THE BRITTANY
(The American Kennel Clubs Standard and Description)


GENERAL APPEARANCE
A compact, closely knit dog of medium size, a leggy dog
having the appearance, as well as the agility, of a great
ground coverer. Strong, vigorous, energetic and quick of
movement. Ruggedness, without clumsiness, is a
characteristic of the breed. He can be tailless or has a tail
docked to approximately four inches.

SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE
Height--17½ to 20½ inches, measured from the ground to
the highest point of the shoulders. Any Brittany
measuring under 17½ inches or over 20½ inches shall be
disqualified from dog show competition. Weight-- Should
weigh between 30 and 40 pounds
Proportion-- So leggy is he that his height at the
shoulders is the same as the length of his body. Body Length--Approximately the same as the height
when measured at the shoulders. Body length is measured from the point of the forecast to the rear of the
rump. A long body should be heavily penalized.
Substance--Not too light in bone, yet never heavy-boned and cumbersome.

HEAD
Expression--Alert and eager, but with the soft expression of a bird dog.
Eyes--Well set in head. Well protected from briars by a heavy, expressive eyebrow. A prominent full or
popeye should be penalized. It is a serious fault in a dog that must face briars. Skull well chiseled under
the eyes, so that the lower lid is not pulled back to form a pocket or haw that would catch seeds, dirt and
weed dust. Preference should be for the darker colored eyes, though lighter shades of amber should not be
penalized. Light and mean-looking eyes should be heavily penalized.
Ears--Set high, above the level of the eyes. Short and triangular, rather than pendulous, reaching about
half the length of the muzzle. Should lie flat and close to the head, with dense, but relatively short hair,
and with little fringe.
Skull--Medium length, rounded, very slightly wedge-shaped, but evenly made. Width, not quite as wide
as the length and never so broad as to appear coarse, or so narrow as to appear racy. Well defined, but
gently sloping stop. Median line rather indistinct. The occiput only apparent to the touch. Lateral walls
well rounded. The Brittany should never be "apple-headed" and he should never have an indented stop.
Muzzle--Medium length, about two thirds the length of the skull, measuring the muzzle from the tip to
the stop, and the skull from the occiput to the stop. Muzzle should taper gradually in both horizontal and
vertical dimensions as it approaches the nostrils. Neither a Roman nose nor a dish-face is desirable. Never
broad, heavy or snippy.
Nose--Nostrils well open to permit deep breathing of air and adequate scenting. Tight nostrils should be
penalized. Never shiny. Color: fawn, tan, shades of brown or deep pink. A black nose is a
disqualification. A two-tone or butterfly nose should be penalized.
Lips--Tight, the upper lip overlapping the lower jaw just to cover the lower lip. Lips dry, so that feathers
will not stick. Drooling to be heavily penalized. Flews to be penalized.
Bite--A true scissors bite. Overshot or undershot jaw to be heavily penalized.

NECK, TOPLINE, BODY
Neck--Medium length. Free from throatiness, though not a serious fault unless accompanied by dewlaps,
strong without giving the impression of being over muscled. Well set into sloping shoulders. Never
concave or ewe-necked.
Topline--Slight slope from the highest point of the shoulders to the root of the tail.
Chest--Deep, reaching the level of the elbow. Neither so wide nor so rounded as to disturb the placement
of the shoulders and elbows. Ribs well sprung. Adequate heart room provided by depth as well as width.
Narrow or slab-sided chests are a fault.
Back--Short and straight. Never hollow, saddle, sway or roach backed. Slight drop from the hips to the
root of the tail.
Flanks--Rounded. Fairly full. Not extremely tucked up, or flabby and falling. Loins short and strong.
Distance from last rib to upper thigh short, about three to four finger widths. Narrow and weak loins are a
fault. In motion, the loin should not sway sideways, giving a zig-zag motion to the back, wasting energy.
Tail--Tailless to approximately four inches, natural or docked. The tail not to be so long as to affect the
overall balance of the dog. Set on high, actually an extension of the spine at about the same level. Any
tail substantially more than four inches shall be severely penalized.

FOREQUARTERS
Shoulders--Shoulder blades should not protrude too much, not too wide apart, with perhaps two thumbs'
width between. Sloping and muscular. Blade and upper arm should form nearly a ninety degree angle.
Straight shoulders are a fault. At the shoulders, the Brittany is slightly higher than at the rump.
Front Legs--Viewed from the front, perpendicular, but not set too wide. Elbows and feet turning neither
in nor out. Pasterns slightly sloped. Down in pasterns is a serious fault. Leg bones clean, graceful, but
not too fine. Extremely heavy bone is as much a fault as spindly legs. One must look for substance and
suppleness. Height at elbows should approximately equal distance from elbow to withers.
Feet--Should be strong, proportionately smaller than the spaniels', with close fitting, well arched toes and
thick pads. The Brittany is "not up on his toes." Toes not heavily feathered. Flat feet, splayed feet, paper
feet, etc., are to be heavily penalized. An ideal foot is halfway between the hare and the cat foot. Dewclaws
may be removed.

HINDQUARTERS
Broad strong and muscular, with powerful thighs and well bent stifles, giving the angulation necessary for
powerful drive.
Hind Legs--Stifles well bent. The stifle should not be so angulated as to place the hock joint far out
behind the dog. A Brittany should not be condemned for straight stifle until the judge has checked the
dog in motion from the side. The stifle joint should not turn out making a cowhock. Thighs well
feathered but not profusely, halfway to the hock. Hocks, that is, the back pasterns, should be moderately
short, pointing neither in nor out, perpendicular when viewed from the side. They should be firm when
shaken by the judge.
Feet Same as front feet.

COAT
Dense, flat or wavy, never curly. Texture neither wiry nor silky. Ears should carry little fringe. The front
and hind legs should have some feathering, but too little is definitely preferable to too much. Dogs with
long or profuse feathering or furnishings shall be so severely penalized as to effectively eliminate them
from competition.
Skin-- Fine and fairly loose. A loose skin rolls with briars and sticks, thus diminishing punctures or
tearing. A skin so loose as to form pouches is undesirable.

COLOR
Orange and white or liver and white in either clear or roan patterns. Some ticking is desirable. The orange
or liver is found in the standard parti-color or piebald patterns. Washed out colors are not desirable.
Tri-colors are allowed but not preferred. A tri-color is a liver and white dog with classic orange markings
on eyebrows, muzzle and cheeks, inside the ears and under the tail, freckles on the lower legs are orange.
Anything exceeding the limits of these markings shall be severely penalized. Black is a disqualification.

GAIT
When at a trot the Brittany's hind foot should step into or beyond the print left by the front foot. Clean
movement, coming and going, is very important, but most important is side gait, which is smooth,
efficient and ground covering.

TEMPERAMENT
A happy, alert dog, neither mean nor shy.

DISQUALIFICATIONS
Any Brittany measuring under 17½ inches or over 20½ inches
A black nose
Black in the coat

Approved April 10, 1990
Effective May 31, 1990




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