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HISTORY
A
Brief History of the Epagneul Breton; The Breed's Origins
in France
and More Recent Development in America
By: C.
Frederick Overby
Index:
• The
Breed's Origins in France
• History
of the Epagneul Breton in America
• Today's
Epagneul Breton
• *Credits
The
Breed's Origins in France*
  Commonly
referenced in the western hemisphere as the "French
Brittany," the Epagneul Breton goes back much
earlier than the breed's official creation. In 1907,
in Loudeac, France a lawyer named Arthur Enaud and other
fanciers of the breed organized the first association
which was created to nurture, develop and promote the
breed. In the decades prior to 1907, the breed had begun
to evolve and develop in France, but without any formal
structure or organization among those who admired the
early representatives of the breed.
Many
historians of the breed agree that the earliest origins
of the Epagneul Breton breed are somewhat complicated
and difficult to trace. Like other breeds of pointing
dogs, much of the information about the earliest evolution
of the breed has been lost to antiquity. This is because
there was no apparent reason for those producing the
earliest representatives of the breed to permanently
record their lineage. After the original breed association
was formed in France in 1907 by Mr. Enaud and other
enthusiasts, the systematic recording of pedigrees began
in earnest, and the history of the breed has since been
well documented. Undoubtedly, the breed began its early
evolution some decades prior to 1907 in the area of
France known as Armorique. The region of France once
commonly referenced as Armorique later became known
as the Province of Bretagne (also commonly called "Brittany").
A former President of the Club Epagneul Breton-France,
Gaston Pouchain, indicated based upon his extensive
research that the early lineage of the breed definitely
went back to the dogs of Oysel in the Armorique region
now known as Brittany. Many of these early ancestors
of the Epagneul Breton were native spaniels on the peninsula
now known as Bretagne (Brittany). These native French
spaniels were small dogs which often had a liver or
black coat and carried a short tail.
It
is also well established that in the latter part of
the nineteenth century, British sportsmen went across
the English Channel to France in pursuit of woodcock
and other game. They often ventured to the Province
of Bretagne (Brittany) to hunt the woodcock which were
plentiful and relatively inexpensive to hunt. These
British sportsmen were typically accompanied by their
setters (English, Gordon and Irish) and they sometimes
brought their Springer Spaniels, too. These British
hunting dogs which went across the English Channel into
France with their owners were by necessity left behind
in the care of the French countrymen until the next
hunting season. This was because their British owners
faced the quarantine on canines which was enacted in
1901 and which prevented the dogs which left to go to
France from returning back home to Great Britain. While
sojourning in France, these British dogs naturally encountered
the French spaniels which were typically small dogs
found on the farms and in the villages located across
the French countryside around the Bretagne (Brittany)
region. Such encounters resulted in casual and eventually
intentional mixing of these separate bloodlines.
Additional
folklore indicates that some of the earlier offspring
produced by these canine unions were poacher's dogs
utilized by French peasants to illegally bag game from
large estates. The above information about the evolution
of the Epagneul Breton breed seems to be generally accepted.
However, other accounts differ, and additional theories
exist in other writings about part of the breed's origin.
Regardless
of the complicated and multifaceted origins of the breed,
these initial ancestors of the Epagneul Breton distinguished
themselves as hunting dogs in the field. The breed's
foundational ancestors were hardy, athletic dogs which
exhibited natural hunting acumen, along with considerable
determination and courage. These traits were necessary
to consistently produce game in the challenging environmental
conditions and unforgiving terrain encountered in the
Bretagne (Brittany) region, where the breed originated.
As
these early representatives of the breed began to distinguish
themselves in the field, they undoubtedly attracted
the keen interest of a small group of French sportsmen
who began to own, train and purposefully reproduce them.
The breed evolved over a period of time and other researchers
such as Mr. Kermadec, indicate that some of the early
representatives of the breed made limited showings which
were recorded as early as 1869. In 1896 the first known
specific representative of the Epagneul Breton breed,
known as Pincon Royale was formally exhibited at the
Paris Exposition. Shortly thereafter in 1898, another
Epagneul Breton named Myrrha d'Amorique won first place
in a French field trial. The first Epagneul Bretons
to be formally registered with the Societe' Centrale
Canine (French Kennel Club) were "Boy"
born in 1905 and "Marpha" born in 1903. Consequently,
the founders of the original breed association led by
Mr. Enaud in 1907 came together soon thereafter to devote
themselves to the systematic development and improvement
of these dogs as a distinct race (breed).
The
first proposed conformation standard for the breed was
drafted in 1907 and included black and white in the
coat and required a natural short tail. However the
French Kennel Club (known as the Societe' Centrale
Canine) rejected that part of the proposed original
conformation standard which allowed black in the coat
when it actually approved and enacted the first official
conformation standard for the breed in 1908. Subsequent
modifications of the original breed conformation standard
developed in France made slight changes from time to
time, such as adjusting the acceptable height tolerances
and permitting docked tails, until a landmark change
in the breed's conformation standard took place in 1956.
That year, due to the persistence of Gaston Pouchain,
who served as a very influential president of the original
breed club in France for many years, the official conformation
standard for the Epagneul Breton was modified to accept
black in the coat! This important modification had been
reflected in the breed's genetics from the earliest
days. Black in the coat and skin pigmentation remains
completely acceptable today under FCI Standard No. 95,
promulgated by the world canine organization known as
the Federation Cynologique Internationale
(hereinafter referenced as "FCI") which is
located in Belgium. (The Societe Centrale Canine
-- or French Kennel Club, became a FCI
constituent member country many years ago.) This conformation
standard for the Epagneul Breton as historically promulgated
by the FCI is rightfully relied upon worldwide as the
most accurate and historically reliable official conformation
standard for the Epagneul Breton breed. This is because
the form and content of FCI Standard No. 95 constituting
the official conformation standard for the Epagneul
Breton was meticulously developed and sparingly fine
tuned in the breed's country of origin by those who
were devoted to the breed from the outset. Dedicated
breeders of the Epagneul Breton in France have exercised
considerable discipline and restraint to keep all acceptable
modifications in conformation very close to the original
breed standard, as they sparingly refined and updated
the original conformation standard throughout the last
century.
Originally
prized as an outstanding breed with which to hunt woodcock,
the French breed club strived to develop the Epagneul
Breton into a pointing dog suitable for hunting all
species of upland game. The grey partridge (also known
as the Hungarian partridge) eventually became a popular
game bird in Europe which is hunted with the Epagneul
Breton. Virtually all modern spring field trials in
France and other countries in Europe are now conducted
with the grey partridge as the designated game. Epagneul
Bretons also commonly hunt snipe, pheasant, red legged
partridge and forest grouse in France and other European
countries.. Due to the perseverance and due diligence
of the Frenchmen who stewarded the early selection,
breeding and development of the Epagneul Breton as a
hunting dog and companion, the breed has enjoyed enormous
success around the world. The devotion, due diligence
and tireless efforts of the Frenchmen who revere this
breed which was developed in their native country have
produced the fine Continental pointing dog of handsome
appearance, which is the very sociable companion we
presently enjoy around the world as the Epagneul Breton.
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History
of the Epagneul Breton in America
 In
America as in other parts of the world, the Epagneul
Breton is now recognized and accepted as a separate
and distinct breed from its distant cousin, the American
Brittany. Since the two breeds share common French ancestry
it is impossible to provide an accurate history of the
Epagneul Breton in the United States, without distinguishing
the breed from what has become the Americanized version,
now customarily referenced as the American Brittany.
However, it should be observed at the outset that the
Epagneul Breton is quite different in appearance from
the American Brittany. There are also notable differences
in the manner in which the two breeds are bred to typically
perform in the field.
The
official and formal separation of the Epagneul Breton
into a distinct breed from the America Brittany breed
in the United States was formally recognized and implemented
by the United Kennel Club, Inc. (hereinafter
referenced as the "UKC") in 2002. That year
the official UKC registry and studbook for the Epagneul
Breton breed in the United States which had been previously
maintained by the French Brittany Gun Dog Association
of America, Inc. (hereinafter referenced as
"FBGDA") was assumed and became administered
by the United Kennel Club, Inc., which
is the oldest canine registry in the United States dating
back to 1898. Other well respected organizations in
the United States which are involved in canine education,
health and research, such as the Orthopedic Foundation
for Animals, Inc. (commonly known
as "OFA") and The University of Pennsylvania
Hip Improvement Program (commonly known as "PennHip")
also recognize the Epagneul Breton breed as separate
and distinct from that of the American Brittany. This
separation of the two breeds was achieved at the specific
request of and due to the perseverance of the French
Brittany Gun Dog Association of America, Inc.
(also known as "FBGDA"); the parent breed
club for the Epagneul Breton in the United States. FBGDA
remains devoted to maintenance of the purity of the
original Epagneul Breton as developed in France and
now encountered in other areas of Europe. This organization
serving as parent club for the Epagneul Breton in the
United States has steadfastly devoted itself to keeping
the Epagneul Breton separate and distinct in all respects
from the American Brittany breed. FBGDA and its members
who are devoted to the Epagneul Breton breed ardently
oppose any crossbreeding (mixing of the Epagneul Breton's
bloodlines with the American Brittany).
The
Epagneul Breton is totally of French origin and a pure
product of the early French foundation breed stock dating
back to 1907 and beyond. In contrast, the American Brittany
dog is a more recent American creation developed in
the United States subsequent to World War I by American
dog breeders who chose to move away from the original
phenotype of the Epagneul Breton. By the time World
War I had ended, the Epagneul Breton had been well established
in France for several decades. Although the war had
taken its toll, the breed was still in tact in France.
There were not a large number of the canine ancestors
of what is now the American Brittany initially imported
to the United States from France, after World War I.
A few of the earliest offspring of the first imports,
which were themselves bred to produce additional offspring
after arriving in America, had a significant impact
on the overall gene pool of what is now the American
Brittany breed. A number of these representatives of
the early generations of American Brittany offspring
were themselves bred to further expand the gene pool
in the United States. These dogs soon produced significant
phenotypic variations of the original French dogs imported
to America. The phenotypic variation is believed to
have resulted when the original dogs imported in to
the United States from France were selectively out crossed
to other pointing breeds in order to create what has
resulted in the present "Americanized" version
of what the American Kennel Club eventually in 1982,
officially named the "Brittany." While such
out crosses are impossible to formally document in the
registration records, no other logical scientific explanation
exists for the notable change in phenotype which occurred
in the American Brittany within a few short decades.
These dogs appeared on the scene after the initial importations
to America from France largely ceased for a significant
period of time.
The
ancestors of the America Brittany which were among the
early imports from France prior to World War II were
brought to America by sportsmen who had seen the dogs
perform in the field in their country of origin. As
ownership of these first imported dogs' offspring spread
to other Americans, who had not observed the dogs hunting
in their native surroundings, the progeny produced in
subsequent generations by new owners did not stay true
to type for very long. Some of the modifications in
phenotype which soon emerged were due to natural selection,
as Americans preferred and bred larger, longer dogs
than the more compact, or "cobby" Epagneul
Bretons, which originated from France. This American
preference for a different type of dog resulted ostensibly
because American sportsmen who were breeding dogs for
upland bird hunting and field trialing were more accustomed
to pointers and setters which dominated the American
sporting landscape at that time in the history of the
United States. While it is impossible to conclusively
substantiate the practice decades later, it is theorized
that other bloodlines were introduced by American breeders
of bird dogs, in order to purposefully modify the look
and build of the dogs which had been imported from France
shortly after World War I. This is at least one, and
possibly the only-- logical explanation why the obvious
differences in appearance of the American Brittany and
Epagneul Breton exist today. At any rate, one only need
look at a cross section of the representatives of the
two breeds to conclude that the French have consistently
bred for a very different dog throughout the breed's
century of existence, whereas the breeders of the American
Brittany chose to go a decidedly different route in
producing the American Brittany.
Due
to those early modifications in genetic composition
which took place in the United States, the American
Brittany evolved over a few decades to be distinctly
different in appearance from the Epagneul Breton. Such
obvious physiological differences between the American
Brittany and the Epagneul Breton are most often observed
in the color of coat and in the color of skin pigmentation
in the lips, eyelids and pads of the feet. Epagneul
Bretons often, but not always, have black in the coat
and pigmentation of the lips eyelids and pads of the
feet. Many believe this black coloration in the pigment
is increasingly desirable. However, some fine representatives
of the Epagneul Breton breed have pigmentation which
is lighter in color, which matches the color of their
coats. Nevertheless, scientific research has demonstrated
that Epagneul Bretons carry the "agouti"
or "black" color gene. However, black
in the coat or the nose has always been disallowed under
the American Brittany breed's official conformation
standard promulgated by the American Kennel Club.
The American Brittany Club has steadfastly
refused to request the American Kennel Club
to modify its breed standard for the Brittany, so as
to allow the color black in the coat or skin pigmentation,
even after the change in the official conformation standard
was made in France in 1956 and took hold throughout
the rest of the world. The skin pigmentation of the
Epagneul Breton in the lips, eyelids and pads of the
feet is characteristically darker in appearance than
that seen in the American Brittany, which usually exhibits
skin pigmentation in shades of pink or a lighter shade
of brown. However as previously noted, not all Epagneul
Breton exhibit the color black in their skin pigmentation,
and one will occasionally encounter an American Brittany
dog that is near the size and general appearance of
the Epagneul Breton.
The
typical contrast in the two breeds is usually demonstrated
in the size and the physical structure of various body
components, such as the head, as well as overall general
body appearance. The head of the classic Epagneul Breton
is different in structure than the classic American
Brittany head, with the Epagneul Breton possessing a
more prominent slope in the forehead and a shorter muzzle
and nose. These body components give the Epagneul Breton
dog a distinctly different look or expression than an
American Brittany dog, whose bone structure and shape
of the head are decidedly different. American Brittany
dogs are often lankier in appearance, by virtue of being
somewhat longer in body from head to rear. In contrast,
the classic Epagneul Breton is "cobby" with
its height to the withers equal to its body length.
This square or cobby look gives the Epagneul Breton
the appearance of a dog which is more compact, and more
muscular in appearance. In contrast to the American
Brittany, the Epagneul Breton's desirable maximum height
is 20.1 inches at the withers and a Breton rarely weighs
over forty pounds (40 lbs.). Many American Brittany
dogs are considerably larger than even their official
conformation standard provides, while it is very rare
to see an Epagneul Breton which is outside the size
limit specified in the official breed conformation standard.
The
American Kennel Club's official conformation
standard for the Brittany deviates quite significantly
from the official FCI Standard No. 95 employed in France
and Europe for the Epagneul Breton and the official
conformation standard implemented by the UKC in 2007,
which mirrors the European version. Not only is the
conformation standard for the Epagneul Breton as employed
by the FCI and UKC different in form than the AKC standard
for the American Brittany (which AKC designates as the
"Brittany" breed), but the separate standards
are inherently different in many important particulars
regarding content. These differences range from the
description of the general appearance of the dog, to
differences in height tolerances, length of tail, description
of gait/method of movement, description of various body
components and the list of conformation faults.
Most
notably, the color black in the coat and nose were disallowed
when the first official breed standard was adopted by
the American Kennel Club for the American Brittany and
remains a disqualifying fault to the present day. The
color black in the coat or skin pigment will disqualify
a dog entered as a Brittany in a conformation show sanctioned
under the rules of the American Kennel Club.
This arbitrary disqualification based on color alone
was retained by the American Brittany Club (which
is the American Kennel Club parent club for the
American Brittany breed), even after the French Kennel
Club (Societe' Centrale Canine) in the
breed's country of origin made it clear, in the official
conformation standard for the breed which was decisively
revised in the 1956, that the color black was specifically
permitted and was not a disqualifying fault. It is largely
for this reason that FBGDA has requested the American
Kennel Club on more than one occasion to separate
the Epagneul Breton from the American Brittany in the
Brittany breed registry and studbook maintained by the
AKC and which the AKC now denotes as simply the registry
for the Brittany breed. The refusal of the American
Brittany Club to request and support the American
Kennel Club separating the breeds causes some
confusion in the United States and abroad, as many Epagneul
Bretons are dual registered with the AKC, which merely
lumps the two breeds together under the "Brittany"
designation per the AKC's stud book and registry.
However,
as indicated above, thankfully, the UKC officially separated
the breeds in 2002, so that a studbook for pure Epagneul
Bretons can now be maintained for perpetuity in the
Untied States. The original UKC Breed Standard for the
Epagneul Breton which was originally published in 2002
was much closer to the FCI Standard for the breed, but
was not entirely accurate. However, in 2007 at the request
of FBGDA as the parent club for the Epagneul Breton
breed, the United Kennel Club, Inc. (UKC)
agreed to modify the official conformation standard
for the Epagneul Breton as employed in the United States,
so that it now accurately mirrors FCI Standard No. 95
for the Epagneul Breton. This was an important step,
because it made the breed's conformation standard the
same as that employed in France and throughout the world.
This official UKC conformation standard effective as
of 2007 now represents a proper and accurate conformation
standard for the Epagneul Breton breed. It also contains
various illustrations in the appendix to the standard
to help the consumer understand various aspects of canine
anatomy. These illustrations contained in the UKC conformation
standard were specifically licensed for use by Jean
Louvet, of France who composed them.
Regardless
of the specific genetic formula employed by American
breeders to modify the breed's body structure and overall
appearance, it is well accepted that two separate sub-types
of American Brittany eventually emerged in the United
States between World War I and the 1970's. One type
was bred for the show ring and another type for field
trials and/or hunting. Both sub-types of American Brittany
which were developed in the United States differed from
the Epagneul Breton.
In
the area of performance and working function, the American
Brittany sub-type used for field trialing and hunting
evolved into a dog which was developed for field trialing
off horseback in America. Many of the American Brittany
dogs used in the field consequently run bigger than
the Epagneul Breton, which has always characteristically
worked closer to the handler and foot hunter. The Epagneul
Breton has retained the natural traits of a personal
gun dog for the foot hunter, due to being hunted and
field trialed exclusively on foot in the breed's country
of origin.
In
the area of conformation, the American Brittany appears
only in orange and white or liver and white, with lighter
colored skin pigmentation being typical. The American
Brittany show type also frequently appears to be longer
in body from head to rear, with a different shape of
the head, and a finer bone structure. Some of the American
Brittany's differences in appearance are exacerbated
by grooming the coat for the AKC conformation show ring,
whereas the Epagneul Breton is typically exhibited in
the UKC shows in a more natural state, with little or
no show grooming.
By
the 1970's the American Brittany types which presently
exist had clearly evolved in the United States and become
the norm in this country. The American Brittany breed
is highly centralized in the United States. However,
some representatives of that breed have been exported
from the United States and are found in Japan, Norway,
Argentina, and the provinces of Canada with a British,
rather than French heritage.
In the 1970's a few persons devoted to the concept of
the original Epagneul Breton began to renew importation
of Epagneul Bretons from France into the United States.
These importations from the country of origin have continued
to the present, and include excellent specimens from
other European countries. As the importations of Epagneul
Bretons were first renewed in the United States, the
ready temptation to crossbreed back to the American
Brittany dogs soon presented itself. Among those strongly
devoted to maintaining the purity of the original Epagneul
Breton, a consensus began to form that there was a need
for an organization to protect the breed and maintain
its purity. The parent breed club formally known as
the Epagneul Breton Club, U.S.A. - French Brittany
Gun Dog Association of America, Inc. (or "FBGDA")
formed in 1997 in Liberty, Missouri. FBGDA was formed
with the essential purposes of preventing crossbreeding
of Epagneul Bretons to American Brittanys and maintaining
a registry and studbook of purebred Epagneul Bretons
in the United States. However, FBGDA began working in
earnest to gain official recognition of the Epagneul
Breton as a separate and distinct breed from the American
Brittany breed in the United States and North America.
After the non-profit organization was begun by enthusiasts
of the Epagneul Breton in the Untied States, FBGDA maintained
its own studbook and registry to maintain the quality
and purity of the gene pool in the United States. This
practice continued until 2002, when the Epagneul Breton
breed was officially recognized by the United
Kennel Club (UKC). At the time the Epagneul
Breton breed became officially recognized by the United
Kennel Club, Inc., the registry and studbook
were transferred from FBGDA to UKC. UKC thus was assigned
and assumed official registration responsibilities and
took over the original FBGDA studbook to create the
present official breed registry for the Epagneul Breton
breed in the United States.
Also
at the request of FBGDA, the United Kennel Club,
Inc. agreed to establish a system of licensed
field trial competitions and a test of natural ability
(commonly known as the "TAN"), which events
are modeled after those same field evaluations sanctioned
by FCI and conducted in France and other parts of Europe.
These natural ability tests and field trials are now
conducted in America on foot, as they are in France
and other European countries,--- with the exception
that there is a separate UKC Gun Dog classification
for field trials for less experienced handlers and dogs.
The rules of performance for this beginning class known
as the UKC GUN Dog Class are not quite as strict as
the UKC Open Class which is conducted in the same manner
as the traditional field trials in France, which are
always conducted on foot. A system of conformation exhibitions/shows
for the breed was also soon implemented through UKC,
whereby the breed is now correctly evaluated under the
UKC conformation standard which mirrors the present
FCI conformation standard developed in the country of
origin of the Epagneul Breton breed. With FBGDA's persistence,
recent adoption of the official UKC conformation standard
for the Epagneul Breton, as originally developed in
France and as employed internationally on a worldwide
scale by the Federation Cynologique International
(FCI) is believed to be a very important step
in maintaining breed uniformity worldwide, as well as
advocating proper conformation of the Epagneul Breton
breed in the United States. Fanciers of the Epagneul
Breton in the United States desire to take great care
to see that the breed's conformation does not morph
into a different type of dog, as is vividly illustrated
by the evolution of the America Brittany breed in the
United States.
Fanciers
of the Epagneul Breton breed in the United States continue
to strive to maintain and protect the breed as it has
been developed, maintained and produced in France, the
country of origin. In keeping with the French methods
and tradition of breeding, selection and training, Bretonniers
in America strive to meet the dual dog concept of producing
a superior hunter which is attractive in appearance,
sound in physical conformation and which makes an excellent
companion for the family unit.
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Today's
Epagneul Breton
 A
slogan coined in France by the late former President
of the Club Epagneul Breton, Gaston Pouchain
stated that the Epagneul Breton provides " un
maximum of qualities pour un volume minimum"--
which translated into English means that the Epagneul
Breton provides a "maximum of qualities in a
minimum of volume." Another popular breed slogan
provides that the Epagneul Breton is " the smallest,
but the best, of the pointing breeds"! Many
persons find the Epagneul Breton's varied coloration
unique and their overall appearance pleasing to the
eye. The dogs are medium sized with a coat of white
and orange, white and black, white and liver, or tricolor
combinations in liver or black, mixed with the traditional
white and orange. Pigmentation in the nose, feet, lips
and eyelids of the Epagneul Breton is typically quite
dark, approaching black; although some representatives
possess a liver or orange pigmentation in the nose which
is consistent with their coloration in the coat. Epagneul
Bretons are sometimes born tailless, but usually have
a short docked tail.
Epagneul
Bretons are sound, dynamic, athletic and efficient gun
dogs for the foot hunter. Because of their intelligence,
compact size and friendly, affectionate nature, the
Epagneul Breton makes an outstanding companion for the
family. The classic Breton is cobby in appearance, exhibiting
a classic and unique Breton expression when the ears
are raised. In the field, the Epagneul Breton moves
with a distinct "rolling" gait which is easy,
enduring, yet powerful - and which gives the appearance
of rolling effortlessly as the dog gallops across the
terrain, with head and nose held high, in search of
upland game. The breed is characteristically intensely
birdy, quite passionate in search of game and very stylish
on point. The high head carriage, instinctive quartering
in ground coverage and ease of movement makes the classic
Epagneul Breton beautiful to watch perform in the field.
Bretons are versatile dogs and make fine retrievers;
often honoring a brace mate's point of upland game with
little or no formal training. Compared to other breeds
of pointing dogs, the Epagneul Breton matures early
for field work and is usually easy to train, if given
proper socialization and exposure to upland game.
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*Credits
*
Credits-The above condensed history was developed and
written by the author for use by FBGDA as educational
material. The historical information about the breed's
origins in France was taken in part from the research,
writings and lectures of historians of the Epagneul
Breton breed. Specific credit and appreciation for the
historical information is expressed to a number of Frenchmen
who have tirelessly worked for betterment of the Epagneul
Breton breed. They are Jacques-Francois Bordet, Henri
Xavier Guelou, Christian Gunther, Leon Le Louet, Jean
Louvet, Pierre Willems and the late Gaston Pouchain
whose contributions in the form of earlier writings
made providing the historical information possible.
The author also gratefully acknowledges R.L. Dalrymple,
current FBGDA President, who reviewed the manuscript
and offered many helpful suggestions.
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