Suggest a breed
- Thread starter JazzyTheSibe
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If your list is still accurate as far as what you're looking for, I'd suggest a Brittany 
The only thing is that they can be a little iffy off leash, just because they're bred to hunt pretty far from their owners, but I think with a solid foundation, you'd get reliability.
The only thing is that they can be a little iffy off leash, just because they're bred to hunt pretty far from their owners, but I think with a solid foundation, you'd get reliability.
I haven't looked into the breed, at all. Never been a consideration. If you don't mind... Could you give me some information?
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Absolutely I've only had Rowan so far, but I've been around some other Brittanys, read a lot and talked to various owners, so I can share what I know! I don't plan on ever being without one.
If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer!
I've only had Rowan so far, but I've been around some other Brittanys, read a lot and talked to various owners, so I can share what I know! I don't plan on ever being without one.
First off, I'm no where to getting a dog. It will be at least four years until I'll have a dog. It just depends on college, how finically stable I am, where I'll be living,& the time I have. So, once I'm settled down, are finically stable enough for a dog,& have the time for one- that's when I'll be obtaining a dog.
-I'm an active person,& I'll want a dog that can keep up with me. So a medium to high energy dog is preferred.But, I don't want Malinois energy.I'm willing to do exercise the dog for about two hours a day. Not counting training. I'm pretty sure I'll be involved in dogsports, mainly agility. But, other sports are possibility
Brittanys are pretty high energy dogs. The have a reputation for being kind of nuts, but I find that very much depends on the individual dog. I've met some that were perpetual motion machines, that had what I can only describe as a nervous energy, but I've met plenty that were more stable, too. If you go the rescue route, it's not impossible to find a more chill dog, either. Rowan is on the lower energy end of the spectrum for his breed. I think he's perfect: he's up for anything I throw at him, and has stamina, but if we're not doing anything, he's equally happy to snooze all day. Two hours should be plenty for the breed. I don't know why they're not more popular sports dogs, honestly, because they're so versatile. I think they're very well suited for agility. Rowan is the perfect beginner's agility dog: he could do really well with someone who had more experience, but he's also pretty forgiving of handler errors which makes him easier for me to work with. I like that I can try just about any sport with him, too. We've dabbled in agility (it's what I really want to do with him, but it's hard to find classes that fit into my work schedule), I found out we both love lure coursing, and we just did our first Barn Hunt trial which was a ton of fun. I want to do some Rally with him, too. The only things I don't think he'd be at least moderately successful at are flyball (we tried, and he has no ball drive, but that's just him, not Brittanys in general) and dock diving (because he does not like the water.)
-Has an off-switch
Again depends on the dog and, I think more importantly, the training you do with them. Rowan came with an amazing off switch, but I think even a Brit that doesn't have a natural off switch could be taught/conditioned one pretty easily.
-Velcro dog
Check! I've never met a more Velcro dog than Rowan. With future Brittanys I will spend more time acclimating them to being alone on occasion, because I didn't with Rowan and he's got some separation anxiety. It's not awful but I probably could've prevented it altogether, although I suspect he would still mope when I leave just because he's so attached to me.
-10 to 60 pounds. As for right now, I'm not wanting a large dog.
IMO Brittanys are the perfect size. The standard calls for 30-40 lbs and Rowan is oversized, both height and weight wise, at 42 lbs. He's big enough to be sturdy and I don't worry about rough housing with him, but he's small enough to be a lap dog (barely, lol) and is portable. If we were out and he got hurt somehow, I would be able to pick him up and carry him to safety. It's not something that has ever happened but it gives me some peace of mind to know that I could.
-Fur doesn't bother me. So the amount the dog sheds, doesn't matter. I don't love grooming. But, I'm willing to groom four to six times a week. Everyday when the dog is blowing it's coat. I'd like to avoid to taking the dog to groomer, because I'll be coming right out of college, & I probably won't have tons of money. But, that is dependent on when I get a dog, so it might change.
Coat care on Brittanys is super easy. The only thing I absolutely have to do on Rowan is trim his nails. I prefer trimming up his feet and the fur between his paw pads so that they look nice and near and nothing gets stuck underneath his feet. His coat is not prone to matting at all. I basically never brush him. I bathe him regularly, but that's just because I like him to be extra soft and smell nice. He also sheds pretty minimally. It varies by dog but Brittanys are usually light shedders, some leaning toward moderate. It's not a big thing with them.
-People friendly. But, not, I love everyone friendly.
Rowan is very people friendly. He leans a little toward "I love everyone!" but he isn't obnoxious about it. He got a lot of attention at the show and as soon as he saw someone trying to interact with him, he'd just walk up and lean into their legs for pets. Some Brittanys can be a little but more excitable about ALL THE FRIENDS! though. They're very friendly dogs.
-Can generally be trust off-leash.
Like I said, this one can be a little iffy. They are far ranging hunters so they aren't naturally inclined to stick close. I suspect if you did a lot of early foundation work, and worked on a really reliable recall, you'd be fine. I haven't spent nearly as much time on a good recall as I should, so Rowan isn't solid on it, and therefore I don't ever take him off leash in an I fenced area because I just can't trust him. He does eventually try to find me, but he gets pretty far first and I won't risk it.
-Not prone to DA.
Theyre usually very agreeable dogs. Rowan is a jerk with other dogs, but that's just a Rowan thing. All of the other Brittanys I've known have been great with other dogs, and I see tons of dog friendly Brittanys in my Brittany groups. I think Rowan is just a fluke.
-Has a high drive.
Rowan is an awesome worker. His food drive is through the roof and he really enjoys learning and training. He has a ridiculously strong prey drive too, which I don't love, but eh, he's a hunting dog and it comes with the territory.
-Very Biddable
Like I said, he really enjoys working. He doesn't like a ton of repetition; he gets bored and starts inventing other random things to do, or sometimes he'll just start grumbling and sassing me (which I think is endearing and entertaining, but your mileage may vary.) He learns new things insanely fast.
-Can tolerate 90+ weather,& under freezing temperature(4 seasons).
From what I've read, they're pretty hardy in all seasons. Their coats aren't super thick so heat isn't a giant issue, and they've got some protection against the cold. Rowan doesn't like extreme heat or cold but that's just Rowan.
-No brachycephalic dogs. I'm wanting agile dog.
Done and done! They're very moderate and athletic.
-Is generally easy to motivate. Loves to please.
Not a problem! Rowan would jump through rings of fire for a bit of food. They're very easy to work with as long as you're not boring with your training.
-Soft temperament. I'm not wanting a dog that had a "hard" temperament.
This is definitely a Brittany. They're soft, generally don't take corrections well (Rowan doesn't care but... Rowan is Rowan) and are pretty sensitive to their people.
-I'm an active person,& I'll want a dog that can keep up with me. So a medium to high energy dog is preferred.But, I don't want Malinois energy.I'm willing to do exercise the dog for about two hours a day. Not counting training. I'm pretty sure I'll be involved in dogsports, mainly agility. But, other sports are possibility
Brittanys are pretty high energy dogs. The have a reputation for being kind of nuts, but I find that very much depends on the individual dog. I've met some that were perpetual motion machines, that had what I can only describe as a nervous energy, but I've met plenty that were more stable, too. If you go the rescue route, it's not impossible to find a more chill dog, either. Rowan is on the lower energy end of the spectrum for his breed. I think he's perfect: he's up for anything I throw at him, and has stamina, but if we're not doing anything, he's equally happy to snooze all day. Two hours should be plenty for the breed. I don't know why they're not more popular sports dogs, honestly, because they're so versatile. I think they're very well suited for agility. Rowan is the perfect beginner's agility dog: he could do really well with someone who had more experience, but he's also pretty forgiving of handler errors which makes him easier for me to work with. I like that I can try just about any sport with him, too. We've dabbled in agility (it's what I really want to do with him, but it's hard to find classes that fit into my work schedule), I found out we both love lure coursing, and we just did our first Barn Hunt trial which was a ton of fun. I want to do some Rally with him, too. The only things I don't think he'd be at least moderately successful at are flyball (we tried, and he has no ball drive, but that's just him, not Brittanys in general) and dock diving (because he does not like the water.)
-Has an off-switch
Again depends on the dog and, I think more importantly, the training you do with them. Rowan came with an amazing off switch, but I think even a Brit that doesn't have a natural off switch could be taught/conditioned one pretty easily.
-Velcro dog
Check! I've never met a more Velcro dog than Rowan. With future Brittanys I will spend more time acclimating them to being alone on occasion, because I didn't with Rowan and he's got some separation anxiety. It's not awful but I probably could've prevented it altogether, although I suspect he would still mope when I leave just because he's so attached to me.
-10 to 60 pounds. As for right now, I'm not wanting a large dog.
IMO Brittanys are the perfect size. The standard calls for 30-40 lbs and Rowan is oversized, both height and weight wise, at 42 lbs. He's big enough to be sturdy and I don't worry about rough housing with him, but he's small enough to be a lap dog (barely, lol) and is portable. If we were out and he got hurt somehow, I would be able to pick him up and carry him to safety. It's not something that has ever happened but it gives me some peace of mind to know that I could.
-Fur doesn't bother me. So the amount the dog sheds, doesn't matter. I don't love grooming. But, I'm willing to groom four to six times a week. Everyday when the dog is blowing it's coat. I'd like to avoid to taking the dog to groomer, because I'll be coming right out of college, & I probably won't have tons of money. But, that is dependent on when I get a dog, so it might change.
Coat care on Brittanys is super easy. The only thing I absolutely have to do on Rowan is trim his nails. I prefer trimming up his feet and the fur between his paw pads so that they look nice and near and nothing gets stuck underneath his feet. His coat is not prone to matting at all. I basically never brush him. I bathe him regularly, but that's just because I like him to be extra soft and smell nice. He also sheds pretty minimally. It varies by dog but Brittanys are usually light shedders, some leaning toward moderate. It's not a big thing with them.
-People friendly. But, not, I love everyone friendly.
Rowan is very people friendly. He leans a little toward "I love everyone!" but he isn't obnoxious about it. He got a lot of attention at the show and as soon as he saw someone trying to interact with him, he'd just walk up and lean into their legs for pets. Some Brittanys can be a little but more excitable about ALL THE FRIENDS! though. They're very friendly dogs.
-Can generally be trust off-leash.
Like I said, this one can be a little iffy. They are far ranging hunters so they aren't naturally inclined to stick close. I suspect if you did a lot of early foundation work, and worked on a really reliable recall, you'd be fine. I haven't spent nearly as much time on a good recall as I should, so Rowan isn't solid on it, and therefore I don't ever take him off leash in an I fenced area because I just can't trust him. He does eventually try to find me, but he gets pretty far first and I won't risk it.
-Not prone to DA.
Theyre usually very agreeable dogs. Rowan is a jerk with other dogs, but that's just a Rowan thing. All of the other Brittanys I've known have been great with other dogs, and I see tons of dog friendly Brittanys in my Brittany groups. I think Rowan is just a fluke.
-Has a high drive.
Rowan is an awesome worker. His food drive is through the roof and he really enjoys learning and training. He has a ridiculously strong prey drive too, which I don't love, but eh, he's a hunting dog and it comes with the territory.
-Very Biddable
Like I said, he really enjoys working. He doesn't like a ton of repetition; he gets bored and starts inventing other random things to do, or sometimes he'll just start grumbling and sassing me (which I think is endearing and entertaining, but your mileage may vary.) He learns new things insanely fast.
-Can tolerate 90+ weather,& under freezing temperature(4 seasons).
From what I've read, they're pretty hardy in all seasons. Their coats aren't super thick so heat isn't a giant issue, and they've got some protection against the cold. Rowan doesn't like extreme heat or cold but that's just Rowan.
-No brachycephalic dogs. I'm wanting agile dog.
Done and done! They're very moderate and athletic.
-Is generally easy to motivate. Loves to please.
Not a problem! Rowan would jump through rings of fire for a bit of food. They're very easy to work with as long as you're not boring with your training.
-Soft temperament. I'm not wanting a dog that had a "hard" temperament.
This is definitely a Brittany. They're soft, generally don't take corrections well (Rowan doesn't care but... Rowan is Rowan) and are pretty sensitive to their people.