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O ur Vision at Chief's Brittanys®All rights reserved. is to produce & train Brittanys that will surpass expectations and please all that meet our dogs. This is achieved through planned breedings that are selected through intense scrutiny of both pedigrees and physical attributes/results. Our goal for every Brittany is to have a gentle friendly nature, a bold/attractive run, be intensely "birdy", naturally honor and retrieve, possess a "soft mouth", and meet ABC standards. The ABC, American Brittany Club, is the parent organization of the Brittany as recognized by the American Kennel Club.
All of our litters will be registered with the
American Kennel Club and are American Field Dog Stud Book eligible should you
choose to compete at events sanctioned by either organization. We are proud of our dogs and reputation as responsible breeders and trainers of pedigreed Brittanys. This responsibility includes lifetime written guarantees against genetic defects/disease as well as guaranteeing their ability to hunt. We also provide training for your Brittany. |
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Dave Jones has 40 years of exposure, experience and knowledge of Brittanys. He is nationally recognized as a Brittany trainer and breeder for the gentleman bird dog owner. Dave and his Brittanys have appeared in all types of events, news, corporate advertisements and entertainment media. Dave working with a Brittany
A puppy pointing a butterfly at 7 weeks.
Dave has appeared in various newspapers and news media from Texas and Montana. In a Montana article written October 2004 for the Glendive newspaper, they report about his annual Montana bird dog training program. In Texas he appeared on an Abilene area television channel. He also appeared internationally on Animal Planets reg. television show 'Breed All About It'. He appears periodically in various national bird dog specialty magazines.Dave is a proud member of D.T. Systems Pro-Staff where he is always on the cutting edge of new technology in the bird dog training industry. His love of Brittanys compels him to find new and innovative ways to get the job done. He is not satisfied with the 'status quo' of bird dog training. He recently developed a new approach to using D.T. Systems vibration technology in bird dog training. More info on his free training tips web page http://brittanys.com/Brittany_training.htm The history of Dave's involvement with Brittanys started with his Dad's pair of liver/white Brittanys 40 years ago in Kansas . Dave independently trained his first bird dog, a mixed breed named Snoopy, at 10 years of age. Dave knew then that training dogs was a joyful experience that he wanted to pursue the rest of his life. By himself, he independently trained his first Brittany named Molly at the age of 12. His father and grandfathers on both sides of the family both owned and trained various hunting dogs including bird, rabbit, deer and 'coon dogs. Many of Dave's first impressions of hunting dogs and training came from his father and maternal grandfather in Mississippi. Dave's grandfather, 'Papaw McGowan' (Major Charles McGowan), was raised in a family with a long history of Mississippi plantations and hunting. His great (x4) grandfather established settlement of what is now known as southern Hinds county, the Byram area, and is listed in the Mississippi history books as having settled that area. The McGowan cemetery is listed among historical cemeteries in Mississippi. Several generations of avid McGowan hunters enjoyed a variety of hunting dogs including pointers for the "gentleman's bird", bobwhite quail. Dave grew up into his teens with his 'papaw' influencing Dave's love for hunting dogs. Dave takes his heritage seriously & enjoys sharing his knowledge of upland bird hunting. In the 1960's and 70's, Mississippi boasted good populations of bobwhite quail. Dave was able to learn about quail hunting and dog training in the genteel ways of the old south. Before Dave was old enough to get a driver's license, his mother would transport him to his favorite hunting spots so that he could independently hunt and train his dogs after school. This made a huge impact on his love of bird dogs and Brittanys. Dave learned what a gentleman's bird dog was all about and that good dog manners in the field was expected by all gentleman bird hunters. Most country boys in those days had birds dogs and / or 'coon, deer and rabbit dogs so it was not uncommon to head out to the fields with friends and dogs. Though he really didn't grasp the full magnitude of training bird dogs, he knew he wanted to train forever. When Dave's father moved to Texas, he enjoyed hunting with new friends and saw enormous populations of bobwhites in Callahan county. Here he honed his bird dog training skills before he entered into the U.S. Navy. Dave missed some training time with Brittanys due to deployments in the Navy. Dave's time in the Navy went well and he made many new bird dog friends
whenever he could. During that time and since then, he has hunted a
variety of upland birds in many locations such as
Kansas, Mississippi, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey,
North Carolina, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, South Dakota, South Carolina,
Oklahoma, Montana and Texas. Dave field trialed for a number of years though he never desired being a lifetime field trialer. He relates that "it was a phase in life" and that he was "curious" about other quality dogs. He no longer competes in bird dog events and focuses his attention strictly on his gentleman hunter client needs. Dave realized his own training limits early on so he apprenticed with a well known and respected
field trial
professional, Mr. Lou Foehrkolb Lou finished many dogs with field trial titles and has produced some of the finest field trial G.S.P.'s in the country. Lou taught Dave that looking at life through
the bird dog's perspective makes training
a lot easier. Mostly, he understood dogs on their level. He taught Dave how to have fun with it
all Some impressions Lou made on Dave include: Bird dogs have it or they don't. Be honest, tell folks what they have, good or bad. You can't train a dog to be great, it has to have great genetics to begin with. All breeds have their place, and yes, some breeds cover more ground and have better noses than other breeds. Caution and slow going is better than too fast because it's better to be under trained than over trained and useless. Repetition, repetition, repetition. Patience and kindness. If you recognize a young dog is ready, move forward! Mostly, Lou was the trainer for my beloved Missy who is mentioned in memoriam on this site. Lou could recognize young dogs potential and develop then to early success (Missy had a big run and was steady to w/s, trained retrieve by age 11 months). Just when I thought we had reached her limits at her early age, Lou would show me that she was ready for more. He could read a dog like no other. Lou's ability to read dogs and train bird dogs without taking the fire out of them is the litmus test by which I judge myself and all other pro trainers. Here's a picture of Lou with his top winning and well renowned ' FC Bar Lou's Sin City Slick'.
Since retiring from the Navy as a Chief Petty Officer (hence the name “Chief’s Brittanys ®His specialty is training pointing dogs with a soft disposition (Brittanys in particular). He finds the 'softest' of dogs both challenging and fun. Dave has earned a solid reputation for taking dogs that other trainers declared to be 'a pet only'. Using his soft approach techniques, he transforms them into upland hunting dogs.
Unlike some trainers, Dave wants his clients to visit often so that they too may be trained with their dog (at no additional expense), no matter the owners level of experience. Dave tells his clients "Visit whenever you want, sun up to sun down, because we have nothing to hide and we want you to feel comfortable knowing that your dog is properly cared for". His clients are primarily gentleman hunters from around the
country who wish to enjoy
their Brittany at home and in the field.
Lastly, Dave is well grounded. He's truthful and will tell you just what he thinks, good or bad. He's honest as the day is long and he's loyal to his friends and clients. (Dave created this site December of
1997 because it was too hard to find basic information about Brittanys/Gundog
training, upland bird recipes, message boards geared towards average Brittany
owners, etc. Dave figured that there were others out there who just wanted
some basic information without being made to buy a book. His
training tips page lists actual techniques for training and Dave is more than
happy to answer questions that anyone may have.
Visit his free tips here:
http://brittanys.com/Brittany_training.htm ) Our Upland Bird Hunting Ethics™ I am an upland bird hunting enthusiast, gun dog owner and a conservationist™
by Dave Jones I believe: 1. That hunting wild birds is our heritage and I will do what I can to preserve our heritage. I believe in working on outdoor initiatives proven to help wild upland birds flourish. 2. That trained domesticated bird dogs are a heritage that transcends all ethnic populations and thousands of years since the day of early man. 3. That the pursuit of upland birds is best done when pursued with well trained bird dogs. Trained bird dogs have manners. Untrained dogs should be hunted alone for the purposes of training and properly controlled when hunting a partially trained dog with trained dogs. Trained dogs lessen the chance of losing shot game. 4. Bird hunting is a rich heritage steeped in tradition. If that doesn't matter to an owner, that owner should not expect to hunt his dog with someone who does believe in well mannered upland traditions. That lack of manners by a hunter and / or his / her dog is disrespectful to other hunters and other dogs who have paid the price of long training hours and experience afield. 5. That the act of hunting is our rightful heritage and that I will do my best to be an ambassador of what is right with hunting. 6. That I will be safe with my firearms and discharge them properly. 7. That my muzzle will always be up when loaded or unloaded so as to not point my gun at others, my bird dogs or other bird dogs. 8. That the most important thing to me is the dog work on birds. 9. That the shooting of upland game over my bird dog is not important when it comes to my dog doing his job correctly and with good manners. I take great pride in my dog's performance at home and in the field. I will pass on a bird if the dog does not handle it properly. The bird deserves that respect and the dog needs to learn its job properly. 10. Any activity that promotes wanton waste or competition for who can kill the most is down right rude. 11. That taking game home is not important. But how I take upland birds is important. 12. I only shoot wild game birds that have taken flight and have a sporting chance to escape. 13. That no matter how hard a bird runs on the ground, I will not shoot ANY species of upland bird on the ground. To do that smacks of gluttony, bad manners and shows I do not care for the conservation of wild game. It also puts my best friend, my dog, in danger. 14. My dog and proper management of our ecosystem take precedence over shooting wild game. 15. That the bagging of any game is anti-climactic and is secondary to good dog work and only the end result of fair chase. I will stop my hunt to find lost game. I will look for lost game at the expense of good shooting hours so there is no waste and will take pride in the fact that I make every effort to find lost game. 16. That finishing the day with less than my bag limit is a source of pride to be bragged about, especially if hunting wild birds. The fact that I COULD have shot my limit and didn't is a huge source of pride. In down years, the fact that there were few birds and I chose not to shoot any at all is also a huge source of pride. 17. That my ‘limit’ is not a measure of a successful hunt. How many birds I shot is unimportant when discussing good dogs, good guns and good hunting buddies. 18. That upland shotguns are an essential part of the ambiance of upland hunting, as much as fine bird dogs. I practice with my gun prior to gunning for wild birds since it is as important as the training my bird dog goes through. 19. That even though I cannot afford an expensive upland gun or equipment, I care for my equipment with pride. It is a tool and like all tools, it must be cared for in order to give me years of service. 20. That I NEVER leave spent shells or other waste behind. I will stop my hunt in order to find my empty shells. As a conservationist concerned about our environment, I know that empty shells are blights on the landscape and leave an impression of disrespect for the land and the land owner. 21. That I will try to leave the land I hunt in better shape than I found it. Examples: If it is littered, I will pick it up. If a gate is broken or a fence down, I will immediately try to repair it and notify the owner. I will freely offer to help make repairs, even at the expense of good shooting hours. 22. That small coveys and reduced numbers of birds are best left not shot and left alone regardless of scientific studies. It's part of being a gentleman and showing respect for our feathered game. 23. That I will not train my dog on birds during nesting season nor break any laws. 24. That I will wear hunter orange all the time, even in states where it is not required because I know that safety is paramount. 25. That if I take game, I will promptly clean it and pick up the remains for proper disposal. To leave scattered remains from cleaning game is as disrespectful as throwing trash on the ground. 26. That earth and pursuit of game is a gift from God and I am grateful for what we have. 27. I will mentor the inexperienced and unknowing upland hunter in a way that will make me proud. I pray that should those whom I have mentored will meet a novice some day and mentor them properly as I did them. God bless. Click here to read about Dave's wife and family - Click here to see what services we offer Chief's Brittanys® All rights reserved. |
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