Briard
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Breed at a glance
- Origin
- France
- Height
- Males
- Coat
- long, slightly wavy, goat-like
- Colour
- solid black, fawn, grey or blue; fawn overlaid with black
- Other names
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intro
The Briard or Berger de Brie [ a ] is a French breed of large shepherd dog , traditionally used both for herding sheep and to defend them. It was in the past also known as the Chien de Berger français de Plaine . It was first shown in 1863, at the first Paris dog show; the first Briard to be registered in the Livre des Origines Françaises , the national stud-book , was Sans GĂȘne in 1885. [ 2 ]
History
The Briard originated in, and is named for, the Brie historic region of north-central France, where it was traditionally used both for herding sheep and to defend them. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] : 287 The first written mention of the shepherd dogs of Brie is thought to be in the Cours complet d'agriculture of Jean-Baptiste François Rozier , [ 4 ] : 41 who in 1783 wrote that the "chien de Brie" was long-haired and usually black; [ b ] that in the open plains there was little danger from wolves, and so the dogs were used more for herding than for defence; [ c ] and that shepherd dogs had the task of preventing the sheep from straying into crops or vineyards where they might cause damage. [ 3 ] : 287 [ d ] Pierre MĂ©gnin , writing in 1895, clearly distinguishes the short-haired Chien de Beauce â the modern Beauceron â from the long-haired Chien de Brie or Briard. [ 4 ] : 41 [ 5 ] : 292 In 1896, MĂ©gnin was among those who founded the Club des chiens de berger français . [ 4 ] : 42 The Berger de Brie was first shown at the first Paris dog show in 1863, where a bitch named Charmant took a prize. The first Briard to be registered in the Livre des Origines Françaises [ fr ] , the national stud-book for dogs, was Sans GĂȘne, winner of a gold medal at the Paris show in 1885. [ 2 ] [ 4 ] : 42 A breed standard was drawn up in 1897, in which two varieties were described: one with a woolly or sheep-like coat, the other with a coat more similar to that of the goat; the woolly type later disappeared. In 1909 a breed society , Les Amis du Briard , was formed. [ 4 ] : 42 Breed numbers fell during the First World War ; any dog thought suitable for military use was sent to the front. The breed society resumed its activities in 1923, and a rival breed association was formed at about the same time; in 1935, this last organised the first single-breed show for the Berger de Brie, with seventy-eight participants. [ 4 ] : 42 Numbers again fell sharply under the Nazi occupation of France during the Second World War . After the war the two breed clubs merged under the name Club des Amis du Briard. [ 4 ] : 42 The Berger de Brie was fully recognised by the FĂ©dĂ©ration Cynologique Internationale in 1954. [ 6 ] Partly as a consequence of the mechanisation of agriculture and resulting rural depopulation of the post-War years, the Berger de Brie came to be commonly kept as a companion dog . In the 1970s and 1980s, its numbers increased substantially: annual registrations in the Livre des Origines Françaises rose from 317 in 1970 to 905 in 1975, to 4101 in 1980 and then to a peak of 6364 in 1986, after which they fell precipitously; at one point the breed club had over 6000 members, more than any other French breed association at any time. [ 4 ] : 44 Disagreements within the association resulted in its expulsion from the SociĂ©tĂ© Centrale Canine ; a new breed society, the Association du Berger de Brie , was recognised in 1989. [ 4 ] : 45 In 1996, ten European breed associations in nine countries jo
Characteristics
The coat is long â no less than 7 cm â and thick and harsh like that of a goat; it may be solid black, grey, blue or fawn, or fawn overlaid with black; greying is seen to a variable extent. [ 1 ] Dogs stand some 62 to 68 cm at the withers , bitches about 56 to 64 cm . [ 1 ] An unusual characteristic of the breed is the double dewclaw on the hind legs; the breed standard specifies a single or absent dewclaw as a disqualifying fault. [ 1 ]