Comments on: Brittany versus German Shorthair http://www.pointinggundogs.com/2009/01/brittany-versus-german-shorthair/ A journal of my experiences in raising and training pointing dogs for hunting upland game and family companionship. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:30:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: New Brittany Owner http://www.pointinggundogs.com/2009/01/brittany-versus-german-shorthair/comment-page-1/#comment-783 New Brittany Owner Tue, 22 Feb 2011 01:21:53 +0000 http://www.pointinggundogs.com/?p=240#comment-783 Hi! I just came across your site and wanted to say that we (my family) just got our first Brittany puppy. He is about 10 weeks old and his name is "Huck." My husband and 8 year old son are getting into bird hunting. My husband has hunted behind several Brittany's in the last couple of years and has fallen in love with this breed. We have decided to have our own. Most hunters tell us we are going to ruin our hunting dog if we have him in the house and that we should keep him chained up in the yard or in a kennel. Just to clarify....you do NOT see a problem us being able to raise a Brittany puppy in the house and still have a good hunting dog?!?! Man, you should see him stalk and point his little quail feather. He is such a cutie. haha Hi! I just came across your site and wanted to say that we (my family) just got our first Brittany puppy. He is about 10 weeks old and his name is “Huck.” My husband and 8 year old son are getting into bird hunting. My husband has hunted behind several Brittany’s in the last couple of years and has fallen in love with this breed. We have decided to have our own. Most hunters tell us we are going to ruin our hunting dog if we have him in the house and that we should keep him chained up in the yard or in a kennel. Just to clarify….you do NOT see a problem us being able to raise a Brittany puppy in the house and still have a good hunting dog?!?! Man, you should see him stalk and point his little quail feather. He is such a cutie. haha

]]> By: Dude http://www.pointinggundogs.com/2009/01/brittany-versus-german-shorthair/comment-page-1/#comment-400 Dude Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:15:14 +0000 http://www.pointinggundogs.com/?p=240#comment-400 I'm a single vet in his late 20s with a shorthair. Thought you gave a an objective and plausible (at least from what I've observed) comparison between the two, and stated the limitations of your "study" pretty clearly. My shorthair and I bonded - she was left in the pound after jumping 7 foot fences for the umpteenth time, and got spayed by me. But there's just the two of us. She is EXTREMELY high energy and very aloof from strangers (the first 2 months were pretty rough and really tested my patience). As far as personal affairs go, Shorthairs either want to be in your lap +/- on the couch, OR they must be kenneled in dig-proof, jump-proof runs as hunting dogs that get substantial doses of daily exercise(they seem content that way IF they get exercise & mental stimuli). Anything in between and they get confused. They think too much, and are generally more emotionally sensitive than people realize (it just doesn't seem like it when they shred themselves on barbed wire and don't give a damn until they see looking at it). Have also liked many Brittany's. Purebred hunting dogs were developed for a reason - they all get the job done, but in slightly different ways - it's pretty hard to say how one is better than the other. But like you alluded to: if someone was playing the odds amongst modern breeds, a hardcore, one-person, versatile hunting dog = shorthair. Family dog = many hunting breeds depending on the individual dog and owner preferences. You and the shorthair never quite bonded and simply liked the brittany better. Nothing wrong with that. I’m a single vet in his late 20s with a shorthair. Thought you gave a an objective and plausible (at least from what I’ve observed) comparison between the two, and stated the limitations of your “study” pretty clearly. My shorthair and I bonded – she was left in the pound after jumping 7 foot fences for the umpteenth time, and got spayed by me. But there’s just the two of us. She is EXTREMELY high energy and very aloof from strangers (the first 2 months were pretty rough and really tested my patience). As far as personal affairs go, Shorthairs either want to be in your lap +/- on the couch, OR they must be kenneled in dig-proof, jump-proof runs as hunting dogs that get substantial doses of daily exercise(they seem content that way IF they get exercise & mental stimuli). Anything in between and they get confused. They think too much, and are generally more emotionally sensitive than people realize (it just doesn’t seem like it when they shred themselves on barbed wire and don’t give a damn until they see looking at it). Have also liked many Brittany’s. Purebred hunting dogs were developed for a reason – they all get the job done, but in slightly different ways – it’s pretty hard to say how one is better than the other. But like you alluded to: if someone was playing the odds amongst modern breeds, a hardcore, one-person, versatile hunting dog = shorthair. Family dog = many hunting breeds depending on the individual dog and owner preferences. You and the shorthair never quite bonded and simply liked the brittany better. Nothing wrong with that.

]]> By: admin http://www.pointinggundogs.com/2009/01/brittany-versus-german-shorthair/comment-page-1/#comment-390 admin Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:04:55 +0000 http://www.pointinggundogs.com/?p=240#comment-390 Joe Cool, Seems like I offended you by choosing a Brittany over a GSP. I love shorthairs, I thought I made it pretty clear. It really comes down to personal preference. Like saying that Ford is better than Chevy, or GMC better than Dodge? They all can get the job done. I am glad you have a great shorthair. I have hunted behind plenty of real good ones. Shorthairs are the reason I got into bird dogs in the first place. But, like you said my choice was between two dogs. A very small sampling of the two breeds at best, with many variables. At the end of two years, I liked Annie better and she just happened to be a Brittany. I still feel good about my choice. It was right for me and my family/kids. If I was single and hunted 100+ days a year I would probably have a shorthair. In fact, I think I would lean towards the stricter standards and search out a true "Deutsch Kurzhaar". The german standard and testing protocols are amazing. I would love to do a blog post about your dog if you could send me some info on the pedigree and the training with a few pics. I always like to showcase excellent hunting dogs. I have had a lot of fun guiding at the pheasant farm because I have been able to see many nice pointing dogs work. I realize my test or comparisons were not really fair. My shorthair "Abby" is in good hands and has a litter due in a few weeks. Check it out here. http://www.idahohuntingdogs.com/Fritz-Abby-Page.html Look forward to hearing from you. Jon Lee - Webmaster http://www.PointingGunDogs.com Joe Cool,

Seems like I offended you by choosing a Brittany over a GSP. I love shorthairs, I thought I made it pretty clear. It really comes down to personal preference. Like saying that Ford is better than Chevy, or GMC better than Dodge? They all can get the job done.

I am glad you have a great shorthair. I have hunted behind plenty of real good ones. Shorthairs are the reason I got into bird dogs in the first place. But, like you said my choice was between two dogs. A very small sampling of the two breeds at best, with many variables. At the end of two years, I liked Annie better and she just happened to be a Brittany.

I still feel good about my choice. It was right for me and my family/kids. If I was single and hunted 100+ days a year I would probably have a shorthair. In fact, I think I would lean towards the stricter standards and search out a true “Deutsch Kurzhaar”. The german standard and testing protocols are amazing.

I would love to do a blog post about your dog if you could send me some info on the pedigree and the training with a few pics. I always like to showcase excellent hunting dogs. I have had a lot of fun guiding at the pheasant farm because I have been able to see many nice pointing dogs work.

I realize my test or comparisons were not really fair. My shorthair “Abby” is in good hands and has a litter due in a few weeks. Check it out here. http://www.idahohuntingdogs.com/Fritz-Abby-Page.html

Look forward to hearing from you.

Jon Lee – Webmaster
http://www.PointingGunDogs.com

]]> By: Joe Cool http://www.pointinggundogs.com/2009/01/brittany-versus-german-shorthair/comment-page-1/#comment-388 Joe Cool Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:10:13 +0000 http://www.pointinggundogs.com/?p=240#comment-388 First of all........... I didn't get your name in your blog so I will just have to name you "LAME". So Lame.... I find it interesting that you can put your brittany before the Shorthair that you gave up. (Sold). First of all... There are many holes in your reasoning. If your looking for a house dog then buy a freakin lap foo foo dog. The secong thing is... How was the GSP socialized before you owned it? What differences can you truly give for saying the britt was more people minded? What training methods did you use on each dog on what days and at what age? I could go on and on............. Plus you nay have picked an inferior litter(breeding). So.........I would be willing to go to any hunt club or wild bird hunt and put my GSP up against your Britt any time and I will show you they can make the best partnership and companion in the field as well as in the house. My GSP will find and stylishly point more birds, retrieve better to hand on land or water, Run circles around your Britt and show you what a GSP is all about. I pitty your decision and falling short of a fair and adequate assesment of these two breeds. Have fun pulling burrs out of your dog while I go clean my birds for dinner. - Dean Bennion First of all……….. I didn’t get your name in your blog so I will just have to name you “LAME”. So Lame…. I find it interesting that you can put your brittany before the Shorthair that you gave up. (Sold). First of all… There are many holes in your reasoning. If your looking for a house dog then buy a freakin lap foo foo dog. The secong thing is… How was the GSP socialized before you owned it? What differences can you truly give for saying the britt was more people minded? What training methods did you use on each dog on what days and at what age? I could go on and on…………. Plus you nay have picked an inferior litter(breeding). So………I would be willing to go to any hunt club or wild bird hunt and put my GSP up against your Britt any time and I will show you they can make the best partnership and companion in the field as well as in the house. My GSP will find and stylishly point more birds, retrieve better to hand on land or water, Run circles around your Britt and show you what a GSP is all about. I pitty your decision and falling short of a fair and adequate assesment of these two breeds. Have fun pulling burrs out of your dog while I go clean my birds for dinner. – Dean Bennion

]]> By: admin http://www.pointinggundogs.com/2009/01/brittany-versus-german-shorthair/comment-page-1/#comment-157 admin Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:29:59 +0000 http://www.pointinggundogs.com/?p=240#comment-157 Sorry to hear about your loss. I sold Abby over the weekend to some good folks who run a kennel up in Idaho. You can check out their website called <a href="http://www.idahohuntingdogs.com/" rel="nofollow">Idaho Hunting Dogs</a>. You can find other german shorthaired pointer breeders at <a href="http://www.gundogbreeders.com" rel="nofollow">GunDogBreeders.com</a>. Sorry to hear about your loss. I sold Abby over the weekend to some good folks who run a kennel up in Idaho. You can check out their website called Idaho Hunting Dogs. You can find other german shorthaired pointer breeders at GunDogBreeders.com.

]]> By: Kurt http://www.pointinggundogs.com/2009/01/brittany-versus-german-shorthair/comment-page-1/#comment-151 Kurt Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:12:06 +0000 http://www.pointinggundogs.com/?p=240#comment-151 Sir, I recently lost my German shorthair "Thor" to liver cancer. I am interested in your german shorthair for sale. How can I get in touch with you? Sir,
I recently lost my German shorthair “Thor” to liver cancer. I am interested in your german shorthair for sale. How can I get in touch with you?

]]> By: Clint http://www.pointinggundogs.com/2009/01/brittany-versus-german-shorthair/comment-page-1/#comment-150 Clint Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:30:04 +0000 http://www.pointinggundogs.com/?p=240#comment-150 Hey, We have grown up with Labs, Beagles and now have our first Brittany. The Brittany and Beagle breeds seem very similar to me. Our Brit lives with our family in the house and I couldn't agree more that they are excellent companions. Beagles are great family dogs but they are not bird dogs. Friends of ours have a GSP and its a great companion but it doesn't have the warmness of a Brit. Hey,

We have grown up with Labs, Beagles and now have our first Brittany. The Brittany and Beagle breeds seem very similar to me. Our Brit lives with our family in the house and I couldn’t agree more that they are excellent companions. Beagles are great family dogs but they are not bird dogs. Friends of ours have a GSP and its a great companion but it doesn’t have the warmness of a Brit.

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