ALL ABOUT DOG BREEDS: BEAUCERON

Also Know as:

Berger De Beauce, Bas-Rouge, French Shorthaired Shepherd, Beauce Shepherd

Origin: France

Type: Pure Breed

Height: 24 to 27.5 inches

Weight: up to 110 pounds

Life Expectancy: 10 to 12 years

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BEAUCERON TEMPERAMENT

Beaucerons are well known for their high intelligence. Very calm dogs, smart and spirited, you will find them able to tackle any task given to them, whether it involves memory, reasoning, or learning new skills. They are very brave and reliable dogs, you will find them very gentle and patient with kids. An extremely loyal breed, you will find them eager to do things to please you. They get along somewhat with other dogs and pets in the household but on the flip side, if they are not properly trained, their protective temperament can be overwhelming.

BEAUCERON PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Physically, the Beauceron is a muscular dog, weighing up to 110 pounds and standing between 24 to 27.5 inches in height. The basic coloring can be black, black and tan, and harlequin. Other mixes of colors that were common in the past were tawny, grey and black, and grey itself. Although these colors are not standard Breed colors, they still exist today. The Beauceron’s coat is short and smooth, the only places on their body that are not short and smooth are the legs, the tail, and flanks which have slight fringes in them.

BEAUCERON CHARACTERISTICS

Beaucerons need access to clean, fresh water constantly as they easily heat up. Feeding them on an average of two times daily is advised with them eating up to a cup or a cup and a half of dry dog food per meal. You would need to take into consideration their activity level, size, age, weight, etc. You should always encourage them to eat their food slowly. This is because they have weak stomachs and are prone to gastric dilation. Their stomach tends to bloat and contracts fast if they don't eat slowly. This can lead to their stomach becoming twisted and can cut off blood supply to other parts of the body leading to a medical emergency. Monitoring their weight is always important when feeding them, discuss with your vet doctor on their current weight and best feeding practices to reduce their health risk and increase their lifespan.

Thanks to short coats, the Beauceron breed does not shed heavily, brushing them with a natural bristle brush or rubber hound mitt several times a week is ok to avoid small hair lying around your furniture. Also bathing them every three or four months with a mild shampoo is ok. Apart from the above, maintain the normal ear checks and dental routine and your Beauceron would be just fine.

Their calm and spirited disposition makes them very easy dogs to train. The Beauceron is eager to please and will willingly follow the lead of an established pack master. Even though they are strong-willed, they rely more on their intelligent approach to assert themselves and do not necessarily need to challenge the position of their master or masters as it may be. Early socialization and obedience training will make them more adept at learning new skills as they grow. For an older dog, teaching them the heel command early on is a good way to make them understand who is the master at an early stage. In all, most people attest to the fact that the Beauceron is a fun dog to train.

The Beauceron needs lots of physical and mental exercise, an intelligent, powerful, and athletic dog, this dog is actually suited for more experienced dog owners, if you don't have the experience, you must be able to dedicate an ample amount of time to exercise and stimulate them both mentally and physically. These dogs need a variety of exercise and training in different locations daily to challenge their mental faculty. Because of their intelligent nature, finding a job for them would keep them engaged, if this is not possible based on location, training them for sporting events or some sort of activity would also serve a good purpose. They do well as police or military dog as their intelligence can be put to good use here. A Beauceron that is not well stimulated both mentally and physically would always end up engaging in something destructive.

As we said earlier in the feeding section, the Beauceron breed is prone to stomach bloating, this is a life-threatening condition and is common among dogs with a large or deep chest. Beauceron owners need to educate themselves properly on this topic or you might end up losing your dog from the lack of knowledge of this condition. Other conditions to watch out for are ear infections dysplasia, heart disease, eye problems, and allergies.

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Originating from France and named after a large expanse of agricultural land southwest of France, this french shepherd dog also called the Bas Rouge or Berger de Beauce can be traced to as far back as the middle ages.

Due to their high intelligence and smartness, the Beauceron in the middle ages played so many roles from a loyal companion to a soldier, a bodyguard to a rescuer, a competitor to a prankster, a livestock herder, and more. Their multi-faceted ability to fit into what was required of them made it the go-to dog of that period. As time went on, they became popular on the other side of the Atlantic due to their ability to adapt and become whatever they needed to be for their masters.

In 1863 a dog show held by Universal Exposition in Paris described the Beauceron then as being black with rust marking, having upright ears, and being wolflike in build. Later in the nineteenth century, the french shepherd dogs were officially classified into two groups, the Briard and the Beauceron with the Briard having a rougher coat.

By 1922 the French breed club called the Club des Amis Du Beauceron, was founded. Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette(1873–1954) a famous french author popularly called Colette by her legion of readers was also know to love the Beauceron breed and wrote passionately about her Beauceron most of the time.

The Beauceron is a highly sensitive and powerful dog, as a herding dog, it gives space while controlling its flock, unlike the Australian Shepherd that loves to be closer to its flock. Using their intelligence and sensitivity, they can control their flock without scaring or agitating them. This intelligent and smart nature can be seen throughout history with them working at frontline attack dogs in World War One and World War two, to their current application in the police and military operations.

charles nwan

Hi, I am Charles Nwankwo Editor-in-Chief, Mydoggything.com. Gleaning from Professional Dog Trainers, behaviorist, Registered Veterinarians, and Breeders. We are passionate about making dog care easy for you. My job is to make sure that you get the best-updated dog care information to understand and take care of your dog or dogs.