Beauceron

The Beauceron is a solid, muscular dog with harmonious proportions and no signs of bulkiness.

These are alert, energetic dogs with noble carriage.

Beaucerons have short, fine, dense, and downy undercoats that are light grey in color. Their outer coats are short, dense, coarse, and lie close to their bodies. The hair is short and smooth on the head, ears, and lower legs, while longer around the neck; their tails and backs of their thighs have a light fringe.

Beaucerons come in two colors: harlequin or black and tan. On black and tan Beaucerons, the tan markings should be squirrel-red and include dots above the eyes, on the sides of the muzzle, and the cheeks; two spots on the chest are preferred to a breastplate. On the legs, the markings should extend from the feet to the pasterns, progressively lessening, and never covering more than one-third of the leg.

Harlequin Beaucerons have a black and tan base with a pattern of blue-grey patches distributed evenly over their bodies. Black might be the predominant color. Disqualifiers for show include too much gray, black on one side of the body and gray on the other, or a fully gray head.

Beaucerons are powerful dogs with strong, straight backs; well-defined withers; broad, short, muscular loins; and wide, deep chests. Their tails are strong at the base and carried down, descending to the point of the hock and forming a slight “J” but never falling to the right or left.

Beaucerons have high-set ears that may be cropped or natural, and eyes that are horizontal, slightly oval in shape, and dark brown (walleye is acceptable in harlequin-colored dogs); the expression is frank, alert, and confident.

Beaucerons hail from the Beauce region near Paris, where its roles ranged from soldier and drover to rescuer and companion. The breed is well established in France, with documented mentions dating back to the 1500s even though the Club des Amis Du Beauceron, the French breed club, was not founded until 1922.

The French shepherd dogs were also known as Berger de Beauce or Bas Rouge. On the home front, Beaucerons herded sheep and guarded livestock, using their calm demeanor and stamina to complete their tasks. During World Wars I and II, these dogs were also on the frontlines, hauling messages and equipment, tracking soldiers, and helping find the wounded. Beaucerons have also been used as military and police detection dogs.