Sambuca

great picture and a beautiful dog!

Biggest mistake I made with my first Brittany was letting it get into too many birds. We all want to see our puppy point a bird. After all that's why we got it, right? Wrong!! I had a lot of fun with that puppy but he has been a house dog since he turned a year old . Hunting, he will run off and bust every bird he smells. No fun chasing a dog around when you want to be hunting over a pointing dog. Take your time. Do a couple of birds early (on a check cord) to instill prey drive and then STOP. If you go too far your dog will be hunting for him/herself and not for the team (you and him/her). Once the puppy is bird crazy (it doesn't take but a few quail), work on getting it to hunt at the range you want. For me, a field trialer, I want her in the next field. For a hunting dog, you might want him/her closer. And most important, make it listen!! Teach it commands and then enforce them every time. eCollars are awesome but only use on commands the dog already knows and obeys 90% of the time. Those commands are learned with a check cord attached to the dog. Patience is the key!

I'll add. Don't insist on the pick of the litter. At 7 weeks no one knows what they will become. People do all kinds of crazy stuff to figure out which will be the best. It never ends that way. Grab a puppy, even if it's the ugliest one, take it home and bond with it. If the genetics and the bond are there you'll most likely be good. And, find a good trainer in your area who can help you when you need it. You will likely hit a wall at some point and You'll be amazed what a professional trainer can see that you cant.

Good post Salmon. I'll add a few things. 1) If your getting a bird dog, Brittany, GSP, Pointer Setter etc. These are high energy dogs and need attention or they will make you miserable. They need a job and they need to do it regularly. If your not ready for the puppy commitment, don't do it. 2) Titles are a great thing! I run Brittanys in horseback field trials. Mine are definitely not foot hunting dogs until they are old and retired. That's how they are trained. However, any dog can be trained to shorten up and hunt at shotgun range. The titles FC, AFC, SH, MH etc. will tell you they are highly trainable and are, first and foremost, bird dogs. If they weren't they would never get those titles. JH (Junior Hunter) means almost nothing. I could get a collie to do that. 3) Stay away from show lines if you want to hunt, unless the breeder does both. Those show titles will be CH etc. This is especially true in English Pointers and Setters. The show lines are very different from the field lines.

Same here. Multiple people I know have taken it. I have not heard of anyone having an issue with the vaccine. It's just a needle stick. If I could get it today, I would.