The Briard
The Briard is an ancient breed of large herding dog, originally from France. A Briard-type dog appears in Gaston Febus' Livre de chasse ("Book of the Hunt"), written in the 14th century. According to legend, about the same time, a Briard fought a judicial duel with Robert Macaire to avenge its owner's murder, Aubry of Montdidier. Charlemagne, Napoleon, Thomas Jefferson, and Lafayette are all said to have owned Briards. It became popular after the Paris dog show of 1863, after the breed had been fixed, with crosses with the Beauceron and the Barbet. During the First World War, the Briard was used, almost to the point of extinction, by the French army as a sentry, messenger, and to search for wounded soldiers. The Briard's modern-day roles include police, military and search-and-rescue work, as well as companion dog
They were originally bred to herd as well as guard flocks of sheep. And they were often left to their own devices in order to accomplish their assigned tasks. This makes the Briard different from those breeds that only guard and those that only herd. The breeds that just herd are often smaller in size, agile, and swift of foot. Those breeds that just guard are usually larger and heavier. Briards were used in all types of herding situations, having the ability to learn many commands and fulfill the jobs expected of them. The Briard was most commonly used as a farm dog in the more crowded farming valleys of France, where row crops were grown. Sheep were allowed to graze the grass strips between crops and Briards were responsible for keeping the sheep moving along these strips, and preventing the sheep from eating the crops. The Briard moved the sheep daily from the farm to the graze areas and back again at night. At the farm, the Briard was the shepherd's partner, helping with livestock chores. The Briard was also used to move large flocks of sheep in areas of France that had wide grazing pastures and mountain pastures in summer. Those flocks were moved on foot, to the grazing areas, much like large sheep ranches do in the western United States and Canada. The Briards were usually worked beside one or two other breeds to keep the sheep from straying and herd the sheep to the proper areas. At night, they were alert and vigilant watchdogs, protecting the shepherds and flock from wolves and thieves
Referenced https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briard
Briard History
Dogs imported from around the globe to;
Australia and New Zealand
AUSTRALIA
"Bruinbri Briards" Victoria and also Barnim Briards. Australia's first decade of importation written by Alex McAlpineThe Australian Briard history is firmly linked to British imports, although Briards have been imported from New Zealand (and vice versa).
The New Zealand assiciation with the breed began in 1975. The first importations into Australia were in 1974 when two bitches, Desamee Nanie Bear and Silencieuse from Shiel and a dog, Desamee Danny Bear arrived for Brian and Mrs Phyl Beveridge of Sunbury, Victoria (Aacarsha) and Desamee Neptune Bear (dog) and Desamee Emma Bear (bitch) for Sue and Mike Rodstead (Bendelbah). Unfortunately, Emma miscarried a litter and had to be desexed. She was replaced by her dam, Desamee Etolie Bear, in whelp to Beaune of Baldslow - a sire who was Top Stud Briard in Britain on several occasions. The litter was born in Sydney Quarantine Station. The Beveridges imported a fawn dog, Harleyburn Charbon Fauve (red) in 1975. A further Briard, Baldslow Touffe, arrived when her Australian owner, Vivienne Oxley returned from living in England (Charbonneau). Jean and Alex McAlpine (Bruinbri) then imported two Briards - a black dog, Baldslow Wain in April 1979 and a fawn bitch, Desamee Helga Bear, in October of the same year. Baldslow Wain's ancestry introduced an outcross to one of the top French kennels not represented in any British or Australian breeding. Also in 1979 the Bevridges brought in a fawn dog, Desamee Bradley Bear, and Karen Buchanan of Morisset, NSW (Lealami) imported a fawn bitch, Angevin Dansette D'or from Linda Shove in New Zealand. Other Angevin exports to Australia were a fawn dog, Angevin Farouche Fauve in 1980 to Janette Wisseman in Brisbane and a black bitch Lunelle Noir d'Angevin to Karen Buchanan in 1984. That year also saw the arrival of two fawn Briard puppies - litter brother and sister Farouche d'Emile and Farouche d'Esmee - from the Farouche kennels in Britain for Harriet Wilson of Canberra (Kinkoppal). These were interesting and valuable imports for Australia as the sire's ancestry was american and added a further complete out cross to Brirtish and Australian breeding. In 1985 Cris and Gary Caird (Itzabrie) who exhibited and bred Bearded Collies under their CuCairdeil prefix, imported from the Dandibrush Kennels in England, who also bred both Briards and Beardies, a black bitch puppy Dandibrush CuCairdeil. This was to have been an importation of the puppy's mother, Dandibrush Itzi, in whelp to Eng Ch Carcer Nuits St George, but problems with export regulations upset these plans. Itzi and the rest of that litter stayed in England and Itzi was mated to Desamee Sweeney Bear. She arrived in Australia late in the year in time to produce another Briard litter in Sydney Quaratine on Christmas Day. In 1986 Margaret and Rachelle Thomas (Marashar) and Katrina and Russ Halverson (Verzenay) joined forces to bring out another litter brother and sister combination these were from the Chatillon Kennels in England with Margaret and Rachelle handling the black bitch Chatillon Ellen and the Halversons taking over the fawn dog, Chatillon Earl. Phyl Beveridge was associated with Liz Bennett in selecting and importing a black bitch, Miss Chief from Stormfield, in whelp to Westwold Claudius of Carcer. On this occassion the litter of two puppies, a black dog and a fawn bitch was born in Adelaide Quaratine Station. Alex McAlpine - The Briard Club of NSW 1990 |
NEW ZEALAND
Sourced from NZ Kennel Gazette 1984 Briards in NZ compiled by Bruce Gowan |