Beauceron

The Beauceron is a herding dog breed from France. It is also known as the Berger de Beauce, the Bas Rouge, or the French Short haired Shepherd.

Appearance

This breed stands 24 to 27.5 inches (61-70 cm) in height and weighs 66 to 85 pounds (30-38.5 kg). Its standard colouring is black and tan, black, or harlequin; other colours (tawny, grey, and grey/black) once prevalent are now banned by the breed standard. The coat is short, close and smooth, except on legs, tail and flanks where there is a slight fringe.

Temperament

This muscular and energetic breed is described as intelligent, calm, friendly, and very protective of children. This is normally a very calm race of dog and perfect for inside and outside the house. These dogs can be trained for attacking or other training but then you have to buy a beauceron at a specialized dog kennel for this kind of sport. If you normally buy this breed, they are very friendly and stay pretty young in their minds. If you have a Beauceron who is one year old, he still is a (big) puppy in his mind. This is positive because the dogs still learn at older ages. This dog isn't as well known as other types of shepherds like the border collie and the German Shepherd, but he still is the strongest one against weather changes, because he still isn't overbred. He adapts himself very quickly and he gets pretty old too. This breed can go to 14 years, which is pretty old for dogs of that size.

History

The regional names are misleading since the breed really does not come from Beauce but from Brie; however, the Briard claimed that regional name first. Although quite different in appearance, both breeds stem from similar ancestral stock.

A very versatile breed, the Bas Rouge (“Red Stocking”) was once used to herd sheep and protect the animals from wolves. The breed served in both World Wars as a messenger dog, a supply transport dog, and in detection of mines and rescue of the wounded. In addition, the Beauceron has strong herding traits and capability.