You will hear Beauceron owners constantly use the word versatility. The Beauceron has not only proved itself an outstanding herder of cattle and sheep, but also has excelled in all areas such as therapy, protection, French Ring, scent detection, agility, pulling, patrol work, and as war dogs to name only a few.
When a Beauceron walks into a room, it commands attention, a large dog, not too sleek, ears erect, eyes bright, almost wolf like. There is no stacking in the ring, and the dogs are shown on a loose lead .
The Beauceron is the largest of the French sheepdogs. Though almost unknown outside of France, the Beauceron has a long history. It is a very old breed developed solely in France with no foreign crosses. It is thought that a passage in a manuscript, written in 1587, is the first specific mention of a dog of the Beauceron's description.
The Beauceron was a general-purpose dog. Worked and selected for a very long time, the Beauceron was used to drive and protect the herd (Sheep or Cattle), guard the house, and defend the family, standing 25 1/2" to 27 1/2" (65-70 cm) in the males and 24" to 26 3/4" (63-68 cm) in females. Originating in the plains region surrounding Paris known as La Beauce, the Beauceron is also known as Berger de Beauce (Shepherd of the Beauce) or Bas Rouge (Red Stockings). The Beauceron is closely related to its longhaired cousin, the Briad or Berger de Brie.
The French army also used the Beauceron. Their ability to follow commands without hesitation was well utilized during both wars in Europe, where the military used them on the front lines to run messages. Beaucerons were also used to pick up trails, detect mines and support commando activity. Today Beaucerons are still used as military dogs as well as police dogs.
Due to its great versatility, Beaucerons are utilized in a variety of areas. They are an eager and willing worker, whose intelligence and obedience make them an extremely versatile and superior working dog. Today's Beauceron is being used much in the same fashion as the German shepherd dog in this country. While still tending sheep and cattle, the Beauceron is utilized for military and police work, Search & Rescue, handicapped assistance work, canine sports such as Agility, French Ring, Schutzhund, Obedience, Tracking, Skijoring, and of course as a family companion.
Its coat is short on head, rough, short, thick and coarse lying close to the body, 1 1/4" to 1 5/8". Its undercoat is very short, fine, dense and downy, preferably light grey should not show through guard hair.
This breeds colouring comes in varied colours Bas Rouge (bicolour), black and rust. Harlequin (tricolour) grey, black and rust. The coat has grey and black patches distributed evenly over the body, more black than grey. The red markings are identical to those on the bicolour.