The Barbet is a breed of

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

; it is a medium-sized French

water dog A water dog is a type of gundog bred to flush and retrieve game from water. Water dogs are considered the progenitors of most modern retriever dog breeds. Description Water dogs are usually medium-sized, active dogs; their most distinctive ...

. It is listed in Group 8 (retrievers, flushing dogs, water dogs) by the

Société Centrale Canine The Société centrale canine ( en, Central Canine Society), officially the Société Centrale Canine pour l'Amélioration des Races de Chiens en France and abbreviated SCC, is a French kennel club founded in 1881. It is made up of regional clubs ...

, the French Kennel Club and the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The Fédération cynologique internationale (FCI) (English: International Canine Federation) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs. It is based in Thuin, Belgium. History The FCI was founded in 1911 under the auspices ...

(International Canine Federation). The breed name comes from the French word , which means 'beard'.

Description

The Barbet is a rare breed. Most Barbets, especially those shown in

conformation show A dog show is an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a ''breed show'', is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs '' ...

s, are black, brown, black and white, or brown and white. It is common to see white chest spots and white paws or legs on black or brown coated dogs. Fawn (which can range from pearl to cream to gold), and

pied A piebald or pied animal is one that has a pattern of unpigmented spots (white) on a pigmented background of hair, feathers or scales. Thus a piebald black and white dog is a black dog with white spots. The animal's skin under the white backgro ...

variations are re-emerging, but in limited numbers. Male Barbets usually grow to be about tall and between , while females usually reach about and .

Appearance

The breed stands for the males, for females with a tolerance of 1 cm +/- , and weighs . The barbet is a prototypic water dog, with a long, woolly, and curly coat. Their coats grow long and must be groomed regularly, otherwise the coat can become matted and the barbet may lose small tufts of hair like tumbleweeds. The accepted colours of the breed are solid black, grey, brown, fawn, pale fawn, white or more or less pied. All shades of red-fawn and pale fawn are permitted. The shade should, preferably, be the same as the colour of the body. Grey and white are extremely rare; mixed colours (except with white) are considered a fault. The most common colors are solid black, solid brown or both colours with white markings. The birth figures worldwide for 2007 are 176. All born were solid black or solid brown, some with white markings on the chest, chin, and legs.

Temperament

The barbet's personality is described as friendly, joyful, obedient, and intelligent. They are quick to learn and need lifelong obedience training. They are great with children, families, and the elderly. Barbets will bond with their family and prefer to be in the same room with the family at all times. They need exercise daily to keep the dog in a healthy state of mind and body. They are capable retrievers for

waterfowl hunting Waterfowl hunting (also called wildfowling or waterfowl shooting in the UK) is the practice of hunting ducks, geese, or other waterfowl for food and sport. Many types of ducks and geese share the same habitat, have overlapping or identical hunt ...

. In France, the barbet can take the (TAN), a basic water-retrieving test, and has recently been permitted to participate in the (BCE), a general hunting-dog test involving field and water trials. In Germany, the barbet takes part in field trials.

Genetic diseases

Barbets are vulnerable to certain genetic defects. Due to the limited gene pool for this breed, conscientious breeders carefully study pedigrees and select dogs to minimize the chance of genetic diseases. Unfortunately, like many breeds, a growing popularity has encouraged breeding by people who are not knowledgeable about the breed. Of the few health issues that have exhibited themselves;

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

hernias A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the groin. Groin hernia ...

hip dysplasia Hip dysplasia is an abnormality of the hip joint where the socket portion does not fully cover the ball portion, resulting in an increased risk for joint dislocation. Hip dysplasia may occur at birth or develop in early life. Regardless, it doe ...

and

entropion Entropion is a medical condition in which the eyelid (usually the lower lid) folds inward. It is very uncomfortable, as the eyelashes continuously rub against the cornea causing irritation. Entropion is usually caused by genetic factors. This is d ...

, most problems can be traced back 4–6 generations. Often this was due to limited breeding stock as well as the fact that many matings were with dogs of unknown medical history.

Overall health

Due to the extremely low number of barbets in the world, little is known about long term health issues. Some issues that have exhibited themselves are ear infections, hip dysplasia, hernias,

undescended testicles Cryptorchidism, also known as undescended testis, is the failure of one or both testes to descend into the scrotum. The word is from Greek () 'hidden' and () 'testicle'. It is the most common birth defect of the male genital tract. About 3% of ...

, undershot/overshot bites, entropion, and epilepsy. A study has begun in France about health issues in the Barbet as several breeds have recently "contributed" to the Barbet. Ethical breeders hip score the parents before any matings. A, B, and C hip scores can be used. The most common issues are ear infections, a problem in most water dog breeds. Ear problems can be minimized by proper ear care. A veterinarian should be consulted if the dog shows signs of an ear infection. The ear should always be clear of any hair, and inspected very regularly.

History

The barbet connected through the centuries in various capacities, and as a companion dog but more as an all-around working dog. The term ''barbet'' became throughout centuries a generic name for a dog with a long, curly, woolly coat. Barbets are best known for being a waterfowl retriever in the marshes, wetlands, and estuaries of France. This is where the expression "muddy as a barbet" came from in the 19th century. Between the late 18th to early 19th centuries, the same dog was known as the in France, the in Italy, and the in Germany; for almost a hundred years the barbets and

poodle The Poodle, called the Pudel in German and the Caniche in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle var ...

s were considered the same breed.

Status in Great Britain (UK)

The first Barbet, a male, was brought into the UK in 2001, although he did not reproduce. In 2007, two unrelated females were brought in from France, having completed their period of quarantine; the majority of Barbets currently in the UK are descendants of these. Since then, further examples of the breed have been imported from France, Netherlands, Canada, Poland, and Sweden. Several UK-born barbets have been used in the breeding programmes of other countries; their offspring can be found in Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Canada. In April 2018, the Barbet became the 220th breed recognized by

The Kennel Club The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also oper ...

of the UK and the Barbet can now be shown in Import Register classes at all UK dog shows held under

rules. Barbets born in the UK prior to this date were registered in France by the

(SCC), a national affiliate of the

(FCI). There are on average only one or two British-born litters born per year. In 2018, there were approximately 140 barbets living in the UK. The majority of Barbets in the UK are kept as pets, although a small number are used regularly as

gun dog Gun dogs, or bird dogs, are types of hunting dogs developed to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game, usually quail, dove, or duck. Gun dogs are divided into three primary types: retrievers, flushing dogs, and pointing breeds. Types ...

s, agility dogs, and for search-and-rescue work; they can also take part in conformation shows in the UK and in FCI-member countries, with two British Barbets achieving French Champion status in 2014.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbet FCI breeds Gundogs Dog breeds originating in France Water dogs Rare dog breeds