The French shepherd, conquering all of Western Europe, not so long ago appeared in the post-Soviet space: in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus. Today there are about 14 of its varieties. The most famous is the Briard - the long-haired breed of the French Shepherd. Less common was the breed of smooth-haired French shepherds - a beauceron . Even more rare breed of Picardie sheep dogs. They all belong to a group of real shepherds.
The Briard breed is very old, it was known back in the XII century, when she successfully grazed and guarded herds of sheep in pastures.
Today, Briard practically lost his original role as a shepherd and turned into a pet dog. However, he did not lose the mind and the ability to react instantly to surprise, courage and courage, the ability to independently, without the commands of the host, to assess the situation.
Briard - breed standard
French Shepherd Briard is a beautiful muscular long-legged dog, which has a proportional build. Height at the withers in males from 62 to 68 cm, in bitches from 56 to 65 cm. The head is large, slightly elongated. A long coat hangs over your eyes. Muzzle of black color, nose and nostrils quadrangular. Large teeth with the right bite. Open eyes of dark color. The dog's ears are set high and most often they are stopped. The back of the briar is straight, the croup is slightly inclined.
The forelimbs of the briar are muscular with a strong bone, the heel with the shin on the hind limbs should form a large angle. Paws large, elongated-oval, fingers collected in a lump. A distinctive feature of briards is two dewclaws on the hind legs. A dense, long tail forms a hook at the end and is held down.
The rough long hair of a French shepherd is slightly wavy, slightly resembling a goat. Its color can be anything but white. However, dark colors are still preferable.
Briard character
The character of the Briard is proud and independent, his nature is severe, sometimes even aggressive. This clever animal is easy to train, but the owner should always remember that it is necessary to handle the French sheep dog firmly and even rigidly. And although this dog is disciplined, faithful and executive, but she will not for any reason curry favor even with her master. In general, Briard recognizes in life only one master.
The will and desire to win make the shepherd a great participant in various competitions. Thanks to strength, fearlessness, suspicious and distrustful attitude towards others, a briar can be an excellent bodyguard or watchman, guide or companion. Calm, not barking for no reason the French shepherd briar gets along well with children of any age.
Care for briar
Despite the fact that the wool of briar is long and dense, it does not require any special care. The dog does not even have a traditional seasonal molt, as in other animals. Once in 1-1.5 weeks, it's enough to clean the hair and comb it with a brush.
If you live with a dog in the city, you should periodically bathe it, using special shampoos. If you live outside the city, such water procedures will not be required, although the animal likes to splash in the water.
In a healthy dog, the coat is beautiful and shiny. If this is not so, then you should pay attention to the ration of the animal.
Very often briar, like any other long-haired dog, bothers parasites. Therefore, as often as possible, inspect the coat of the animal and, if necessary, take measures to destroy fleas and ticks.
Provide proper education to your briar and he will become your devoted friend, loyal guard, attentive nanny and ideal companion.