Briard

The Briard is an old breed of French Working Dog. They have been depicted in 8th century tapestries and even mentioned in records of the 12 century.

In earlier times, Briards were used to defend their charges against wolves and poachers, but the dividing up of the land and the increase in population which followed the French Revolution gradually transformed their work into the more peaceful tasks of herding the flocks, keeping the sheep within the unfenced boundaries of the pastures, and guarding their owners property.

The first known standard for the breed was written in 1897 by a club of shepherd-dog breeders. In 1909, a French society was founded, although the club disbanded during World War I, it was formed again in 1923 to establish a more precise standard for the breed in 1925. This new standard had slight modifications, and was adopted by the Briard Club of America that was founded in 1928.

The Briard is distinctive in appearance- the eyebrows and beard give the breed a typical expression and the tail has a small hook at the end, called a crochet.

Briards learn easily and training should begin at a very young age. They have been used primarily as guarding and herding dogs, but they are versatile. They have also served well as tracking and hunting dogs and have a great record as war dogs- they served as sentries at advanced posts, where their acute hearing proved them to be invaluable. They accompanied patrols, carried food, supplies, and even munitions to the front.

The Briard is a dog of handsome form- vigorous and alert, powerful without coarseness, strong in bone and muscle, and exhibits the strength and agilty required of the herding dogs.

Briards are really dedicated to their families and tend to be, at best, disinterested in other people. They should be socialized early - especially with children. They are good-natured and very adaptable to living with children if they are raised together. This breed does not like to be teased. Train them early and treat him with affection and you will have a wonderful family dog.

Males should be 23-27 inches tall, females 22-25 and a half inches. Their outer coat is coarse, hard and dry. It lies down flat, falling naturally in long, slightly waving locks, having the sheen of good health. On the shoulders the length of the hair is generally six inches or more. The undercoat is fine and tight on all the body. All uniform colors are permitted except for white. The colors are black, various shades of gray, and various shades of tawny.

Health concerns for the Briard include cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy, hip and elbow dysplasia, hypothyroidism, lymphosarcoma, skin and allergie problems, von willdebrands disease, and bloat.