Post by charmingnancy on Mar 28, 2009 10:02:12 GMT -5
Briard
Group: 7- Herding
Origin: France
Purpose: Stock Herding and Guarding
Description:
A strong and substantially built dog, fitted for field work, lithe, muscular, and well proportioned, alert and active.
Appearance- Breed Standards:
COAT AND COLOUR: Coat long, slightly wavy, stiff and strong. All solid colours are allowed except white. Dark colours are preferable. Usual colours: black, and black with some white hairs, dark and light grey, tawny, and combinations of two of these colours, provided there are no marked spots and the transition from one to the other takes place gradually and symmetrically.
HEAD: Large and rather long. Stop well marked and placed at equal distance from top of head and tip of nose. Forehead very slightly rounded. Line from stop to tip of nose straight. Muzzle neither narrow not pointed. Hair heavy and long on top of head, the ears, and around the muzzle, forming eyebrows standing out and not veiling the eyes too much. Nose rather square than rounded, always black. Teeth strong, white, and meet exactly evenly. Eyes horizontal, well opened, dark in colour and rather large, intelligent and gentle in expression. Ears placed high, not too large and not carried too flat. In France the tips of the ears are generally cropped, causing the ear to be semi-erect.
NECK: Muscular and distinct from the shoulders.
FOREQUARTERS: Legs muscular with heavy bones. Feet strong, round, with toes close together and hard pads, nails black.
BODY: Back straight. Rump slightly sloped. Chest broad and deep.
HINDQUARTERS: Hock not too near the ground, making a well-marked angle, the leg below the hock being not quite vertical. Two dewclaws on each hind leg are required. A dog with only one cannot be given a prize.
TAIL: Well feathered, carried low and twisted neither to the right nor to the left, curled at the end, tip when straightened reaching to point of hock.
FAULTS: Muzzle pointed. Eyes small, almond shaped, or light in colour. Rump straight or too sloped. White spot on the breast (a large white spot is very bad). Tail too short or carried over the back. White nails.
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Size below the limit. Absence of dewclaws. Short hair on the head, face, or feet. Tail lacking or cut. Nose light in colour or spotted. Eyes spotted. Hair curled. White hair on feet. Spotted colours of the coat.
Size:
Height at shoulders - dogs, 23-27 in. (58-69 cm): bitches, 22-25 1/2 in (55-65 cm). Young dogs may be below the minimum.
Weight- Females: 50 - 65 lbs.; Males: 75 - 100 lbs.
Temperament:
Briards are lively, protective and active. They have a strong herding instinct, as well as instinct to guard family. They are intelligent, loyal, and obedient. They learn quickly and offer affection to friends and family by being playful. They are wary of strangers but well mannered among family.
A home with a fenced yard is essential. The Briard is not suited for a cramped environment nor to be left alone for long periods of time. Briards need space to run and play, herd and guard. The best owner for this breed would be someone who is active and lives in a rural or suburban home. Briards should be given a job to do to expel their energy.
Health:
Occasionally seen health problems are PRA (progressive retinal atrophy), gastric torsion, hip dysplasia, and bloat. Bloat is a health issue to most dogs, being the second largest killer of dogs other than cancer, but Briards can be particularly susceptible to it because of their deep chests.
Average Lifespan:
10 -13 years.
History:
The Briard is a very old breed of French working dog. Depicted in 8th-century tapestries and mentioned in records of the 12th century; the breed is accurately described in the 14th and 16th centuries. In early 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 masters' property.
The first known standard for the Briard was written in 1897 by a club of shepherd-dog breeders. Then, in 1909, a French society called Les Amis du Briard was founded. Although this club disbanded during World War I, it was formed again in 1923 and established a more precise standard for the Briard in 1925. This standard, with slight modification, was adopted by the Briard Club of America, founded in 1928.
The history of the Briard in the Americas is not well documented. Some credit the Marquis de Lafayette with the introduction of the breed to this country. However, writings of Thomas Jefferson indicate that he also brought representatives of the breed to this continent at about the same time. It was not until 1922 that a litter of Briards was registered with the American Kennel Club. Barbara Danielson of Groton, Massachusetts, was the breeder.
Briards learn readily and training should begin at a young age. Although Briards have been used primarily as guarding and herding dogs, they are usually versatile. They also have served successfully as tracking and hunting dogs and they have a splendid record as war dogs. In this capacity, they served as sentries at advanced posts, where their acute hearing proved to be invaluable. They accompanied patrols, carried food, supplies, and even munitions to the front. Reports from the medical corps tell of the Briard's excellent ability to lead corpsmen to the wounded on the battlefield.
Sources:
Briard World (Breed Standards)
AKC (Breed History)
Puppy Dog Web
Pictures:
Photobucket
Group: 7- Herding
Origin: France
Purpose: Stock Herding and Guarding
Description:
A strong and substantially built dog, fitted for field work, lithe, muscular, and well proportioned, alert and active.
Appearance- Breed Standards:
COAT AND COLOUR: Coat long, slightly wavy, stiff and strong. All solid colours are allowed except white. Dark colours are preferable. Usual colours: black, and black with some white hairs, dark and light grey, tawny, and combinations of two of these colours, provided there are no marked spots and the transition from one to the other takes place gradually and symmetrically.
HEAD: Large and rather long. Stop well marked and placed at equal distance from top of head and tip of nose. Forehead very slightly rounded. Line from stop to tip of nose straight. Muzzle neither narrow not pointed. Hair heavy and long on top of head, the ears, and around the muzzle, forming eyebrows standing out and not veiling the eyes too much. Nose rather square than rounded, always black. Teeth strong, white, and meet exactly evenly. Eyes horizontal, well opened, dark in colour and rather large, intelligent and gentle in expression. Ears placed high, not too large and not carried too flat. In France the tips of the ears are generally cropped, causing the ear to be semi-erect.
NECK: Muscular and distinct from the shoulders.
FOREQUARTERS: Legs muscular with heavy bones. Feet strong, round, with toes close together and hard pads, nails black.
BODY: Back straight. Rump slightly sloped. Chest broad and deep.
HINDQUARTERS: Hock not too near the ground, making a well-marked angle, the leg below the hock being not quite vertical. Two dewclaws on each hind leg are required. A dog with only one cannot be given a prize.
TAIL: Well feathered, carried low and twisted neither to the right nor to the left, curled at the end, tip when straightened reaching to point of hock.
FAULTS: Muzzle pointed. Eyes small, almond shaped, or light in colour. Rump straight or too sloped. White spot on the breast (a large white spot is very bad). Tail too short or carried over the back. White nails.
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Size below the limit. Absence of dewclaws. Short hair on the head, face, or feet. Tail lacking or cut. Nose light in colour or spotted. Eyes spotted. Hair curled. White hair on feet. Spotted colours of the coat.
Size:
Height at shoulders - dogs, 23-27 in. (58-69 cm): bitches, 22-25 1/2 in (55-65 cm). Young dogs may be below the minimum.
Weight- Females: 50 - 65 lbs.; Males: 75 - 100 lbs.
Temperament:
Briards are lively, protective and active. They have a strong herding instinct, as well as instinct to guard family. They are intelligent, loyal, and obedient. They learn quickly and offer affection to friends and family by being playful. They are wary of strangers but well mannered among family.
A home with a fenced yard is essential. The Briard is not suited for a cramped environment nor to be left alone for long periods of time. Briards need space to run and play, herd and guard. The best owner for this breed would be someone who is active and lives in a rural or suburban home. Briards should be given a job to do to expel their energy.
Health:
Occasionally seen health problems are PRA (progressive retinal atrophy), gastric torsion, hip dysplasia, and bloat. Bloat is a health issue to most dogs, being the second largest killer of dogs other than cancer, but Briards can be particularly susceptible to it because of their deep chests.
Average Lifespan:
10 -13 years.
History:
The Briard is a very old breed of French working dog. Depicted in 8th-century tapestries and mentioned in records of the 12th century; the breed is accurately described in the 14th and 16th centuries. In early 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 masters' property.
The first known standard for the Briard was written in 1897 by a club of shepherd-dog breeders. Then, in 1909, a French society called Les Amis du Briard was founded. Although this club disbanded during World War I, it was formed again in 1923 and established a more precise standard for the Briard in 1925. This standard, with slight modification, was adopted by the Briard Club of America, founded in 1928.
The history of the Briard in the Americas is not well documented. Some credit the Marquis de Lafayette with the introduction of the breed to this country. However, writings of Thomas Jefferson indicate that he also brought representatives of the breed to this continent at about the same time. It was not until 1922 that a litter of Briards was registered with the American Kennel Club. Barbara Danielson of Groton, Massachusetts, was the breeder.
Briards learn readily and training should begin at a young age. Although Briards have been used primarily as guarding and herding dogs, they are usually versatile. They also have served successfully as tracking and hunting dogs and they have a splendid record as war dogs. In this capacity, they served as sentries at advanced posts, where their acute hearing proved to be invaluable. They accompanied patrols, carried food, supplies, and even munitions to the front. Reports from the medical corps tell of the Briard's excellent ability to lead corpsmen to the wounded on the battlefield.
Sources:
Briard World (Breed Standards)
AKC (Breed History)
Puppy Dog Web
Pictures:
Photobucket