Briard Breed Description

An Owner's Briard Description
My dog, Shag is an energetic dog that really enjoys pleasing his master. With me not having anything for him to herd, he needs some other daily exercise, so long walks are a regular part of our routine. He does okay with kids but has no tolerance for abuse, even if inflicted unintentionally. I've spent just as much time training the kids to be kind as I have spent obedience training Shag to be gentle with them. They have learned not to pull his hair and not to poke him in the eyes or put Tinker Toys in his ears.

Like most active working dogs, Shag really enjoys being given a job to do, whether it's going through his obedience training skills or helping me work in the yard. He can really sense when he is valued as a helpmate. This breed does very well as watchdogs since they were bred to guard sheep and keep intruders away.

Shag seems to be a natural lover of the outdoors. He is more of a man's dog than a lady's - he will follow me around constantly, eagerly waiting for any command he can follow. He has always seemed to be able to sense mood changes in people and for that reason he has been easy to train and very obedient. I trust that Shag will watch out for the family when I'm not around.

Although he is a wonderful family and companion dog and I wouldn't trade him for the world, I would love to see him working a herd up on a ranch somewhere, like Montana. I bet he'd be something to watch.

 

Introduction

The Briard's ancient origins are unknown American soldiers introduced these ruggedly muscular dogs to the U. S. after World War I. They took 50 years to gain a solid foothold. Only in the 1970's did breeders address the problems of shyness and nervous aggression in the breed. Now with careful breeding and selection, these dogs are well mannered with their family while retaining their superb guarding instincts. They are good with children if raised with them from puppy hood. An excellent herding dog, they are well insulated by their thick coat against harsh weather. These dogs need regular grooming. They weigh 74 to 76 lbs. and stand 23-27" at the shoulders.

History

Briards are depicted as far back as the eight century, making them one of France's oldest breeds.. In 1798.T homas Edison brought one back from Europe to the States. Repportedly, he was extremely happy with their work on his estate.

General Description

There is charming tradition in Briard naming, in which the dogs' are given a name begging with that of the year they are born into.

Almost every Briard born in the year 2000 in the U.S. had a registered name beginning with "R" (i.e., Lebec's Rambling Rose - kennel names don't count).

So , if you know a Briard's registered name, you can easily determine what year they were born. In the U.S. and France, the letters K, Q, W, X, Y, Z are skipped, as there are not many French words beginning with those letters. In 2005, we started the alphabet over again with "A". In some other countries, all letters are used, so the letter of the year will differ from what we are using. For example, 1999 was the "Y" year in Belgium, so Yahoo du Mas Bel Air was named. Some breeders have names saved that they plan to use when the right year rolls around. Call names do not follow this tradition.

Some European breeders follow a different tradition. Litters are named sequentially starting with "A". Thus, if all the puppy names in a litter begin with "E", you know that it is the fifth litter ever produced by that breeder.

Temperament

Intelligent and eager to please, Briards made wonderful family pets as long s they understand their place in the family pack.

Health and Care

The double coated Briard requires ongoing grooming. One option is to shave the dog's coat to avoid the problem entirely. Other find they can keep up with the shedding by regularly brushing and coarse coat.

Colors

The typical colors of the Briard are black, grey, or tawny. However, the puppy tawny coat turns into a lighter yearling coat. They can also be a combination of two of the pre-mentioned colors.

Living Area

The Briard does best in a home with a moderately fenced yard because it loves the outdoors. They typically will do fine being outside alone and in a fenced yard because they do have a sense of independence. However, they are quite content living in the home with the family. They are moderately active indoors and therefore do need some space to move around. Despite this, they can adjust to live happily in an apartment style environment if the owner is dedicated to providing the dog with enough daily exercise outside the home. They will do moderately well as kennel dogs, but again this is not suggested because of their love and need for activity and the outdoors.

Recognized By

CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC, APRI, ACR

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