History and Origin

There are several romantic stories concerning how the Briard got its name. It is not connected in a specific way to the French area of Brie (from where the cheese comes), and it has been said that "Briard" is a corruption of the name "Chien d'Aubrey". Sir Aubrey de Montdidier was a French Aristocrat who was mordered in 1371 in front of his Briard. Every time the dog came across the assassin, the dog became enraged and tried to attack the killer. The King of France ordered that a duel should take place between the dog and the accused, a man named Richard de Macaire. The dog was the victor, and Macaire confessed and was beheaded. 

The Briard is a sheepdog that descends from an ancient type of dog called the livestock guardian. Livestock guardians work with the sheep in a protective way. The Briard and its smooth-coated relation, the Beauceron, are more recent types that can be used to move sheep as well as guard them. France has many native breeds, and among these are five sheepdog breeds that are internationally recognised. The Briard is the large hairy French sheepdog, while the Beauceron is the smooth version.The first Briard was registered in the French Stud Book in 1885. The Beauceron an the Briard were not officially seperated until 1896.

After P. Megnin the Briard is out of a mating between the "Chien de Berger Francais" (left) and the "Barbet" (right). Since 1896 the Briard is a registered breed.

Around 1909 in France the first Briard-Club was founded, "Le Club des Amis du Briard", which was engaged in training and breeding, so the Briard got a unique appearence and character.

During the First World War, Briards were considered exeptional at locating the injured in the terrible conditions of the mud-caked trenches. Dogs would have to swim rather than walk because of the mud, and it was said that they could tell the difference between someone who had been killed and someone with only a spark of life left, for whom they alerted the attention of the stretcher bearer.

When the United States joined this war, just at its end, the American soldiers were able to see this large dog in action. They must have been impressed, for the breed was taken back to the United States, with the first American-bred litter being born in 1922. In 1931, the black import Regent de la Pommeraie became the first American Champion.

The Briard survived the war in a much healthier state than the Beauceron, but many were requisitioned as army guard dogs. The Beauceron gene pool was greatly depleted and faults  that had not been problems before the war recurred. Popularity had shifted and the Briard was now much more numerous than the smooth-haired Beauceron. *

The Briard is a typical allrounder. Today you can find this wonderful breed in almost every branch of dog-sport: obedience, agility, as a rescue-dog, sledge-dog, race-dog, companion-dog, ... sometimes he is even lucky to prove his original ability as a sheepdog. A Briard enjoys every sort of activity and his motivation at training and work is infectious...

* [partly of Scott, Desiree, Briard, Interpet Publishing] 

Young sheepdog James Bond Dalido - tending a flock
Originally the Briard was used as a livestock guardian and herding dog. 

Thank you, Zsofie, for the picture!