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Rescue a Briard
Briard Puppies for
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Briard
(Berger de Brie)
Meet Grendel the wonder Briard. Photo Courtesy of Andy's Briard Page.
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Pronunciation |
BREE-ard |
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Description |
The Briard is a large, powerful
herding dog. In males the body is about the same length as the height, but in females the length may be slightly longer. The topline is straight. The head is large, long and rectangular in shape. The wide muzzle has a long mustache and beard. The stop is well marked. The square shaped nose is black with open nostrils. Teeth meet in a scissors bite. The large, eyes are set wide apart and comes in black or black brown with very dark pigmentation along the rims. Eyes are covered with hair which cascades to the rest of the body. The ears are either cropped or left natural, set high, not laying flat to the head. The legs are powerful with strong bone. The well feathered, low cut tail has a "J" shaped crook at the end. The feet are large, compact and round. The nails are black. The dog usually has double dewclaws on the hind feet and they may or may not be removed. The Briard has a double coat. The outer coat is course, hard and dry, laying flat, and falling naturally in long, slightly wavy locks. The undercoat is fine and tight all over the body. Coat comes in all colors accept for white. Common colors include black, various shades of gray and various shades of tawny. The tawny coat usually lightens from the time the dog is born to the time it is a year old, where the coat deepens in color again to a richer adult color. Adult coats are 6 or more inches (16 cm.) long giving the dog a bushy look with a shaggy beard, eyebrows and mustache.
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Temperament |
The Briard is a farm worker by nature and lives to
herd anything, possessing an exceptional hearing ability. They are kind,
but with a strong protective instinct. The Briard makes a wonderful, alert
watchdog. Sensitive, playful and obedient, but with definite minds of their own.
A long history of working with humans has left it gentle and sweet natured, as
well as loyal, brave and fearless. This breed has a fine memory and is
intelligent with a lot of ambition. The Briard is very trainable, willing and eager to please. They need a firm owner who is able to display leadership at all times. This is
definitely not a breed for everyone. Too often they wind up in shelters because
people don't realize what a challenge they can be to raise and live with. If they sense the owner is letting up on the authority at all they
will become very stubborn and can be fearful, extremely unfriendly, or both, if not treated like a dog. They not only need a lot of leadership, but they need entertainment and activity to be happy, and
are not the sort you can pat on the head and ignore the rest of the day. 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 them
with an air of leadership along with exercise first and then give them affection and you will have a wonderful family dog. It has been said,
"it returns tenfold any affection given to it." Affection should only be given when the dog is calm and in a submissive state. Training must be
consistent with much patience, and a firm hand. Owners need to be stern, confident and consistent. They will not
respond to unjust, harshness. Dogs in general do not respond well or understand anger. Firmness they do definitely need, but not anger. With poor handling and training the Briard
becomes withdrawn and even aggressive. They require regular leadership, training and
attention. If you are a first time dog owner and you would like to raise a
Briard, be sure to research the breed extensively before adopting. Briards view
strangers as suspicious and can be a bit dog aggressive, but with the right
handler it will blossom into a first-class pet that can happily coexist with
other pets. Briards may attempt to herd people by nipping at their heels, and need to be taught not to do this.
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Height, Weight |
Height: 24-27 inches (62-68
kg.) Bitches 22-25 inches (56-64 cm.)
Average Weight: 75 pounds (35 kg.) |
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Health Problems |
Generally healthy, but some lines are prone to
PRA, cataracts and hip dysplasia. Briards, like other large-chested breeds, can
experience bloat and stomach torsion. The condition can come on very fast
and, if left untreated, is fatal. |
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Living Conditions |
The Briard will do okay in an apartment if it is
sufficiently exercised. They are moderately active indoors and will do best with
at least an average-sized yard. This dog is totally not suited for life in a
kennel. They are happiest in the home as part of the family, but they do love to
be outdoors. |
Exercise |
The Briard are working dogs and
will become restless and can develop behavioral problems if they are not
exercised enough. They need to go on a
long daily walk, or run alongside
your bicycle. They make an excellent jogging companion and also enjoy a good
swim. They are ideally suited to
defense dog/police dog trials. |
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Life Expectancy |
About 10-12 years |
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Litter Size |
8 - 10 puppies - 17 puppies in one
litter have been known! |
Grooming |
The Briard's coat is coarse and strong similar to a
goat's coat. Dirt and water do not readily cling to it, and if well-groomed it
sheds very little. Take time for grooming to have an attractive and healthy dog.
Expect the minimum time required to be two hours a week and much longer if you
have been remiss. The well-groomed Briard is a beautiful animal, and, more
important, a comfortable one. The Briard's coat can become matted if not groomed often. The inside of the ears must be kept clean and any excessive
hair in the ears or between the pads of the feet should be removed. |
| Origin |
In 1863 a man named Pierre Megnin differentiated two
types of sheepdogs, one with a long coat, which became known as the Briard, and the
other with a short coat, which became the Beauceron. The Briard was then crossed with the Barbet to improve the dog's look. The Briard became popular only after the Paris dog show of 1863. In 1897 the first shepherd dog club was founded and both the
Beauceron and the Briard were accepted into it. Prior to 1889 the Beauceron and Briard had a reputation of being a flock guard who was brave but one who was more incline to snap and bite in defense of its flock. Both breeds temperaments were softened through selective breeding. Charlemagne, Napoleon, Thomas Jefferson, and Lafayette all owned Briards. Centuries ago the Briard was used to defend their charges against poachers and wolves and by the French army ignoring exploding bombs and artillery fire. The dogs were used to run messages, detect mines, pick up trails, support commando actions, find the wounded, and carry food and
ammunition to the front lines. The Briard may have been named after Aubry of Montdidier, who owned an early Briard, or for the French province
of Brie, although the dog probably does not originate in that area. The Briard was recognized by the AKC in 1928. The Briard
still serves as a flock guardian and herder. They also make great family
companion dogs. Some of the Briards talents are search & rescue, police work,
military work, herding, watchdog and guarding.
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| Group |
Herding, AKC Herding |
Recognition |
CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC,
APRI, ACR, DRA |
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CKC = Continental
Kennel Club
FCI = Fédération
Cynologique Internationale
AKC = American
Kennel Club
UKC = United Kennel
Club
KCGB = Kennel
Club of Great Britain
CKC = Canadian
Kennel Club
ANKC = Australian
National Kennel Club
NKC = National
Kennel Club
NZKC = New Zealand
Kennel Club
APRI = American Pet Registry Inc.
ACR = American Canine Registry
DRA = Dog Registry of America, Inc. |
"These are two young Briard puppies bred by Big Tree Briards in Hemlock, New York. The young male on the left has had his ears cropped. The young female on the right has natural ears." Courtesy of Andrea Barber Photography.
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Grendel lives to herd cats, people, anything! Photo Courtesy of Andy's Briard Page.
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This is Desi. He is 3 months old in these photos.
Here is Desi at 5 months. Look how he has grown!
Briard Pictures 1
Briard Pictures 2
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