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The breed started life in an area of France called Callac.
In the village of Callac itself, there stands a statue of a
French Cob horse, on which the Brittany is reputed to
be based.
In the 1800's it was usual for the landed gentry in
England to shoot partridge and snipe in France, and, of course,
they took with them their best gundogs, mostly setters and pointers.
These were often left with the French landowners from one season
to the next, and resulted in a number of matings between the
popular Fougeres, a very highspirited spaniel from the
area, and these English Pointers and English and Gordon Setters
- A HOT gundog was born - THE BRITTANY!
Due to the variety of colours in the English Pointers and Setters,
and the black and tan of the Gordon Setter, the Brittany also
appeared in many coats. (Contrary to some opinions, the Welsh
Springer Spaniel is not generally regarded as being related,
even though the colouring is similar to the orange and white
version of the Brittany, their basic origins being substantially
different!)
It was such a popular combination of dog that by 1900, the animals
produced from planned matings had become more or less typified.
The Brittany has a very strong nose, is an excellent hunter,
and can sometimes be spectacular in pointing game, since it
works the ground at a great speed, and may suddenly stop or
leap on to point.
The first French Champion in the breed was a liver and white
dog named MAX DE CALLAC. Another outstanding dog in France
was SKA DE SAINT TUGEN (a black based tri-colour), himself
a Grand Champion and Grand Trialler, and also sire, grand-sire
and great-grand-sire of many champions and triallers. SKA was
the epitome of the Callac horse, being well ribbed, short-coupled,
well muscled, and having great presence. Many British bred dogs
are related to him.
The breed is becoming increasingly popular in this country,
particularly with those sportsmen interested in rough shooting
and falconry in its various forms. It is a very stylish dog
in field trials, and two Field Trial Champions have been made
up since 1982. It is also popular in the show ring and the Kennel
Club granted Challenge Certificate Status in 1997. There are
now also a number of Show Champions and four Full Champions
(One Show Champion bitch which has gained a Show Gundog Working
Certificate, and two male and one female Show Champions which
have won an award in a Field Trial ).
There is now one Dual Champion.
Dual Champion Tournesol Toutou at Bryantscroft
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