This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, November 2012 issue.
The Briard temperament is a surprise to many at first contact with the breed. They are intensely affectionate to their loved ones, devoted to a fault and exclusive in their loyalty. Most Briards have strong opinions and are fairly assertive about their needs and expectations, requiring a clear and constant leader with unwavering boundaries. As expected when categorized as a herding/guarding breed, the Briard is selective, discriminate, aware, reserved with strangers, job-oriented and high drive. The breed is high maintenance by their basic grooming needs as any coated dog, but even higher maintenance because of their socialization needs. This is a breed whose default setting is to know and love the familiar – their family, their friends – and no one and nothing else.
The needs of the average urban lifestyle demand a more extroverted and social animal, making the socializing process a necessity to developing a dog that is a good citizen in the world. Good Briard raising practices include constant exposure out of the home and away from the familiar surroundings to create contact with constantly changing situations and new people. This is a process which needs constant reinforcement for the first year or more of a Briard’s life.
In its best form, the Briard is a remarkably easy and quiet house dog with a keen and developed sense of humor all evident from an early age. They are smart and engaged, busy and involved when appropriate and quietly content to lay in a heap on their loved one’s feet for the rest of their day.
