Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Janowski
As far as I know, EB’s have always been a separate breed to UKC where NAVHDA originates. EB‘s indeed are a completely different breed. If you look at them, they are built totally different than an American Brittany. They are smaller, more cobby and have other distinct features. Their heads are totally different, the stop on their head is quite angular in comparison to American Brittany’s. Their ear set is different. Read the UKC standard and you will understand the differences. EB’s ans AB’s should not be mixed.
Sue Janowski
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Thank you!
Big picture wise you are correct with one correction I'll add. The UKC didn't recognize the EB as a separate breed until the national breed club for the EB which at the time was known as the French Brittany Gun Dog Assocation petitioned the UKC to recognize the EB as a separate breed in the late 90's/ early 2000's. I was the national breed club secretary at the time and played my small part in building the case for the differences between the EB & what is commonly known as the American Brittany which is the breed recognized by the AKC & represented by the American Brittany Club.
Some fundamental differences between the two breeds not mentioned, is the ABC/AKC wouldn't recognize the color black in the breed which has always been in the foundational breed standard of the FCI. Another big change that happened to the American Brittany due to the ABC being the parent breed club for the Brittany is that the Breton has always been a close working foot hunters breed and wasn't being able to compete in the AKC's horse ridden field trials designed for the big-running far-ranging pointers & setters of the traditional plantation type trials. Because of this the American Brittany breeders started breeding for taller, longer and leggier dogs in an attempt for having a bigger-running farther-ranging dog which resulted in a breed which no longer fit the FCI breed confirmation standard. (This basically is what created a new breed in America) we Americans changed a breed to fit our needs!
In addition to this. The American breeders also started breeding for specific Trates within the breed for the show circuit and basically bred the natural hunt instincts out of the show breed side of the equation, whereas the FCI has always held the natural hunting abilities as being an extremely important part of the breed standard no matter if in the field or show ring.
In summary. There are distinct differences between the two breeds and I'm very happy to see that NAVHDA as finally recognized this. I'm not knocking the American Brittany in any way; I'm just attempting to explain some of the differences between the two breeds.