Brittany spaniels are hunting dogs, and essential aspects of their care involve satisfying their high energy needs. These dogs love giving and receiving attention as well, or they may become destructive. When caring for your Brittany, it’s essential to keep certain things in mind to ensure your dog’s happiness.
The 9 essential tips for caring for a Brittany spaniel include:
- Shower your dog with attention.
- Provide your dog with adequate training.
- Indulge your dog in various exercises.
- Provide your dog with a suitable habitat.
- Pay attention to your dog’s grooming needs.
- Clean your dog’s ears regularly.
- Educate yourself on your dog’s health needs.
- Provide your dog with the right nutrition.
- Provide early socialization to your dog.
The rest of this article will talk about these tips in detail. Read on to get more information on caring for your Brittany.
1. Shower Your Dog With Attention
Brittany spaniels love to give and receive love in equal measure.
Therefore, a Brittany spaniel will love attention from their family. It’s important not to make your dog feel neglected because it may get separation anxiety, and thus, become destructive.
Your Brittany has a lot of energy and will quickly get bored, leading to destructive behavior, so you’ll want to provide your dog with chew toys to help them be stimulated. You can also get them intelligent games that will keep them busy when you are out of the house. Here a very popular interactive dog toy I recommend for your Brittany (available on Amazon.com).
I recommend this KONG Chew Toy from Amazon.com. It helps with teething, is very durable and also helps clean your dog’s teeth. Make sure you select the correct size for your dog
2. Provide Your Dog With Adequate Training
The Brittany spaniel is originally a hunting dog, so it is bright and intelligent with a lot of energy. Your Brittany will have their own unique mind, so you must train your dog to let them recognize who is in control.
You should also establish boundaries and train your dog to recognize your command and respond positively to it.
When teaching Brittanys, you should always be gentle and patient because improper training will lead to several negative behaviors. You can channel your dog’s excess energy into the following:
- Dog sports
- Field trials
- Agility training
- Hunting
- Obedience training
3. Indulge Your Dog in Various Exercises
Your dog needs both physical and mental stimulation. They need at least an hour of exercise daily to burn off excess energy.
Failure to provide your dog with adequate physical and mental stimulation can lead to depression and destructive behaviors. Play with your dog or take them hiking, running, walking, jogging, playing fetch, or tug of war. Check out my recommended toys page for the items I use with my dogs.
Regardless of the activity, your Brittany will always be happy to spend time with you and please you.
Consider entering your dog in canine events and sports because they provide a perfect avenue to burn off excess energy.
4. Provide Your Dog With a Suitable Habitat
You already know that your dog is full of energy and requires enough playtime to release excess energy. The perfect habitat for Brittany is one with ample running space where they can burn their access energy.
That said, ensure you provide your Brittany with ample yard space to play and supplement daily walks and other exercises. If you live in an apartment, you don’t want to skimp the daily workout (at least an hour) to maintain a healthy dog.
5. Pay Attention to Your Dog’s Grooming Needs
A Brittany is a single-coated dog with hair that hardly shreds or mats, so brushing your dog’s coat with a soft brush or hound glove once a week is adequate to maintain it. Remember to brush your dog after playtime to remove dirt and dead hair, especially after your dog’s playtime in the field or swimming in the water.
Brittany spaniels do not require trimming.
However, you can cut their hair lightly for shows. Trim in the direction the hair grows to avoid creating lines on your dog’s coat. Because your dog is full of energy, they may find standing while having their hair trimmed challenging.
So, be patient when trimming your dog’s coat.
You don’t want to create a negative association around grooming because it will make grooming your dog increasingly tricky. You can trim your dog’s nails once a month or when they get worn to avoid any potential danger to your dog.
Use paw balm to soften your dog’s paws and prevent drying and cracking. Always remember to bathe your dog after grooming. Burt’s Bees has a paw and nose lotion to help with drying (click the link to see the price on Amazon.com).
6. Clean Your Dog’s Ears Regularly
With Brittanys, you have to pay special attention to their ear care, as the ears are floppy and will easily trap dirt. Because they always run with their noses to the ground, their fold-over ears become susceptible to ear problems and infections.
Check your dog’s ears regularly to clean out any dirt and wax buildup.
Consult with your veterinarian on the proper method to clean your dog’s ears, and always remember to clean only as far as you can see the ear canal. My bet recommended I use ear wipes to clean my dog’s ears. I reviewed multiple products on Amazon.com and found wipes from Pet MD that fit my budget, work great and will last a long time.
7. Educate Yourself on Your Dog’s Health Needs
A Brittany spaniel is typically a healthy breed of dog. However, Brittanys are prone to genetic health issues such as hip dysplasia, eye diseases, cleft lip, muscle atrophy, brain deterioration, and occasionally cardiac problems.
As a dog parent, it is best to educate yourself on your dog’s health challenges and remember to always consult with your veterinarian.
The American Brittany Club recommends performing preliminary health checks on your dog, including hip evaluation for dysplasia, an eye exam every year from ages 2-8, and cardiac evaluation.
8, Provide Your Dog With the Right Nutrition
When it comes to nutrition, your Brittany is most likely to develop issues from a poor diet.
Your dog is susceptible to becoming overweight. Therefore, you need to provide high-quality dog food appropriate for your dog’s age, such as for puppy, adult, or senior dogs.
You will need to provide a high protein and carb diet for energy, but remember to control your dog’s weight with a diet that’s low in empty calories but high in protein.
While treats are essential, be careful with giving out treats indiscriminately because too much can lead to obesity in your dog. You can start by feeding puppies 3-4 meals per day and graduate slowly to 3 meals per day.
By the time they are one year old, 2 meals per day would be appropriate. Always provide fresh and clean water, and remember to always check in with your vet for a suitable diet recommendation.
Check out my article This Is How Much a Brittany Spaniel Should Eat to learn more details about how much your Brittany should eat and what type of foods I recommend.
9. Provide Early Socialization to Your Dog
Brittanys are attention-seeking dogs, and they need to get a lot of love from their owners and family.
A lack of attention will cause your dog to develop adverse behavioral problems such as excessive barking, digging, or attempts to escape. You need to socialize your dog with other dogs and people while they are still a puppy so they can provide your dog with the extra attention and love your dog needs when you are not available to do so.