“My Beauceron is a Border Collie in a German Shepherd suit,” says Nicole Thompson, an enthusiastic first-time Beauceron owner. “Bayden is bursting at the seams with intelligence, and absolutely craves learning, instruction and something to do.”
This large, handsome breed has been known for centuries in its native France as a tireless and willing worker. These all-purpose farm dogs will herd sheep and cattle, and guard the home and family. Beaucerons have also been used extensively by the military in a variety of functions.
One of the newest breeds to be accepted into the American Kennel Club’s fold, the Beauceron is in fact an extremely old French breed with no foreign crosses of other breeds in its development. The earliest record of the breed is thought to be a mention of a dog fitting the Beauceron’s description in a 1578 Renaissance manuscript. Until recently, the breed was almost unknown outside France, and is still very much a rarity. The Beauceron has been known by other names, including Beauce Sheepdog (Berger de Beauce) and Red Stocking (Bas Rouge).
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