It depends on the day, and the record says so in numbers: 3 out of 5, the middle of the barking scale. A Brittany has a voice and uses it, for alerts, for greetings and for the occasional opinion, but it is not among the breeds that narrate their whole existence. This is a Non-Sporting breed from Brittany, France with a Sweet, adaptable, playful and devoted temperament, and its voice is a tool it uses rather than a soundtrack it lives inside. For most households the volume is unremarkable, noticeable on the day the doorbell rings six times and invisible for the quiet weeks between, which is exactly what a middle score is supposed to mean.
They are playful without being frantic, busy without being demanding and friendly with the world at large. Puppies are busy and charming; adults keep a youthful sparkle for years. The Brittany fits active family life gracefully: sweet with children, good with other dogs, friendly with visitors and moderate in size and demands. In return for company and gentle training you get a shadow who would not dream of being anywhere else. Bred in Brittany, France to be close company for people, a role dogs have filled for thousands of years, the Brittany is a medium sized dog in the Non-Sporting group.
The full record behind the headline runs like this. Barking is rated 3 out of 5 for the Brittany; energy sits at 3 out of 5 and trainability at 3 out of 5, and those two numbers decide how manageable the first one is: an energetic, trainable dog can be taught a settle, while energy with nowhere to go becomes noise. Against that background the bark score, 3 out of 5, is one line in a coherent record. Owners who read the whole cluster can predict the soundtrack of their street far better than owners who read the single number, because the audiences decide when the voice gets used.
Other dogs feature, but moderately. The Brittany is rated Good with dogs, and its barking at other dogs is usually the greeting kind rather than the argument kind: a few barks at the park fence, a commentary when a neighbor's dog starts first. A dog passing the house, a noise in the night that does not resolve, a squirrel at close quarters: reported, briefly. What a middle score means in practice is that the list is short and the reports end. The Brittany's Sweet, adaptable, playful and devoted temperament and its 30 to 45 minute exercise need set the baseline, and a dog that has had its exercise and its company files fewer reports than one that has had neither.
They dislike being left alone for long days, having been bred as close companions as much as workers. The household picture includes moderate shedding, an enthusiastic welcome and a dog that would like to join every outing, ride and walk. Housetraining follows the standard routine and is usually straightforward in a dog this eager to please.
The rest of the record rounds the picture out. The record's color line for the Brittany reads: Standard colors: piebald orange-and-white, liver-and-white or black-and-white. The coat is described as Dense, flat or slightly wavy coat of medium length, with light feathering on the ears and backs of the legs, with grooming effort rated 3 of 5 and shedding at 3 of 5. The breed's known health watch points, Hip dysplasia, Eye conditions and Epilepsy, quietly shape the noise question in the senior years, when senior status arrives around age 8 years and hearing, joints and routine all change how a dog experiences its street. The barking verdict on this page describes the typical adult; the whole record describes the dog whose barking it will actually be.
Look sideways for a moment at the breeds this record finds most similar: the Bohemian Spotted Dog, the Taiwan Dog and the Petit Bleu de Gascogne. Their bark ratings are not identical to the Brittany's 3 out of 5, which is worth remembering in both directions: do not borrow a similar breed's quiet reputation, and do not lend this one's volume out. Cross shoppers get more from comparing the full records side by side than from any single number, which is why each name on the shortlist carries its own page on this site.
Managing a middle voice is mostly about not accidentally training it upward. The commonest household error is paying barks with the thing barked for: the door opens, the visitor enters, the dog is let out, while it is still barking, and the lesson lands cleanly. Windows improve with access management: film on the lower glass, a garden layout that does not post the dog at the fence for the whole day. The Brittany's trainability, rated 3 out of 5, is more than enough for this program; what it needs from the owner is consistency, because a mid-score breed keeps a precise ledger of which barks worked.
Brittanys commonly stay bright and devoted deep into old age. Puppies need gentle socialization, short play sessions while joints grow and early dental habits, since small mouths crowd teeth.
Keep the record's figures in view while you decide. Height 18 to 21 inches, weight 30 to 40 lb, lifespan 12 to 14 years, exercise 30 to 45 minutes a day. Barking 3 of 5, energy 3 of 5, trainability 3 out of 5. A small dog's 3 out of 5 and a giant dog's 3 out of 5 are different acoustic events, which is why the size lines belong on a page about noise: pitch, volume and the neighbor's tolerance all scale with the dog producing them.
That is the core of the breed's vocal life, and its strangers rating reads Friendly with strangers. In the Brittany's case the setting matters as much as the rule: this is a breed with moderate energy and a bark level of 3 out of 5, so its voice is heard against a fairly specific home backdrop. A Brittany with a bark score of 3 out of 5 announces unfamiliar people as a matter of course; whether the announcement is a single bark or a full report depends on the score, the dog and how the visitor behaves. Friends who visit often graduate quickly to the greeted list. Strangers who behave strangely, lingering at the fence, staring in at the window, get the extended edition whatever the score says. For people who want gundog character without gundog size, the Brittany is one of the dog world's best kept secrets.
Often, yes, and the record's dog rating, Good with dogs, frames why. With the Brittany, whose typical weight runs 30 to 40 pounds and whose lifespan reaches 12 to 14 years, the honest answer also changes a little across the dog's life, from puppyhood to senior status at about 8 years. Barking at dogs is usually one of three things: a greeting that overshoots, frustration at a lead or fence that prevents a greeting, or a warning to keep distance. The Brittany's score, 3 out of 5, predicts the volume of whichever it is. A dog that is exercised, 30 to 45 minutes a day for this breed, and taught to settle and look back at its owner owns a volume control that an under exercised dog simply does not have.
Start with the cause, not the noise. The Brittany's own numbers frame it: shedding at 3 out of 5, grooming at 3 out of 5, and a height of 18 to 21 inches, which is the household this voice has to fit into. Meet the exercise need first, 30 to 45 minutes daily, then teach a settle cue in calm moments so it exists in loud ones, and reward the pauses after barking rather than shouting through them. Manage the stages the dog performs on, windows, fences, the front door routine. At 3 out of 5, this breed's trainability of 3 out of 5 makes the program very workable, but it is a program of weeks. Anyone selling you a silent Brittany by Friday is selling you fear, not training.
Last updated: November 11, 2026