Beauceron

The Beauceron is a herding dog from the plains of central France. Its other names are Berger de Beauce, the sheepdog from Beauce, and Bas Rouge, or red stockings, after the tan on its legs. In France it is known as a farm dog that herds sheep and cattle, as a guard and as a ring sport dog.

History

The breed began as a French herding dog. It was first mentioned in 1587 and was named Berger de Beauce in 1809. The first breed club was formed in 1911. During the Second World War the Beauceron served as a military dog. In modern France it works as a guard or police dog, and in 1989 it was still a popular sheepdog.

Appearance

The Beauceron stands 61 to 70 cm (24 to 27.5 in) tall and weighs 30 to 45 kg (66 to 99 lb). It has a short, hard outer coat over a woolly undercoat that thickens in cold weather, especially on dogs that sleep outdoors.

The usual color is black and tan. The tan, called squirrel red in French, appears as two dots above the eyes, on the sides of the muzzle, on the throat, under the tail, on the legs and on the chest. Less often the coat is harlequin: gray, black and tan, with more black than gray and no white. Tawny and gray coats were once common but are no longer allowed by the standard. Ear cropping is now banned in most countries.

The breed is unusual in having double dewclaws on each hind leg. They are joined to the leg by bone, and some dogs can move each one separately. A Beauceron without well-separated double dewclaws is disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament

The Beauceron has been bred to be intelligent, calm, gentle and fearless. Adults are usually suspicious of strangers and make natural guard dogs, and a dog that is not well trained can be aggressive. The breed does best raised within the family.

Beaucerons are eager to learn and can be trained to a high level, but they mature slowly. A dog is not fully grown in mind or body until about three years old, so training should not be rushed. Several play-training sessions of five or ten minutes a day in the early years work better than long, hard ones.

Care and health

The Beauceron is an athletic, long-lived dog with no health problems particular to the breed. Its weatherproof coat lets it sleep outside even in a cold winter.

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