“The épagneul breton of good origin is a very hardy dog, which points by instinct, searches at a gallop, is always on the move, searches everywhere in anticipation of a find, and doesn’t mess around. He is a bundle of nerves with unfailing stamina, which no thicket can stop.

Very intelligent, he loves his master, listens to him, has his eye on him at all times, waiting only for a gesture or a sign to obey, even seeming to go ahead of the desire of the one who employs him.

His nose is good and, as the dog knows how to use it, one is astonished to see the results that one obtains with such a small dog. The Breton dog, which is above all a dog of the plains, excels in hunting woodcock in the woods and in the thicket, and he unravels the trail of the woodcock with rare skill.

What can be said of his courage and endurance? He would not be a Breton if he did not have a heart… He retrieves with pleasure and makes an excellent retriever in the woods as in the marsh.

When I have told you that, by his very nature, he is the faithful companion of his master and the friend of their children, I shall have described his good character.”

-L. Lefournier for L’Eleveur Magazine, France, 1908. Translation from “L’Épagneul Breton” by R. Munsch, 1937

Such is the description of the early Brittany, known as the épagneul breton in France, their country of origin. This is still what we strive for today: a hardy, obedient dog, with equal desires to work and to cooperate with the hunter.

The recorded history of the modern Brittany traces back to the province of Brittany, France in the late 1800s and early 1900s with cobby épagneuls (small, long-haired hunting dogs) in the province of Breton, or Brittany. The story goes that these small épagneuls belonged to the commoners and were sometimes used to poach game from the estates of the aristocracy, who were the only ones permitted to hunt in 1800s France.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, by most historic accounts, setters brought across the English channel to hunt in Brittany were crossed with the native dogs, setting their strong point, but the overall form and hunting style (closer ranging and hunting as a gallop, with a higher point than a setter) were maintained in these small, cobby dogs that became the foundation of the modern Brittany. The first Brittany was exhibited at a dog show in Paris in 1896, but it was not awarded.

From 1903 to 1906, a handful of Brittanys were awarded at the Parisian exhibitions, and in 1907, they earned their own class for the first time. At this time, liver and white Brittanys were by far the most common coloration, though some orange and white were present. The first Brittany entered in a field trial in France in 1902 won first prize.

The first standard was drafted in 1907 and finalized in 1908. It dictated a height about 50 cm (19.7 inches) and called for a dog “close to the ground, short of loins, round head, rather short ear, relatively little feathering, flat coat on the body, wavy feathering, never curled, cob type, tail always naturally short, about 10 cms. Elegant dog, though stocky and well-built, with energetic movements and intelligent physiognomy; having the appearance of a pedigree cob; hunting preferably at a galop.”

The original standard also included black pigmentation, but the inclusion of black was unanimously eliminated upon review, in order to prevent further potential crossbreeding with English dogs that commonly carried black.

After WWI, the standard was reviewed and the preferred height was reduced to 45 cm (17.7 inches) with a maximum of 50 cm (19.7 inches) and additional 2 cm allowance for males (20.47 inches) which brings us quite close to the height set in the American standard today (17.5-20.5 inches).

Brittanys were imported to the North America at about this time, first to Mexico, then to the United States. The American Kennel club officially recognized the Brittany in August of 1934. The French Kennel Club set the standard of perfection for Brittanys in America at that time, though the AKC did not accept it until an English translation was made by Clara G. Perry, who was the first person to exhibit Brittanys in shows in the United States.

The original club for the breed in the United States was the Brittany Spaniel Club of North America, but membership and participation were significantly reduced by WWII. The American Brittany Club was founded in 1942 and took over as the national breed club, a position it still occupies today. We encourage our puppy families to join the ABC!

Meanwhile, in France, both World Wars had put a significant dent in the large kennels that were popular in the early 1900s and had been necessary for establishing and maintaining the breed. In an effort to open up the gene pool, black in the nose and coat was allowed in the standard beginning in 1956. During this period, there was still some importation and exchange between France and America, but it has slowly reduced, and now many consider “American Brittanys” and “épagneul bretons” to be functionally different breeds. They are registered separately in the United Kennel Club (UKC) but as the same breed in the AKC. Black remains a disqualification in the show ring for Brittanys in the AKC.

Since their importation to the United States, Brittanys have become popular in American style field trials. From the beginning of the importation of the breed, this has created some pressure to breed for further ranging, faster running, longer legged dogs that can compete with setters and pointers, for whom the trials were designed. Brittanys proudly hold more Dual Champions (both bench and field champions) than any other pointing breed at 700+ and counting. This demonstrates that one need not diverge from the standard in order to produce an excellent field dog.

What’s in a name?

You may have heard the Brittany referred to as the “Brittany spaniel,” though they dropped the “spaniel” from the name in the US in 1982.

The nomenclature of the Brittany ties into the Brittany’s history both in France and the United States. In their native France, the Brittany has always been known as the “épagneul Breton” (or EB). In English, this was translated to “Brittany spaniel” because of the breed’s appearance and small size, as well as the similarity of the words “épagneul” and “spaniel.” Because of the history of hunting dogs in Europe, both words share the same root, which relates to the belief that hunting dogs of all varieties hailed from Spain. However, the spaniels of the British Isles and the épagneuls of France developed differently, with different purposes and working styles. The ancestors of setters were once called “spaniels” as well, but we understand that to call a setter a “spaniel” today would be inaccurate.

Although the word “épagneul” looks and sounds like “spaniel,” they are not used to describe the same types of dogs or the same working style. In the British Isles, the English word “spaniel” denoted a long-haired hunting breed that either specialized in flushing or water retrieval, or did both, but was specifically not a pointing breed. Breeds that could therefore properly be called “spaniels” include cocker spaniels, English and Welsh springer spaniels, Clumber spaniels, Sussex spaniels, or Irish water spaniels.

Because we speak English in the Americas, this is the predominant definition that most people hold, consciously or subconsciously, of the word “spaniel.” Other languages separate the two as well; in fact, in his 1960 book about pointing breeds of Europe and their histories, written in French, Jean Castaing actually uses the English word “spaniel” to refer to the spaniels of the British Isles and “épagneul” to refer to the French breeds. 

In France, going back again to the idea that hunting breeds had come from Spain, any long-haired hunting breed was known as an épagneul, such as an épagneul Picarde or épagneul Français, both of which are also pointing breeds, while the word “braque” was used to describe short-haired hunting breeds such as the braque du Bourbonnais, braque de l’Ariege, or braque d’Auvergne.

This discrepancy in definition is why, after being referred to as “Brittany spaniels” in English for much of their history, the American Brittany Club voted to drop the word “spaniel” and simply call the breed “the Brittany” in 1982 to reduce the confusion over our little “pointing spaniels.”

For a more comprehensive history of the breed, I recommend “The New and Complete Brittany” by Maxwell Riddle (1988) and “L’épagnuel Breton” by R. Munsch (1937) translated by G, Bagshaw. If you read or speak French, Jean Castaing’s “Les Chiens D’Arrêt” also has a section on the history of the Brittany.