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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Buttercup" data-source="post: 684049" data-attributes="member: 990">We have an American Brittany (as opposed to a French Brittany, also called Epagneul Bretaine).  She's very sweet, but I don't recommend this breed for apartment living, unless you are seriously committed to many long walks/runs each day.  Brittanys are bred to be hunters, and have a very high prey drive.  They also have boundless energy, and will get into trouble (destructive behaviors) if they don't get enough exercise or attention.  Also, unless you do extensive training, from early puppyhood, they aren't reliable off leash outside of a rural environment.  Let me explain.  If my dog sees a squirrel, or rabbit, or cat, she's going to chase it and catch it if she can.  And she can.  Then she'll shake it to death, usually without leaving a mark, and bring it back to me.  I won't be able to call her back until she has either caught the prey or lost it.  This behavior, which is bred into her (and other hunting breeds too) is completely maladaptive in an urban environment.  Like a greyhound, a hunting dog would likely be hit by a car if off leash when prey happened by.Now, the positive things about Brittanys (Assuming you think the previous qualities were negatives.  I don't.) are that they're bred for health, intelligence and tempermant rather than head shape, coat quality, size, etc.  So they're a healthy breed, and smart as whips.  They are also very much people dogs.  Brittanys that are kept outside or in a kennel instead of in the house with their people become neurotic.  They need lots of love and attention, with regular sessions of belly rubbing and kill-the-squeaky-toy.To sum up, while I love this breed, I would not recommend them to anyone who didn't have the time, space and energy to give them the life they need to be happy.</blockquote>

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