Duality and Vertebral Allocation

Victoria · Duality and Vertebral Allocation

I want this subject under its own heading because I believe it brings its own tangents.
I do not believe we should even consider the Breton as a dual purpose dog. He is multifunctional. Whilst he can be evaluated for work and beaute he is afterall happiest rough shooting where all his inherit senses and abilities become one. I am delighted to know that someone agrees with me and I quote Janet Menzies (The Field March 2007)...
rough-shooting is the acid test of dogwork. Here faults such as these (switching game, barking etc) are not only obvious to the gun but also make shooting impossible.... unquote.

Ghilliegumdrop

This is very true Victoria, he/she can do a lot of things that other breeds wouldn't consider......emptying the washing machine for one, retrieving blasted pigeons out of the back garden and putting the feathers all over the house for another.
Jan

kandjt

Thanks for bringing this topic up Victoria, as someone who is at his happiest with a gun and a dog in the field I heartily agree with your observation. I’ve shot over my Brittanies for 15 years and labs and springers for even longer. My Brits have done everything that I have asked of them, but I still use my lab for wildfowing, only because Fleur my first Brit struggled in the deep mud.

Jan I could add lots more to your list – opening and emptying fridges and cupboards, now fitted with child locks, - opening room doors, all doors now fitted with doorknobs rather than levers etc, etc.

Just last week the trainer at the training club we have just started going to asked me why I wanted a Brittany for? He was a little taken aback when I told him what my Brits could do. I think that far too many shooting people still relate Brits to Spaniels rather than HPRs, I guess that a legacy of the Brittany Spaniel tag.

Keith

Annie as admin

This is a good topic Smile

You are absolutely right, Victoria, that we should refer to them as multipurpose rather than dual purpose, but unfortunately there are only one or two 'testable' disciplines, which is probably why, I think, this term is used. I think we should start a campaign and maybe even get new stickers printed, instead of "Brittanys do it first, ask questions after" How about "Brittanys do it all, no question" Wink

Any other observations?Annie

Ghilliegumdrop

I like that......nearly as much as I liked my edit button[now sadly deseased]
Jan

Victoria

Britmania

I think they do belong with the HPR's , basically because they do Hunt, they do Point (or set depending on how technical you want to get) and they do Retrieve. Most people Barry and I speak to at Trials and hunting days cant understand WHY they are named "spaniel" when they are not a flushing dog (technically).We always have to tell the story of what the correct name is and how they actually work.

I think we have a unique breed to be treasured; maybe the club sticker could say -
BRITTANY's - DO IT ALL AND DO IT WELL.

Victoria

Thank you, Chris, Very Happy

I know they are HPR's but I dont want them to be cos they are so unique. Laughing

They are just so neat and my morning spent with Gaston after pheasant was wonderful even though we did not achieve our goal. To watch him working...!! Very Happy

Britmania

I know what you mean Victoria, the joy of working a gundog .......you cant beat it really, can you!!

Victoria

I am interested in why historically docked dogs were docked in the first place. Maxwell Riddle in his book The New Complete Brittany, an American publication writes, and I quote...

In 1807, Henry James Pye, Esquire wrote in the The Sportmam's Dictionary...
It is necessary that this be done when he is a whelp, for several reasons. First, by doing so, worms are prevented from breeding there; and in the next place, if it be not cut he will be less forward in pressing hastily into the coverts after his game, and besides it will make the dog appear more beautiful.
Riddle also quotes that there was a time when it was believed that docking the tail prevented rabies.

Annie as admin

Yes, that's what we've read over here too. I have a feeling I saw other reasons too - can't remember where. Something to do with Greek Mythology and Diana the Huntress I think. I certainly have never heard of the previous theory you mentioned about one puppy born short tailed being so much in demand that the breeder cut the others off. That seems a bit far fetched to me. Wink

Any idea where we could find out more theories? - it's quite interesting I think.
Annie

Victoria

Joel Vance, in his wonderful book 'Bobs, Brush and Brittanies' states
"the first naturally tail-less Brittany, the only pointing spaniel (he is referring to the old categorisation), allegedly didn't exist until 1850, in the Breton town of Pontivy" Unquote.

I also love how he refer to the Breton as Gods gun dog.

Annie as admin

Well, he was right, without a shadow of a doubt Laughing