Before there was Britney Spears, there was Brittany Spaniel. The latter, of course, is by far the more famous, because like Cher and other one-name celebrities, he’s now known simply as “Brittany.” Or, to be more precise, the Brittany.

More interesting things about the Brittany

• The correct name is simply Brittany, not Brittany Spaniel. Although originally American Kennel Club recognized the breed as the Brittany Spaniel, the name was changed to Brittany in 1982 because their hunting style is more setter-like than spaniel-like. The Brittany is a pointing dog, not a flushing dog.
• The Brittany may go back to at least the 1700s, maybe earlier. Paintings and tapestries from the 1600s depicting Brittany-like dogs provide the earliest firm evidence of such dogs. In 1850 came the first account of hunting with Brittany-like dogs, described as small, bobtailed and not as smooth coated as the Pointer. It’s thought that vacationing British hunters bred their English pointing dogs to the native spaniels of the Bretagne region of France.
• The dogs were popular with the gentry as well as with poachers — who liked them because they were obedient and versatile, both pointing and retrieving — and came when called, a vital attribute for a poacher’s dog!

• The first bobtailed Brittany was said to be born in the early 1800s.
• Today some Brittanys are born tailless, some stub-tailed and some long-tailed. If long, they are usually docked (in North America) to about four inches. Docking is not legal in all countries. It’s not possible to create a breed with true-breeding short tails because of the genetics associated with stub tails.
• When Brittanys came to North America (actually Mexico) around 1925, American hunters didn’t like them because of their short tails — until the dogs proved they could outhunt most of the local dogs. They were so good at field trials that they became the most popular pointing dog at competitive events.
• The dogs were initially registered as “miscellaneous French Spaniels.” In 1907 they became a distinct French breed, with the first registered Brittany a dog named Boy.
• The breed was introduced to the United States in 1931, and became an official American Kennel Club breed in 1934.

• It is a member of the American Kennel Club Sporting Group.
• The Brittany may be confused with the English Cocker Spaniel or Welsh Springer Spaniel. But the Brittany has a shorter coat, shorter ears, longer legs and a more square outline than either, and never comes in solid colors.
• Although black is not allowed in the American Kennel Club standard, they are allowed in the standard of their native country, France. The American Kennel Club standard allows orange and white or liver and white.

• The Brittany has more dual champions (meaning dogs who have earned championships in both conformation and field) than any other sporting dog.
• No Brittany has won Best in Show at the Westminster dog show, but three have won the Sporting group, most recently in 2010.
• The Brittany is the 30th most popular American Kennel Club breed, the same ranking it held a decade ago. It was at one time among the top 20 most popular breeds.
• Celebrity owners include Susan Dey. Really, that’s it!

Do you own a Brittany? Have you spent time with one? Let’s hear what you think about this fascinating breed in the comments! And if you have a favorite breed you’d like us to write about, let us know that, too!

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About the author: Caroline Coile is the author of 34 dog books, including the top-selling Barron’s Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds. She has written for various publications and is currently a columnist for American Kennel Club Family Dog. She shares her home with three naughty Salukis and one Jack Russell Terrier.