HISTORY OF BREED
The earliest record about the French sheep dog was found in a Renaissance manuscript dated 1578. In 1809, the priest Abbe Rozier wrote rules and instructions for using dogs in shepherding. He was the first to describe the differences between the long-haired Berger de la Brie (Briard) and Berger de la Beauce (Beauceron), the short-haired, stronger dog which guarded herds against wo
lves. At the first dog show in Paris , in 1863, beauceron was exhibited for the first time. Towards the end of the 1800s, Paul Mégnin differentiated between the Shepherd of Brie and the Shepherd of Beauce. Assisted by Emmanuel Ball, Paul Megnin started to define the standard of the breed. In 1897, the first shepherd dog club was established in France . In 1911, the Club des Amis du Beauceron was formed and it has been implementing breed standard rules up to the present day. Towards the end of 1960s, beauceron started to gain popularity outside its country of origin. Breed clubs have been established in many European and American states. Beauceron attracts attention because of its looks and temperament. The French writer Colette was a devotee of the breed and labelled Beauceron “the country gentleman”. She described them as
affectionate, playful, and superb with children, absolutely and deeply attached to their masters. But at the same time, there is something mysterious about a Beauceron. They are like some people who don’t talk much but have a strong presence. They have a dimension, a depth, I have not found in other dogs. The French have registered fewer than 80 000 beaucerons during the history of the breed. Such a small number is due to the fact that beauceron is a very demanding working dog. Its primary purpose has been to guard sheep and cattle. However, beaucerons today find their jobs in military and police organisations, as search and rescue dogs and they do handicapped assistance jobs. Moreover, they take part in canine sports such as agility, cani cross or Schutzhund, and, of course, they are devoted family companions and friends. STANDARD
FCI-Standard N° 44 / 09.11.2006 /
BEAUCE SHEEP DOG („BEAUCERON“, „RED-STOCKING“)
(Berger de Beauce)
ORIGIN : France. DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 25.10.06. UTILIZATION : Sheepdog and Guard Dog. CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs). Section 1 Sheepdogs. With working trial. BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : “Beauce Dog”, “Beauceron” and “Red-Stocking” were the names chosen at the end of the XIX century to designate these ancient French Sheepdogs of the plains, all of the same type, with smooth hair on the head, a harsh, short coat and ears normally cropped. The body had tan markings, notably at the extremities of the four legs, which led the breeders at that time to call these dogs “Red-Stockings”. The coat was commonly black and tan but there were also grey, entirely black and even wholly tan dogs. These dogs were bred and selected for their aptitude to conduct and guard flocks of sheep. GENERAL APPEARANCE : The Beauce Sheepdog is big, solid, hardy, powerful, well built and muscular, but without lumber. IMORTANT PROPORTIONS : The Beauce Sheepdog is medium in all its proportions. The length of the body from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock should be slightly greater than the height at the withers. The head is long : 2/5 the height at the withers. The height and width of the head are slightly less than half its total length. The skull and muzzle are of equal length. BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Frank approach and self-assured. The expression is candid, never mean timid or worried. The character of the Beauceron should be gentle and fearless. HEAD : The head is well chiselled with harmonious lines. Seen in profile, the top lines of skull and muzzle lie roughly in parallel planes. CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Flat or slightly rounded from one side to the other. The median groove is only slightly marked, the occipital protuberance can be seen on the summit of the skull. Stop : The stop is only slightly pronounced and is equidistant from the occiput and the end of the muzzle. FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Proportionate to the muzzle, well developed, never split and always black. Muzzle : Neither narrow or pointed. Lips : Firm and always well pigmented. The upper lip should overlap the lower without any looseness. At their commissure, the lips should initiate a very slight pouch which should stay firm. Jaws/Teeth : Strong teeth with a scissor bite. Eyes : Horizontal, slightly oval in shape. The iris should be dark brown, and in any case never lighter than dark hazel even if the tan is light coloured. For the harlequin variety, wall eyes are admitted. Ears : Set high. Ears are half-pricked or drop-ears. They should not be plastered against the cheeks . They are flat and rather short. The length of the ear should be half the length of the head. NECK : Muscular, of good length, united harmoniously with the shoulders. BODY :
Top line : The back is straight. The loin is short, broad and well muscled. The croup is only slightly inclined. Withers : Quite visible. Chest : The girth of the chest is greater than the height at the withers by more than one fifth. The chest is well let down to the point of the elbow. It is wide deep and long. TAIL : Whole, carried low, it reaches at least to the hock, without deviating, forming a slight hook in the form of a “J”. When in action, the tail can be carried higher, an extension of the top line. LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS : Upright when seen from the front or in profile. Shoulder : Sloping and moderately long. Forearm : Muscled. Feet : Large, round, compact. The nails are always black. The pads are hard but nevertheless resilient. HINDQUARTERS : Upright when seen from profile and from behind. Thigh : Wide and muscled. Hock joint : Substantial, not too close to the ground, the point situated roughly at ¼ the height at the withers, forming a well open angle with the second thigh. Metatarsals (Rear Pasterns) : Vertical, slightly further back than the point of the buttock. Dewclaws : By tradition, shepherds are much attached to the conservation of double dewclaws. The dewclaws form well separated “thumbs” with nails, placed rather close to the foot. GAIT / MOVEMENT : Supple and free. The limbs move well in line. The Beauce Sheepdog should have an extended trot with long reaching movement. COAT
HAIR : Smooth on the head, short, thick, firm and lying close to the body, 3 to 4 cm in length. The buttocks and the underside of the tail are lightly but obligatorily fringed. The undercoat is short, fine, dense and downy, preferably mouse grey, very close, and can’t be seen through the top coat. COLOUR :
a) Black and tan (Black with tan markings) : “red stockings”. The black is pure black and the tan, red squirrel coloured. The tan markings are distributed as follows :
• Spots over the eyes.
• On the sides of the muzzle, diminishing gradually on the cheeks, never attaining under the ear.
• On the chest, preferably two spots.
• Under the neck.
• Under the tail.
• On the legs, disappearing progressively while rising, without covering in any case more than 1/3 of the leg and rising slightly higher on the inside. b) Harlequin (blue-mottled with tan markings) : grey, black and tan, the coat being black and grey in equal parts, the spots well distributed, with sometimes a predominance of black. The tan markings are the same as for the black and tan. A faint while spot on the chest is tolerated. SIZE :
Height at the withers : Male : from 65 cm to 70 cm. Female : from 61 cm to 68 cm. FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog. ELIMINATING FAULTS :
• Aggressive or overly shy.
• Size outside the standard limits.
• Too light-boned.
• Eyes too light, or wall eyes (except for harlequins).
• Split nose, of a colour other than black, with unpigmented areas.
• Overshot or undershot with loss of contact, absence of 3 or more teeth (the first premolars not counting).
• Natural ears carried totally upright and firm.
• Rear feet turned excessively to the exterior.
• Simple dewclaws or absence of dewclaws on hind legs.
• Shortened tail or tail carried over the back.
• Coat : Colour and texture other than those defined by the standard. Complete absence of tan markings. Shaggy coat. Well defined, quite visible white spot on chest. For the harlequin variety : too much grey, black on one side and grey on the other, head entirely grey (absence of black). Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified. N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the sc***um.
