The Beauceron is a guard dog and
herding dog breed falling into the working dog category whose origins lie in
the plains of Northern France. The Beauceron is also known as Berger de Beauce
(sheepdog from Beauce) or Bas Rouge (red-stockings).
Appearance
This
breed stands 61 to 70 cm (24 to 27.5 inches) in height and weighs 30 to 45 kg
(66 to 100 pounds). The Beauceron has a hard outer coat and a woolly undercoat
that grows thick in cold weather, especially if the dog sleeps outdoors. Its
standard colouring is black and tan (the latter colour referred to in French as
rouge ecureuil, squirrel-red) or grey, black and tan called harlequin. Other
colours, such as the once prevalent tawny, grey or grey/black, are now banned
by the breed standard. The merle coats should have more black than gray with no
white. In the black and tan dogs the tan markings appear in two dots above the
eyes, on the sides of the muzzle, fading off to the cheeks, but do not reach
the underside of the ears. Also on the throat, under the tail and on the legs
and the chest. Tan markings on the chest should appear as two spots but a chest
plate is acceptable.
Although
most breeds may or may not have dewclaws (many owners of other breeds remove
dewclaws, especially if the dog is used for field and hunting), an important
feature of the Beauceron is the double dewclaw. In order to be shown, a
beauceron must have double dewclaws that form well-separated "thumbs"
with nails on each rear leg; anything less will result in disqualification from
dog shows.
Temperament
The
Beauceron is known in France as a guard dog, a helper around the farm (herding
sheep or cattle), and/or a ring sport dog (primarily protection training). This
athletic, healthy and long-lived breed has been bred to be intelligent, calm,
gentle, and fearless.[4] Adults are typically suspicious of strangers and are
excellent natural guard dogs. On the other hand, they typically take their cue
from their handlers when it comes to greeting strangers, and are neither sharp
nor shy. They do best when raised within the family but they can sleep outside,
the better to act as guards (their weatherproof coats make them ideal kennel
users even in the coldest winters). They are eager learners and can be trained
to a high level. However, their physical and mental development is slow,
relative to other similar breeds (e.g. German and other large shepherds): they
are not mentally or physically mature until the age of about three years, so
their training should not be rushed. Several five- or ten-minute play-training
exercises per day in the early years can achieve better results than long or
rigorous training sessions.
Activities
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