Page 253 - ShowSight - February 2020

Berger Picard Q & A
“ONCE SOMEONE SHOWS INTEREST, IT IS VERY EASY TO EN- GAGE THEM IN WANTING TO LEARN MORE AND TO WELCOME THEM TO CONSIDER OWNING A PICARD.”
Picards take their ‘jobs’ seriously, but always with a healthy dose of humor. I laugh every single day because of Sunny’s antics and playfulness! Not only do I feel safe when he is on guard, my neigh- bors also benefit from his sense of protectiveness and his devout watchfulness over them and our entire neighborhood. Still, he wouldn’t hurt a flea unless that flea was threatening me!
Sunny is a perfect companion for me. I am his ‘shepherd’ and I mean everything to him, and he to me. He loves being with me, even to ride in the car and go on errands, because we are a team. Sunny is very mellow in the house, especially when I sit down to read or relax. That is his real downtime, when he can let go and be off duty. I, honestly, cannot think of one drawback to my owning a Berger Picard although the neighborhood squirrels beg to differ. They do taunt one another at times.
When Sunny was about six months old, I could see he had very graceful movement. As he walks or runs through the yard, his natural movement is a sight to behold. He’s gorgeous! If Jules of Ballerine’s Picards could show himself in the ring, he’d likely do far better than when I lead him. Hopefully and thankfully, all judges will focus on the Berger Picards in comparison to the breed standards.
Due to the unique look of the breed, they do attract attention. Once someone shows interest, it is very easy to engage them in wanting to learn more and to welcome them to consider owning a Picard. Attending a dog show and, especially, ‘meet the breed’ opportunities is the best way for people to learn more and seriously consider if it’s a good fit all the way around. One bit of advice I always offer is that Picards need to be socialized early and to a great variety of situations. Then, you’ll have a wonderful companion!
Ultimately, I want this breed to continue to develop healthy and physically well-bred dogs. We as a group take great pride in pursu- ing this goal and are devoted to it. I believe we, as owners, all feel blessed and honored to have Picards in our lives.
My favorite dog show memory remains one of my earliest ones. I was a real novice, was nervous, and so complete strangers were offering support and sharing tips. A snowstorm was building out- doors and I was considering leaving early and skipping the final showing. But, I stuck it out and was totally thrilled when Jules won First Place in his group! As I walked to the car afterwards, I kept saying out loud: “Never give up! Never give up! Never give up!”
ERICA MAX
We live in Durango, Colorado on a 35 acre horse farm. We have been breeding, training and showing Danish Warmblood Sport- horses for 20 years. In addition, I do a lot of volunteering working on STEM education for kids in our area.
Do I hope the breed’s popularity will change or am I comfort- able with the placement? I think that the ranking of the popularity of Picards is just fine.
Does the average person on the street recognize the breed? Nev- er. If I’m walking with just one, I get asked about what kind of mix they are. If I’m walking with two then people always want to know what they are. I often warn my “puppy people” that getting a Picard guarantees that you will attract a lot of attention. We live in a small town and my dogs are known because we walk in many parades along Main Avenue.
What qualities in the field also come in handy around the house? Picards are very loyal family members. While they absolutely like to
have a job and are not a dog to be left home alone all day, they are a very good family companion. They have a great sense of humor and like to be entertained and entertain their family.
Are there any misconceptions about the breed I’d like to dispel? They do shed. Not as much as many dogs but they do shed. Weekly brushing helps a lot and my dogs love to be brushed. Actually they love all attention.
At what age do I start to see definite signs of show-worthiness? I have all of my litters evaluated by well respected AKC judges when they are eight weeks old. At that time, their structure is evaluated. Prior to then I have been interacting with my puppies for eight weeks. We raise our litters in our home. I expose them to as many experiences as possible including: children, my other dogs, house- hold noises, various strangers, new toys and experiences every day and football on the TV. By the time they are ready to go their fami- lies I understand their individual personalities and whether they have the confidence and temperament combined with the structural evaluation to make a good conformation show dog.
The most important thing about the breed for a new judge to keep in mind? Their coats should be “rustic”. There should not be any scissoring. Only their ears should be stripped. They should have a reaching, floating gait and while they are not an aggressive dog, they can be aloof.
My ultimate goal for the breed? That we maintain the rigorous health testing, strong structure and in particular that we make sure that temperament is at the top of our breeding considerations.
My favorite dog show memory? When Garçon and I were at our first National Specialty and Elevage (a show that the parent club puts on every four years and evaluates the dogs in the European manner) my then two year old dog was one of three dogs (out of 54) to receive excellent in every category and he was selected by the European judge as everything a Picard should be. We actually bred him to one of the other three excellents and one of those offspring became my foundation bitch.
Picards are wonderful dogs. They are very sensitive and require thoughtful creative ways to train them. They learn very quickly and quickly get bored by repetition. I encourage people who get a Picard to find something that they enjoy doing with their dogs. I do herd- ing, barn hunt and occasionally nose work with mine. But they excel at rally, agility and just about any performance sport that you want to do with them. Even hiking.
LISA NAERT
I started as a breeder with my Papillons who are now in their 16th years. I learned about whelp- ing, being a breeder and showing with them. When I found the Picard in 2009 and brought home my Darby, I found my breed that I never want to be without.
My wife, NJ Royer and I have six Picards and a Poppet (Cairn x Manchester terrier) who teaches puppies manners with small dogs and plays with the big dogs too.
We live just outside of Bay City, Michigan, near our beauti- ful state park that we’re so fortunate to have to take our dogs to.
ShowSight Magazine, February 2020 • 251