AKC BRITTANY BREED STANDARD
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 have a tail docked to approximately
four inches.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Height - 17 1/2 to 20 1/2 inches, measured from the ground to the highest point of the shoulders. Any
Brittany measuring under 17 1/2 inches or over 20 1/2 inches shall be disquali ed 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 forechest to the rear of the rump. A long body should be heavily
penalized.
Substance - Not too light in bone, yet never heavyboned 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 heavily 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 at and close to the head, with the tip rounded very slightly.
Ears well covered 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 de ned
but gently sloping stop. Median line rather indistinct. The occiput only apparent to the touch. Lateral
walls well rounded. The Brittany should never be “appleheaded” and he should never have an indented
stop.
Muzzle - Medium length, about two thirds the length of the skull, measuring the muzzle from the top
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 snipy.
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
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 overmuscled. 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. FWVFR