Specifying a distance in meters is not realistic nor usefull, because it all depends on which type of terrain you are hunting (from open fields to very tight coverts). One thing is for sure, close contact with the handler has nothing to do with a specific distance, as I have seen long ranging dogs that maintain contact with the hunter and come regularily up front to check with the «boss», whereas I have also seen some very close-ranging dogs that were hard-headed as hell and couldn't care less about what the handler would ask them... Range is a matter of productivity, if a team (dog/handler) produces birds at a given ranging distance, then this the right distance. From a breed's working standard perspective, I would say that the Epagneul breton has a medium-long range for a continental breed, comparable to that of a German Shorthair, but normally shorter than the typical range of the English breeds (Setters and Pointers). The way the dog moves on the ground is also very different from one breed to another and all depends on the morphology of the dog. This a very important aspect in field trials judging. Normally, a Griffon Korthal should be a close working dog, but we are seeing more and more GK that are ranging like GSP or EB, and in my view, this is wrong. Same goes for the Epganeul français, which are physically getting lighter and lighter and are ranging out like English Setters... a real pitty to see!
=> Biodiversity is what really matters, and different breeds for different needs is the basic principle. If all pointing dogs must be similar and should all range like English breeds, well why should we bother breeding continentals...let us just keep Setters and Pointers...
