Breed: Beauceron

Beauceron

An old and distinct French breed of herding dog,  relatively unknown outside of France, the breed is very old within the country. And while there are many sheep herding dogs in France, the Beauceron is the preferred choice due to its tireless work ethic.The earliest record found so far of what is thought to be the Beauceron dates back to a Renaissance manuscript of 1578. In 1809, the abbey Rozier reported plain dogs guarding flocks and herds. In 1863, Pierre Megnin differentiated, with precision, two types of these sheep dogs: one with a long coat, which became known as the Berger de Brie (Briard), the other with a short coat, which is known as the Berger de Beauce (Beauceron).

Beaucerons bear a passing resemblance to German Shepherds--part of their value as watchdogs depends on exactly this fairly large, threatening appearance. Considering the strong resemblance, it's surprising that the Beauceron is one of the major purebred dogs of the world--the breed developed exclusively in France, with no known cross-breeding occuring between the Beauceron and dogs of foreign nations. It's this strange quality of purity that gives the breed its special place in the French heart-not to mention the Beauceron's other qualities of loyalty, nobility, friendliness, and undeniable energy for herding and working.

Double Dewclaw

The Beauceron is invariably black-and-tan, 

with some black-and-gray dogs in existence that aren't considered an official part of the breed. Their hind legs are highly distinctive, with a double dewclaw on each foot--leaving them with six toes, some of which resemble "thumbs". Far from being a defect, this is one of the hallmarks of the Beauceron, and dogs with anything less than the standard six rear toes are not considered to be true Beaucerons.

Brave, highly intelligent, obedient, working dog. Eager and willing to please, they excel at obedience training, very quick to understand and respond to their masters commands. The Beauceron is capable of police work, loyal, patient, faithful, fearless and keenly watchful, able to to detect danger. They are a worthy, natural guard dog. They love to work and exercise in wide-open spaces. Another one of their many talents is working as a herding dog. They may attempt to herd humans and anything else in their sight and need to be taught this is not acceptable. There are places you can take dogs where they can demonstrate herding ability with flocks of sheep. Some lines are prone to bloat and like any breed over 40 pounds beaucerons are prone to hip dysplasia.