The Toast of France

Mike Forsythe came home at 2 a.m. and placed a 3-month-old Beauceron puppy on the bed. She wiggled up to his wife, Jody, and engaged her in an energetic play session before falling asleep.

"She arrived from a coast-to-coast flight as if she had taken a trip around the block," recalls Jody Forsythe of Jupiter, Fla., president of the North American Beauceron Club. The next morning, Cara seemed perfectly at home. "She walked around the house and played as if she had always lived with us."

Cara continues to take seemingly stressful situations in stride and adapt readily to new environments, whether visiting a retirement home as a therapy dog, herding 20 sheep into a pen, running an agility course or searching for signs of life in the wreckage of the World Trade Center.

That may seem like a lot for one dog to do, but that’s the way she likes it, according to Forsythe. This is a breed that loves to work and really looks for something to do,” Forsythe says. “They want to please and are happiest when working or training with their owner.”

The Beauceron has been hard at work for a very long time in France. Fanciers cite a passage in a 1587 manuscript as the first mention of a dog of the Beauceron's description. A priest named Rozier described French herding dogs in 1809 and used the name Berger de Beauce (shepherd of Beauce, a region of France). The term came to denote shorthaired dogs, in contrast to the longhaired Berger de Brie, or Briard.

In those early days, the dogs’ owner concerned themselves with function, not form, the most important role of a herding dog being to protect the flock. In the 20th century, the finer points of breeding
took on more importance. Les Amis du Beauceron (“Friends of the Beauceron”) organized in 1911, and is still the official guardian of the breed in its homeland.

Beaucerons served their country in two World Wars, bringing ammunition belts to gun emplacements, keeping watch and carrying messages. Today they serve in the canine units of military and civilian
police forces.

An Arresting Appearance

“The Beauceron can be very affectionate with owners but aloof and standoffish to strangers,” Brady says. “Some can be very territorial. Some are very work-minded and serious and not as playful as others.” The breed is not as puppy-like as others, such as the Labrador Retriever. “The Beauceron is extremely trainable and very intelligent. I would rate their activity level as high, without being hyper. These dogs can be relaxed and calm between jobs.”

The combination of intelligence, drive, and territoriality make ongoing socialization a must, according to Anne Sharpe, a breeder in Glens Falls, N.Y. Learning how to interact with people and dogs is
especially important in the first two to three years.

“A nervous, shy, or fearful dog weighing 100 pounds is quite a handful, and socialization is not something that can be put off and picked up later,” Sharpe says. “The Beauceron does best if integrated
into the family, living indoors, and gently but firmly taught what behavior is expected.”

Finding an appropriate outlet for a Beauceron’s energy will also help toward a happy home. NABC treasurer J’Anna Lyttle recalls a time her husband took a 1-year-old Beauceron for a walk. “They came
across some folks on horseback, with whom my husband was content to chat at a distance while sipping coffee,” Lyttle says. “Lucky on the other hand was eager to meet these new big creatures. There went my strong, 170-pound husband as though he was skiing down the trail with coffee flying. Lucky later earned his United Kennel Club weight-pulling
title easily and with much enthusiasm.”

Although still a rare breed in the United States, the Beauceron has the potential to become much more visible in coming years, since the AKC welcomed it into the Miscellaneous class in 2001. But that
doesn’t mean it will ever become the right dog for everyone.

“Get to know the Beauceron before bringing one into your family,” Forsythe says. “There are many wonderful breeds. Make sure the one you choose will fit your life.”

If you want to work with your dog, the Beauceron might work for you.

In Brief