Brittany vs English Springer Spaniel

A Brittany
Photo: Pharaoh Hound
An English Springer Spaniel
Photo: Kruming

Side by side

Brittany
English Springer Spaniel
Adult weight
Males 14–18 kg (31–40 lb); females 13–17 kg (29–37 lb) (breed club figure)1
Males 22–25 kg (49–55 lb); females 18–22 kg (40–49 lb) (breed club figure)2
Height
Males 48–51 cm; females 47–50 cm3
Males 48.3–53.3 cm; females 45.7–50.8 cm4
Lifespan
Median 11.1 years5
Median 13.5 years5
Fully grown
11 months, both sexes6
10 months, both sexes6
Group
Pointing dogs3
Retrievers & water dogs7
Coat
Coat with feathering3
Coat with feathering7
Shedding
Sheds through the year
Grooming
Brushing a few times a week
Exercise
Plenty
Health
No sourced figure
Insulin-secreting pancreatic tumour (more likely); Elbow joint disease (more likely)8,9
Class
Field
Field

Which suits you

Size
The English Springer Spaniel is larger on average: about 22 kg (48 lb) as an adult, against 16 kg (34 lb) for the Brittany.
Lifespan
In UK vet records the English Springer Spaniel lives longer: a median of 13.5 years, against 11.1 for the Brittany.
Temperament
They differ most on affection (Brittany: affectionate on its own terms; English Springer Spaniel: a lap or leaning dog) and on sensitivity (Brittany: needs a calm, predictable home; English Springer Spaniel: average).
Alike
Both are rated the same on independence: keen to work with you.
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
Take the breed matcher

What they're like

Brittany
Pointing dogs · Medium

In temperament it is quick, eager and soft-natured, with great stamina and a strong wish to work with its handler; it tends to respond poorly to harsh handling.

English Springer Spaniel
Retrievers & water dogs · Medium

In temperament it is friendly, eager to please and busy, and it thrives when it has work to do.

The Brittany page →The English Springer Spaniel page →

Breed traits

Day to day
Brittany
English Springer Spaniel
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Needs daily brain work
Needs daily brain work
Handler demand
Needs steady training
Needs steady training
With people
Brittany
English Springer Spaniel
Affection
Differs
Affectionate on its own terms
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Bonded to its family
Bonded to its family
Independence
Keen to work with you
Keen to work with you
Around the home
Brittany
English Springer Spaniel
Sensitivity
Differs
Needs a calm, predictable home
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Differs
Likely to chase small pets
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour10. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home11,12.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The English Springer Spaniel grows to the heavier adult, about 22 kg against the Brittany's 16 kg.
Brittany
English Springer Spaniel
01020302m4m6m9m12m18m
01020302m3m4m6m9m12m18m

More comparisons

Compare the Brittany with
English Cocker Spaniel vs English Springer SpanielBoykin Spaniel vs English Springer SpanielEnglish Setter vs English Springer SpanielBrittany vs Irish Red and White SetterEnglish Springer Spaniel vs Golden RetrieverBrittany vs Welsh Springer SpanielAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·