Where to start ... French Brittany

Afternoon All.

Long time hunter ... First time Dog Hunter.

About 9 months ago I picked up a French Brittany (Dog).

Extremely smart , calm , receptive to command and alert.

He's excelled at all the training thus far.

Having had a particularly ill pregnant wife over the last 9 months though , I've not had time to get him out into the bush.

Now the baby has popped out I'm hankering to get back into the bush.

I've had him tracking Hocks i had frozen in the freezer for the last 6 months ... He's got a great nose and finds them every time.

He also points on birds and the aforementioned hocks naturally so I'm pretty amazed at his ability despite my lack of training him on game.

I'll stop blowing smoke up his ass now because I'm really at a loss with where to start him on the deer. I've shot plenty of the bloody things alone but never with a dog.

Have you guys got any advice / pointers / experiences to help me with his training?

Take him hunting. Treat him like it was a bigger version of the wee tike ya now have .. . . watch him like a hawk, he's hunting, you're keeping ya both safe. Enjoy it (wether or not you get anything) and he'll be as keen as hell to "do his job", so let him make mistakes but correct him without rancour!

if he comes when told....shuts up...will sit on command NO MATTER WHAT.... will stay behind yo uwhen asked.... go for it...go shoot a deer and then get dog to walk you up to it...and then make a hell of a big fuss of the dog,give it some venison bits to eat..... JOB DONE....
silly as it sounds,you do this and nothing else...you have taught the dog 75% of its job....take you to deer you have shot
the other 25% is to tell you where a deer is.......and I PERSONALLY BELIVE dogs are clever enough to put 2 and 2 together to get 4.


if I help the boss find the deer...he shoots the deer..I get the treats......
oih you blind old bugga...look down in the gully over here......I can smell one down here...come on walk this way.....

if you have the above basics right..the only other bit that is vital is a keep close...5-10mtrs from you,and in early days you cheat by using a long line.
5 mtrs of para cord sort of thing.

or just give it to me and get a cat...
man I would love one of them wee beauties...the price nearly made me fall off chair...good luck and keep with it...there is fella on ???this forum??? or old one who hunts with a brittany all the time,shoots a fair few deer too.

yep as mentioned dogs are smarter than some give them credit for. They can work out pretty fast what you want them to do and when is a good behaviour to be doing, and when it is not good. Once you have the basic commands sorted you can take those skills and adapt them for almost any situation. They always want to please the boss

Thanks all , Much appreciated all your advice @rugerman , @7mmwsm and @Micky Duck

Sounds like I'm just over thinking it , and just need to keep doing what I'm doing for now with lots of encouragement..

Will report back with results in the next couple of weeks.

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Another school of thought when going up on their first dead deer is to take your time and let the dog work it’s way in by themselves. It could take 10-20 min. Once at the deer give them praise but don’t hype it up.
The idea of this is so that the dog doesn’t get excited by dead deer and want to run in on them. I did this with my dog and she cautiously tracks her way in.

That's a good plan i reckon. Will give it a go

lol he looks like one serious dude :)

That's a good looking dog.

Are you going to hunt birds with him?

Teach it in french

And feed him snails and frogs legs I guess :D

When I was down south a guy had a large munsterlander that had been imported from Germany. The dog only understood German commands.

I had to google French Brittany and Large Munsterlander - they do mean large...


French Brittany
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Large Munsterlander
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Originally Posted by Ross Nolan

That's a good looking dog.

Are you going to hunt birds with him?

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I've never been much of a bird man - Will stick to deer.

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Originally Posted by Tommy

Teach it in french

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Do I look smart enough to understand french??

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Originally Posted by Masperjay

Do I look smart enough to understand french??

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Fuckit, russian it is

Awesome choice of dog my boys turning 10 this year, whereabouts did he come from

Tha's a bloody good looking dog, If we do end up geting a do I definitely want a spaniel.

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Updater 18 months on - He's a natural.

Great stuff! Thanks for the update

Did he come from Tauranga

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Originally Posted by kawhia

Did he come from Tauranga

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Yes mate, from Hubert.

Sent from my SM-G998B using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Masperjay

Attachment 229126

Updater 18 months on - He's a natural.

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Bien joue!

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I hunt with his mum quite a bit… Le piglet

Dont forget the eleventh commandment, Thou shalt not doubt thou dog

Would love to see more mate - good to know he's got good lines!

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Originally Posted by kawhia

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I hunt with his mum quite a bit… Le piglet

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Would love to see more mate - good to know he's got good lines!

Hi, nice spaniel. I have one myself, is he intact?

Sounds like you've got the basics sorted. You want to make sure he doesn't just go straight at the deer/hock without you being right there. I have a hold command (a ssst hiss) and he will freeze where he is. Lets you take your time and scan properly.

Learn his signals, whether its the tail going straight or him sucking in huge amounts through his nose, he will have a tell when he is on the trail. My boy tail will go from wagging to straight up when its go time.

Don't be afraid to pull him off a trail if you see prints or similar, he's going soley off scent, which isn't always straight forward.

And enjoy, working my dog with a rifle or shotgun is about my favourite thing in the world.

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Originally Posted by Carbon300WSM

Hi, nice spaniel. I have one myself, is he intact?

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He is.