OUR 2025 LITTER

We're currently taking reservations for our 2025 litter.

These active, athletic puppies from working lines are best suited to active homes that work, hunt, run, or play dogsports. The first step is to email your application to Carla at [email protected]. 

Note that all of our puppies have intact tails and dewclaws.

Questions? Email us to schedule a time to chat. 

HEALTHY, RELIABLE

Hunter's Heart offers unsurpassed health testing, including OFA health testing. Follow the links below to verify our dogs' health certifications. 

When you purchase one of our Brittanys, you have a very good idea of what to expect. We raise puppies using the protocols based on the latest research in Service Dog training. when you visit, you can usually meet several generations, including veterans enjoying their retirement. We'll set you up for success, whatever adventures you enjoy. 

OUR BREEDING PROGRAM

Most dogs we sell become treasured pets, and many families are repeat customers. We strive for health, temperament and biddability. Hunter's Heart Brittanys are from field lines, with strong instincts to find things using their noses, point birds and retrieve. Our dogs usually love water and have taught many other dogs to swim. 

Most of the breeding dogs we own work as professional detection dogs. Two of our dogs are certified wildlife conservation detection dogs who've found bats and birds on US wind farms to help reduce the impact of wind energy on populations at risk. We've inspected pipelines in northern Canada to detect small leaks and help limit environmental impact, and found many elusive bedbug infestations.

Our working dogs live in our home. They're partners and part of our family. 

HOW WE RAISE PUPPIES

Our puppies are born and reared inside our home. We apply the latest research to socialize and prepare them to be part of your family, wherever your adventures take you. 

We provide a solid foundation, including early introduction to obedience, loud noises (including gunfire and traffic), retrieving, agility, playing with toys, and motivational games.

In this video, Lula is playing hide and seek for the first time. She's learning to find her human, which is crucial for safety. Once trained to come when called, our Brittanys eagerly work off leash while hunting, hiking, agility, nosework, etc.  

ABOUT THE DAM, ZZ

Hunter's Heart She's Got Legs, "ZZ" is the dam of our 2024 litter. When she's not frolicking with her puppies, she serves as a solid role model.  She's a professional bed bug detection dog who loves to play with toys, especially chasing the flirt pole. Combined with her outstanding nose, ZZ has the desire and stamina to search all day and rarely miss objectives. Having said that, she's our snuggliest dog, calming down nicely to enjoy a relaxing, quiet evening on the couch. 

• Breeder/owner/handler: Dr. Carla Simon.
• DOB: Sept. 22, 2017
• CHIC Certified - Hips Good, Eyes CERF 2020, Patella: Normal.
• CKC # ES723807
• Sire: CH HuntersHeart RedDevil Fantome FDJ CGN AN SGDC SDS-SP TOG AN AE SI MC MV
• Dam: HuntersHeart Black Betty NC NI NE PTE AGNJ.

COST AND DETAILS

An 8-week-old puppy costs $2500 Cdn + tax. This is split into 3 payments: a $200 non-refundable deposit and signed contract are required to reserve a puppy, $500 is due when the pups reach 2 weeks of age, and the remainder is due when the pups reach 8 weeks of age. The price includes deworming, first vaccination and health check by a vet, microchip, CKC registration papers and our written guarantee. The earliest that puppies can safely go to their new homes is 8 weeks of age.

We encourage families to pick up their puppy if at all possible. Canadians may be able to fly home with your puppy in a soft sherpa crate under your seat, if your puppy is small enough. Many puppies have traveled large distances and they generally do very well (with rare cases of car sickness).

Hunter's Heart is renowned for extensive socialization. Litters are whelped in the bedroom and grow up in the living room. Even before the puppies ears are open, we fire a capgun before food and going for a run. This classical conditioning means that by the time that puppies go to their new homes, loud noises are either ignored, or a reason to come running in anticipation of something rewarding. Provided that owners transition to louder guns in the field, slowly and at decreasing distances, the puppies are off to a good start in accepting gunfire.

Every litter is exposed to birds and scent. As early as 5 weeks of age, puppies start their scent detection training. We also work on retrieving, agility and balance.

Carla matches puppies with families based on evaluation completed at 8 weeks of age. Please note that we cannot accommodate preferences for color, size or markings. Matches based on a cute appearance are far less likely to succeed in the long term. If you want a hunting dog, we'll match you with a puppy that's keenly interested in birds, searching using their nose, and/or retrieving. If you have young infants at home, we'll match you with a less active pup who is less boisterous and enjoys spending time with children.

As an all-breed Canine Good Neighbour Evaluator for the Canadian Kennel Club, and former Behavior Assessor at the Calgary Humane Society, Carla offers extensive experience evaluating  dog temperaments. Our puppies' temperaments are guaranteed in writing, as long as you complete an 8-week puppy socialization class (in your hometown).

We give our puppies the very best start we can, but when you bring your puppy home you need to continue socializing and training to ensure that they are a joy to live with rather than a problem adult.

A puppy is a lifetime commitment, for both families and the breeder. All puppy owners must sign a purchase contract, non breeding agreement, and paperwork from the Canadian Kennel Club. (CKC registration papers are included in the price.) Hunter's Heart will take back any dog we bred, at any age, for any reason.

INTACT TAILS AND DEWCLAWS

Hunter's Heart was the first reputable breeder in Canada to stop removing puppies' tails and dewclaws. These functional parts of the body help a dog to run at top speed, turn, climb out of icy waters, and balance, for maximum performance and longevity. 

Kessler summarized: “The tail is not a limb but is an appendage… the muscular structure and activity are in integral part of the normal bodily shape and function, especially the perineal region… The tail is known to be a counter-balance for dogs in action, especially when moving at high speeds, turning sharply, balancing, jumping or climbing, and, according to traditional water-dog breeds, a rudder in the water'”.

We support the CVMA Position Statement on Cosmetic Procedures. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association Canine Tail Docking FAQ, justification of carrying out preventive tail amputation on working dogs “lack substantial scientific support”.

The Canadian Kennel Club now allows Brittanys to be shown with intact tails and dewclaws without any penalty (as of January 2023). More dog owners worldwide are joining us and leaving tails and dewclaws intact. 

BRITTANYS AREN'T FOR EVERYONE

Brittanys are usually good with kids, but their high energy doesn't fit for families who are too busy for daily exercise and simply want a quiet, calm companion around the home. Brittanys need at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. They do not require hours of physical exercise, but they are not couch potatoes! They love searching, hunting, running, camping, and dog sports like agility, nosework, tracking and mantrailing. After  exercise or jobs, our Brittanys  settle down and sleep at your feet. But without exercise, Brittanys can misbehave, be destructive, and end up in shelters or rescues. 

BRITTANYS ARE A POOR CHOICE IF YOU WANT A DOG THAT:

• Calmly lies on the couch all day
• Doesn't ever sniff
• Won't jump into water puddles
• Doesn't need daily exercise
• Doesn't behave like an athletic Brittany.

Please look for a breed that matches your current lifestyle and energy level so you and your dog will both be happy!

ABOUT  CARLA SIMON

From bed bugs to birds, from medical detection to nosework, Dr. Carla Simon, MD, BSc, MBA has trained thousands of students worldwide since 1999. Carla Chairs the Working Dog Committee of the Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers. She's a professional service dog trainer, and a sought-after speaker who drew a sold-out crowd of more than 600 at UBC’s Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Hunter's Heart has been featured in the Pointing Dog Journal, the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants Journal, Dogs in Canada, and Clean Run magazines. Learn more here.