his lack of training. And keeps saying what an excellent hunting partner he would be if only my brother-in-law would get more agressive on his training. Then he starts talking about Millie. He always reminses(sp?) about their hunting adventures... they are adventures when he tells them. :wink: And you can see it in his face and hear it in his voice... he misses Millie a great deal. The first time in years he went to a field trial for hunting dogs was last spring and Mom says he brought his gun along just in case they needed an extra spotter. But he doesn't want another Brittany. :roll: There isn't a soul in the family that believes him. His heart lays with the brittany. :iloveyou: Mom has decided that some time in the next year Dad is going to get another Brittnay. Only this time he's going to get a Tri-colored one. He will, of course, get another female since he prefers to work with them as opposed to males. I would very much like to see Dad with a new hunting partner. I know he will be a much happier man with one. Soooo... I have volunteered to start the "hunt" so to speak. Mom works all week and is generally so busy over the weekend she has very little time to do any searching. I, on the other hand, am a stay-at-home-mom with no running vehicale to get around in, therefore I have more time to aggresively search. Mom had told me that Dad would like to be the one to pick out his new hunting partner so the best breeder would have to be within driving distance. As there are thousands of sites out there for "potential" breeders I would greatly appreciate some help, if it can be given. But... more importantly I would like to have the Dogo seal of apporval(sp?) before I suggest a breeder I have found to Mom. I will be posting several sites over time to get your oppions on them. I know many of you may be able to pick up on bad things with these breeders that I or my mom would not be able to. With that in mind I begin my hunt and thank you for your help in advance. :D Amanda Quote
courtnek Posted October 11, 2003 Posted October 11, 2003 Go for it - we'll help if we can... as far as the lab, they make great hunting dogs generally, but they require ALOT of training in both obedience and hunting skills. They are basically big babies and want to play all the time.....same with Goldens... Spaniels and pointers, for some reason, appear easier to train and they concentrate more on the task at hand, but they still, obviously in the case of the brother in law's dog, require dedicated training. The funny thing is, one of my girls is a Lab/Pointer mix. She both retrieves, and points, without ever having been trained.....she has pointed since puppyhood all on her own, and I think I spent maybe an hour getting her to bring the ball back when she was a puppy after I'd throw it. Maybe he'd be better with a mix? Just a thought Quote
atghylin Posted October 11, 2003 Author Posted October 11, 2003 Abby is a big goof-ball. She will retreive perfectly in the yard and during training but once out in the field... She loses it! It's not that she doesn't know how but that she doesn't want to. It's almost if she knows that once she brings that bird back she'll have to wait until the next shot is fired before she play agian. As for the mix... sorry. His heart is too frimly set. The truth is Dad has not been completely happy without Millie. He's been miserable and when he starts talking about her... well you'd have see him to really understand. Those two seemed to have completed each other and I would LOVE to see that again. The bottom line....he needs a new Brittany! Quote
courtnek Posted October 11, 2003 Posted October 11, 2003 If his heart is set on it than so be it...but be aware that even if he gets another Brittany, it may not turn out like Millie...I just dont want him to get all heartbroken again..... As far as Abbey....yep, typical Lab....The ones who are successful at Field work have to be stood on and "reminded" repeatedly to obey. They are just big, wandering, "I-Wanna-Run" dogs. The poeple I know who hunt them have told me they have trained hunting dogs their whole lives, but had to have THIS one professionally trained.... Mine's biggest flaw is recall...she will always come when called from in the yard, sure, of course, she CANT get away and she KNOWS it....let her out of the yard, however, and all recall training flies to the wind and she's off like a shot.....and then we have a merry chase around the neighborhood...ironically, I can get her to come back by offering to play ball, her favorite game....I throw, she fetches, until my arm wears out... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted October 11, 2003 Posted October 11, 2003 The poeple I know who hunt them have told me they have trained hunting dogs their whole lives, but had to have THIS one professionally trained.... Mine's biggest flaw is recall...she will always come when called from in the yard, sure, of course, she CANT get away and she KNOWS it....let her out of the yard, however, and all recall training flies to the wind and she's off like a shot.... Oh don't say that! Why you gota go and say that?? :lol: I don't plan on hunting with Coal, but I don't wana hear about how labs are hard to train! :lol: As for the Britany, oooh, their so pretty! I can't really help ya out on the search thing or put in my two cents of the Dogo Seal of Aproval, because I don't know too much about breeders, but I can do this... WISH YOU LOTS OF LUCK!! :D :D Quote
atghylin Posted October 11, 2003 Author Posted October 11, 2003 it may not turn out like Millie This is the main reason for looking at a Tri-color Brittany instead of an orange and white. And we understand this... we just want to see him happy with a new partner. Now I had a site but I goofed and closed my IE while trying to post it give me a few minutes and I'll try it again... Quote
courtnek Posted October 11, 2003 Posted October 11, 2003 sorry Shara, but that's the truth.... :oops: They are very intelligent, some of them too much for their own good, which is why you have to stand on them during obedience training...If trained well while puppies, they are better at obedience than if you try to start later in life....training for the hunt is different than basic obedience, but obedience plays a big part in it. And being intelligent, they seem to know when they can thwart the odds....like Freebee...and my ex would not let me take her for obedience training, saying HE could do it.....yea, right.....I realized right off the bat she was a problem child....now not ALL of them are as difficult as she is...it depends on the particular dog, so you may have no obedience problems with Coal. She is very stubborn, very willfull, and smart enough to know when she can get away.... that's why I dont take her to dog parks offleash...that, and she is very dominant. Stubborn little creep.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I love her though.... Quote
atghylin Posted October 11, 2003 Author Posted October 11, 2003 Here it is.... http://french-brittany.com/plumcreek.htm This breed is not the same. This is apperantly a parent breed... I think? I also have no idea if Mom will yes to this or not but just in case... what do you think? Quote
Aonir Posted October 11, 2003 Posted October 11, 2003 Spanaway, WA http://members.aol.com/SunnyvaleB/brittanys.html Theres the only other one I found :( Quote
ellieangel Posted October 11, 2003 Posted October 11, 2003 I think Brittany's are lovely dogs not unlike the springer :wink: There is no shame in wanting a particular breed I wanted a springer as my first dog and I particularly wanted a liver and white bitch.......doesn't make me a bad person !! If your Dad has his heart set on it then I don't see why he shouldn't go for it,I hope you will keep us posted :wink: Quote
Black GSD Posted October 12, 2003 Posted October 12, 2003 Actually from the sounds of it those "french" Brittanys ARE the same thing. The dogs from the first kennel you posted are AKC registered too. When you say it must be "within driving distance" driving distance from WHERE??? (I know where you are. Are your parnets here too?) Just wondered since tht first site is in SD. Which sounds a little farther than "driving distance" from WA. Also , I'm sure you know that you had best be looking for breeders that breed FOR hunting ability. (Right? :D ) AND, since you want a Tri-color it may take a LONG time to find since this is NOT a popular color for the breed. Is a Liver and White not an option? Also when you say Tri colored, do you mean TRUE tri colored (BLACK, Tan(or orange) and White) or do you mean a Liver Tri? (Liver, Tan(or orange) and White.) Quote
abker17 Posted October 12, 2003 Posted October 12, 2003 Good luck on u're search! Brittany's are beautiful dogs, there was a brown and white one in my agility class. :D He was very obediant, but when on the course he had a tendencey to wander off, and not pay attention. :( U know u'll have to post lots of puppy pics..... :wink: Keep us updated! Quote
abker17 Posted October 12, 2003 Posted October 12, 2003 AND, since you want a Tri-color it may take a LONG time to find since this is NOT a popular color for the breed. Is a Liver and White not an option? Also when you say Tri colored, do you mean TRUE tri colored (BLACK, Tan(or orange) and White) or do you mean a Liver Tri? (Liver, Tan(or orange) and White.) :o I didn't even know there was such thing as a tri-colored Brittany. :o Anyone got a pic, I'd like to see one. Quote
Black GSD Posted October 12, 2003 Posted October 12, 2003 See that is the thing. According to the AKC standard. Black (either on the nose OR coat) is a disqualification. (So I would think that there aren't many breeders that breed them. At least I HOPE there aren't)) But Liver Tri are "allowed but not preferred." On the first site she listed they DID have black tris. And according to the site, their dogs ARE AKC registered. Have a look here.http://french-brittany.com/champs.htm Quote
abker17 Posted October 12, 2003 Posted October 12, 2003 Thanks for the link BlackGSD. :) Learn somethin' new every day, eh? :) Quote
atghylin Posted October 12, 2003 Author Posted October 12, 2003 Mom and I had never heard of a Tri-colored Brittanly either until she started looking earlier this year. She says she would like to get a registered Brittany so I assume she means a Liver Tri-color. When you say it must be "within driving distance" driving distance from WHERE??? Yes, my parents live in Moses Lake too. But driving distance to my Dad could mean SD. For all I know he may be willing to drive that far to get a Brittany. Please keep in mind that he doesn't know that we are doing this and won't until he's told that we have found a breeder. This is a surprise! :bday: As for the "french" Brittany... I had never heard of them being distinquished from Brittanies like this. I thought that ALL Brittanies were just Brittanies, not "french" or "american". Learn somethin' new every day, eh? You most certainly do, abker... especially around here. :wink: Quote
atghylin Posted October 12, 2003 Author Posted October 12, 2003 Aomir, I looked at the site you found. Unfortunately they do not have any litters planed at the moment. :( I will keep an eye on them though, thanks. http://members.rogers.com/ataboy/brittanybreedstandard.htm I'm not sure about these folks. :-? They say that you have to buy a bag of Pro Plan puppy food from them when you buy a puppy... at least that is the impression I got from this site. I'm not sure what Mom feeds excatly but I don't think it's Pro Plan. On the other hand, they do have a litter planned for birth in a couple of weeks. What do you think? Should I recommend them to Mom? Quote
courtnek Posted October 12, 2003 Posted October 12, 2003 They probably feed the dogs Pro Plan now....and it's usually a good idea to keep the dog on the food it's accustomed to for a while after you get, then you can gradually change it over to what you want to feed it. It may just be a safeguard to make sure the puppies eat in a new environment. A new house, new people, strange sights, scents and sounds...at least the food is something they are familiar with. When I adopted Laurel, they gave me a bag of the food she ate, but it turned out she liked what i feed better, so the switchover took maybe two days.... Quote
atghylin Posted October 12, 2003 Author Posted October 12, 2003 http://www.topperlynkennels.com/ I really like this one. These people are serious about their pups' well being through out life. What do you guys think? Quote
Black GSD Posted October 13, 2003 Posted October 13, 2003 atghylin napisał(a):http://www.topperlynkennels.com/ I really like this one. These people are serious about their pups' well being through out life. What do you guys think? I like the looks of this one. (They also have colors besides Orange.) The other one probably doesn't have anything other than the basic "Orange" do they? Also, I personally HATE breeders that try to tell you what to feed your dog. IMO, they should give their opinion and some FREE kibble that they have been feeding the pups and let YOU go from there. Since you don't want an Orange one, it would probably be best to stay away from your "basic" Brittany breeders. (Meaning those that breed to the AKC standard. ) As my guess is that it will be VERY tough to find any color other than Orange from one of these breeders. (Even Liver and White really isn't THAT popular. Let alone Tri.) Quote
Black GSD Posted October 13, 2003 Posted October 13, 2003 courtnek napisał(a): When I adopted Laurel, they gave me a bag of the food she ate, but it turned out she liked what i feed better, so the switchover took maybe two days.... IMO, THIS is the thing. They should GIVE you some of the food that the pup has been eating. Not FORCE you to BUY it from THEM. A lot of breeders with this type of mindset also void their guarantee if you DON"T feed the food THEY TELL YOU TO!!! :evil: Quote
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