Beauceron
A French herding dog that must carry double dewclaws on each hind leg to be registered. Big, serious, and three years from puppy to finished dog.
Photo by Svenska Mässan, CC BY 2.0
Overview
The Beauceron is a large French herding and guarding breed, and its most distinctive feature is written into the standard: double dewclaws on each hind leg, which must be present for the dog to be shown. It is the largest of the French sheepdogs.
It worked as both a herder and a flock guardian, and it served as a French military dog in both World Wars, doing mine detection and message carrying.
Temperament
Confident, serious and slow to mature. Beaucerons are protective of their families and reserved with strangers, and they take about three years to grow up mentally.
They are intelligent and strong willed, and they need an experienced owner. A Beauceron will test boundaries and will take charge if nobody else does. With proper handling they are steady and reliable, and without it they are a hundred pounds of dog making its own decisions.
Care and grooming
A short dense double coat that needs weekly brushing and more during the moult. Low maintenance.
Hip dysplasia and gastric dilatation volvulus are the two to plan for. This is a deep chested breed, and bloat is an acute and life threatening emergency in dogs built this way, with mortality running twenty to forty five percent even when treated.
Living and exercise
Two hours a day plus training. They excel at protection sports, herding, tracking and obedience.
They need a job and an owner who provides it. Ten to twelve years is the expectation, which is normal for a dog of this size and shorter than most owners hope.
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