Brittany grooming in Gloucester, MA

The breed standard asks for a dense coat, flat or wavy and never curly, with some feathering on the legs, thighs feathered halfway to the hock, toes not heavily feathered and ears carrying little fringe; too little feathering is preferred to too much. The AKC rates shedding three of five. Under the coat, the standard describes fine, fairly loose skin, noting that loose skin rolls with briars and sticks, which cuts down on punctures and tearing.

Even the face is designed around the field. The standard wants dry lips so feathers will not stick, and a lower eyelid that does not sag into a pocket that would catch seeds, dirt and weed dust. A hunting Brittany still comes home with all three, plus burrs. The AKC's routine is a once-over with a soft brush or hound glove and a quick comb through the feathering, with the underside of the ears checked and wiped clean.

Burrs come out best dry and by hand, before any brush touches them, because a brush drags a burr into a knot. Pull the hair away from the burr a few strands at a time, and cut only a burr that sits on the surface of the feathering, well clear of the skin. A coat knotted by burrs becomes dematting in the studio, $15 per 20 minutes on top of the bath. Our how-to on removing burrs from a dog's coat shows the method step by step.

Ticks are the other passenger. The CDC's prevention advice includes examining pets after time outdoors, because ticks ride into the house on them. Cape Ann's tick season runs April to November, and a bird dog quartering the cover at Ravenswood Park or the woods of Dogtown Common brushes past plenty. Check the ear undersides, the armpits, the feathering and between the toes, and look at the eyes for seeds.

The AKC's routine is short: a once-over with a soft brush or hound glove, a quick comb through the feathering, the underside of the ears inspected and wiped clean, and the nails trimmed monthly unless the dog wears them down. Do it after every run in the brush rather than once a week, because a burr left overnight works deeper into the hair. Brush the teeth regularly too, as the AKC suggests.

A Brittany needs lots of exercise, the AKC says, and Cape Ann gives it room. Off season, Wingaersheek takes dogs on odd-numbered days from October 1 to April 30 at the time of writing; rinse the salt and sand out of the feathering the same day. On daycare days, a Brittany can run in a matched playgroup of 7 to 10 dogs after the free evaluation, then go home bathed.