![Briards](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Briards.jpg)
The Briard or is a French
breed
A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...
of large
shepherd dog
A sheep dog or sheepdog is generally a dog or breed of dogs historically used in connection with the raising of sheep. These include livestock guardian dogs used to guard sheep and other livestock and herding dogs used to move, manage and co ...
, traditionally used both for
herding
Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group (herd), maintaining the group, and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. Herding can refer either to the process of animals forming herds in ...
sheep and to
defend them. It was first shown at the first Paris dog show, in 1863; the first Briard to be registered in the ''Livre des Origines Françaises'', the national
stud-book
A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders ...
, was Sans Gêne in 1885. It was in the past also known as the Chien de Berger français de Plaine.
History
The Briard originated in, and is named for, the
Brie
Brie (; ) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern ''département'' of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white mo ...
historic region of north-central France, where it was traditionally used both for
herding
Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group (herd), maintaining the group, and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. Herding can refer either to the process of animals forming herds in ...
sheep and to
defend them. The first written mention of the shepherd dogs of Brie is thought to be in the ''Cours complet d'agriculture'' of
Jean-Baptiste François Rozier, who in 1783 wrote that the "chien de Brie" was long-haired and usually black; that in the open plains there was little danger from wolves, and so the dogs were used more for herding than for defence; and that shepherd dogs had the task of preventing the sheep from straying into crops or vineyards where they might cause damage.
Pierre Mégnin, writing in 1895, clearly distinguishes the short-haired Chien de Beauce – the modern
Beauceron
The Beauceron is a herding dog breed originating from the plains of Central France. The Beauceron is also known as Berger de Beauce (sheepdog from Beauce) or Bas Rouge (red-stockings).
History
A French herding breed known for centuries in west ...
– from the long-haired Chien de Brie or Briard. In 1896, Mégnin was among those who founded the .
The Berger de Brie was first shown at the first Paris dog show in 1863, where a bitch named Charmant took a prize. The first Briard to be registered in the , the national
stud-book
A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders ...
, was Sans Gêne, winner of a gold medal at the Paris show in 1885. A
breed standard
In animal husbandry or animal fancy, a breed standard is a description of the characteristics of a hypothetical or ideal example of a breed. The description may include physical or morphological detail, genetic criteria, or criteria of athletic ...
was established in 1897, in which two varieties were described: one with a woolly or sheep-like coat, the other with a coat more similar to that of the goat; the woolly type later disappeared. In 1909, a
breed society Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members of ...
, Les Amis du Briard, was formed.
Breed numbers fell during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
; any dog thought suitable for military use was sent to the front. The breed society resumed its activities in 1923, and a rival breed association was formed at about the same time; in 1935, this last organised the first single-breed show for the Berger de Brie, with seventy-eight participants. Numbers again fell sharply under the
Nazi occupation of France
The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...
during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. After the war the two breed clubs merged under the name Club des Amis du Briard.
In 1954, the Berger de Brie was fully recognised by 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 ...
.
Partly as a consequence of the
mechanisation of agriculture and resulting
rural depopulation
Rural flight (or rural exodus) is the migratory pattern of peoples from rural areas into urban areas. It is urbanization seen from the rural perspective.
In industrializing economies like Britain in the eighteenth century or East Asia in the ...
of the post-War years, the Berger de Brie came to be commonly kept as a
companion dog
A companion dog is a dog that does not work, providing only companionship as a pet, rather than usefulness by doing specific tasks. Many of the toy dog breeds are used only for the pleasure of their company, not as workers. Any dog can be a compa ...
. In the 1970s and 1980s, its numbers increased substantially: annual registrations in the ''Livre des Origines Françaises'' rose from 317 in 1970 to 905 in 1975, to 4101 in 1980 and then to a peak of 6364 in 1986, after which they fell precipitously; at one point the breed club had over 6000 members, more than any other French breed association at any time. Disagreements within the association resulted in its expulsion from 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 ...
; a new breed society, the , was recognised in 1989. In 1996, ten European breed associations in nine different countries joined to form the .
In 2001, blindness caused by a disease similar to
Leber congenital amaurosis
Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is a rare inherited eye disease that appears at birth or in the first few months of life.
It affects about 1 in 40,000 newborns. LCA was first described by Theodor Leber in the 19th century. It should not be co ...
was partially reversed in three Briard puppies by researchers at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
and the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
using
gene therapy
Gene therapy is a medical field which focuses on the genetic modification of cells to produce a therapeutic effect or the treatment of disease by repairing or reconstructing defective genetic material. The first attempt at modifying human DN ...
.
Characteristics
The coat is long (no less than ), thick and harsh like that of a goat; it may be solid black, grey, blue or fawn, or fawn overlaid with black; greying is seen to a variable extent. Dogs stand at the
withers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle ar ...
, bitches about . An unusual characteristic of the breed is the double
dewclaw
A dewclaw is a digit – vestigial in some animals – on the foot of many mammals, birds, and reptiles (including some extinct orders, like certain theropods). It commonly grows higher on the leg than the rest of the foot, such that in digit ...
on the hind legs; the breed standard specifies a single or absent dewclaw as a disqualifying fault.
File:41-27Monate1.JPG, Black
File:Aramis-briard.JPG, Fawn
File:Flevobriards.jpeg, Black and fawn
Notes
References
{{French dogs
FCI breeds
Herding dogs
Dog breeds originating in France