Briard

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Briard

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Here comes a shaggy dog, Briard looks funny and confident wherever he goes. However, Briard’s personality is unlike his hippie appearance, more loyal and lively. He is definitely an outdoor fanatic instead of a couch potato. Active owner can have a good companion to exercise together.

Other Names Berger de Brie, Brie Shepherd
Color Uniform black, fawn, grey or blue.
Height Males: 23-27 inches. Females: 22-26 inches.
Weight Males: 70-100 pounds. Females: 65-95 pounds.
Life Span 12 years
Personality Confident, Smart, Faithful
Exercise Regular Exercise
Origin
Popularity #135
Groom Needs Daily Brushing/Infrequent Shedding
Kids Friendly Yes with supervision
Dog Friendly Yes with supervision
Watch Dog Yes
Family Dog
Litter Size 5-8 puppies

Briard Pictures

Briard Video

Introduction

The Briards are burly and stocky bundles of dog joy, sufficiently clothed in a thick coat of fur. The fur is abundant in all parts of the body, though it doesn’t mask the facial features. The coat of fur is impressively groomed naturally to have a parting around the middle due to its flat and wavy nature. Like most herd dogs, the Briard is highly intelligent, trainable, and alert, displaying a good measure of strength as is required of it. They have a double coat, the topcoat being hard, coarse, and dry. The usual color is gray, tawny, black, or blue.

A full-grown male of this breed normally stands 23-27 inches at the shoulder, where a similar female measures around 22-26 inches, closely behind it. Briards tip the weighing scales in the range of 60-100 pounds. They make loyal and confident members of the Herding Group. On average, Briards have a lifespan of 10-13 years.

Living with Briard

Briards can be easy to get groomed for owners. Grooming and bathing are of no great necessity to Briard puppies, as they are vulnerable and susceptible in this period. When they are strong enugh for a bath, all owners need is a metal comb, a soft brush and a nail clipper. Bath them in advance. Then brush their coat when their hairs are dry. Use the soft brush to sweep the dirt from their hair, completely swept from the skin surface till the tip of the hair. Owners should add more pet-owner interactions and emotional connections on upcoming grooming moments, making the Briards feel relaxed about spending quality time with owners. The Briards will expect grooming hours afterward instead of a sense of resistence. Owners should brush the Briards once a week. To keep them clean and tidy, owners can also choose to get their coat trimmed or hand-stripped, bringing them not only good appearance but a cool and refreshing sense in summer.

Briards are fond of all energetic activities, craving actions and moves. So you can see that, walking is not appealing enough to the Briards, as they will find walking hardly running off their energy. The Briards will stay in a good mood when it comes with outdoor exercise. They will get enthusiastic and joyful when hearing owners give directions about taking them out. So experienced and active owners should try not to let the Briards down. If owners are novice or busy, it’s not a good idea to raise the Briards. As it requires a lot of time and space for the Briards to have an all-out running. Walks cannot satisfy them. This breed is applicable for outdoor lovers, such as hikers, bicyclers, and joggers. Owners who live in an apartment could try to find a large and fenced area where they can run free. Owners should pay attention that large dogs can cause danger when running, so that any kids or old man should not be approachable when they have all-out running. Use a dog leash to tie with them tightly is a way to secure other people or small dogs. Owners can choose to play interactive games with them. For example, chasing a tennis ball can add more interactions and emotional connections between the Briards and owners.

Briard are basically not a critical about food. However, owners still need to feed them with premium and delicious dog food to keep them in overrall healthy. Either commercially manufactured food or owner-made style food are applicable to them. The key point is the food need to be filled with nutrient material to keep them grow up sane. If owners find it difficult, ask veterinarian for advice about what specific nutrient your dog might lack of. There are something in which owners should pay attention when it comes with feeding. Above all, inappropriate feeding amount of dog food should be revised. Briards’ age is an important reference standard. Owners should distinct the food amount from puppy to adult. Secondly, health issues might occur due to overweight, so owners need to concern more about the and calorie consumption and weight of the Briards. Owners might feed them slightly excess from time to time in training period, which is not recommended. To sum up, Meals should be available in a proper frequency and amount should be appropriate.

Briards are basically in good health physically and mentally, but it’s likely for the Briards to get diseases if owners raise them improperly. To keep the Briards mentally healthy, owners need to take dogs out and interact with them regularly. Situations will become complex when it comes with Briards’ physical health. Owners need to check the Briards’ calorie consumption and weight regularly in case of bloat or overweight problems. Proper feeding ways and appropriate bathing method can all be important elements of dogs with good bulild. Owners need to take the Briards to do a health screen, as they are prone to suffer from some of the diseases. Cancer, night blindness, hip dysplasia, cataracts, corneal dystrophy, retinal folds, hypothyroidism, immune diseases, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, and kidney disease. Some of the diseases are congenital stationary, and some are hereditary. Owners can have breeders do some test so that owners can decide the breeding and raisng plans afterward. If owners have any issues that cannot be fixed, asking dog breeder or veterinarian can be a good choice.

Total Annual Cost: $3239

Cost is estimated for the first year and may vary depending on many factors, such as dog food, health care, leash, collar, licensing, possible fencing, crates, training and obedience classes, dog-walking, grooming, treats, toys, flea, tick, and heart-worm meds, microchips, etc.

Briards can play an important role in wide varities of different social works, such as service and therapy aspects. Trainers intend to train them to help disable people. They can also be trained to comfort patients who have been in a gloomy mood for a long time. Especially these in hospitals, schools, and retirement communities are in need of these sweet and loyal dogs. Keen and intelligence as Briards are, they can be easily trained to get familiar with service or therapy work in the public setting. However, trainers should carefully select Briards and train them appropriately. Trainers should make emotional connections and proper interactions to boost good pairing of dog and trainer if trainer want to train them to be service dog. However, owners should be aware that any treats should be appropriate in training period, as improper amount of food might lead to bloat.

History

The Briard or Chien Berger de Brie (as they are known in their home town) were sheepherders of France from the time of Charlemagne. The breed name was derived from the name of a region in France, Brie, which was popular for dairy products and cheese. French breeders of old had a penchant for breeding utilitarian dogs which served several purposes, thus it wasn’t odd that the Briard doubled as a guard dog for the flock at night. The Briard became popular when it featured in a Paris dog show in 1863, alongside breeds such as the Beauceron and Barbet which are believed to have been crossed with the Briard, somehow. During the First World War, the Briard proved its mettle as a tough and reliable breed, helping to pull supplies, find wounded soldiers, and keep sentry. They were even declared as the French war dogs, at the time.

There are reports that the Briard existed as far back as the 8th century, although many historians point to the 14th century as a most likely period for their emergence. A dog from the Aubry de Montdidier, who is acclaimed to have executed revenge for the murder of its master in the 1300s, is believed to be the ancestor of the Briard. However, it wasn’t until 1809 that the breed came to the name “Briard”. The first breed standard was written in 1897 and was later updated in 1909. Notable historical figures have been linked with ownership of Briards in their time, including Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon, and Lafayette. The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1928, though it is yet to gain much prominence in America.

Helpful Information

Breed Club: Briard Club of America

Breed Club Link: https://www.briardclubofamerica.org/

Breed Club Rescue: Briard Rescue Trust

Breed Club Rescue Link: https://www.briardrescuetrust.org/