Page 52 - ShowSight Presents - The Briard

BRIARD TEMPERAMENT
BY TERRY MILLER
Reprinted from Briard Club of America national magazine The Dew Claw
The Briard temperament is a surprise to many at first con- tact 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 expec- tations, requiring a clear and constant leader with unwavering boundaries. As expected when categorized as a herding/guarding breed, the Briard is selective, discriminant, aware, reserved with strangers, job oriented and high drive.
The breed is high maintenance by their basic grooming needs as any coat- ed 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 extro- verted and social animal, making the socializing process a necessity to devel- oping a dog who is a good citizen in the world. Good Briard raising practices include constant exposure out of the home and away from the familiar sur- roundings to create contact with con- stantly changing situations and new people. This is a process which needs constant reinforcement for the first year or more of a Briard’s life.
Briard social behavior is fraught with potential for wonderfully positive things and equally negative things. Bri- ards are warm kind and fuzzy therapy dogs for the needs of hospitalized and
shut in individuals. The breed’s natural touchy/feely tendencies provide sooth- ing tactile therapy to those in need of a good dose of affection.
However, the flip side can be cou- pling a dog with a discriminant nature and high prey drive, and exposing that individual to dog parks or doggy day care. The recipe for a bad reputation is waiting to happen. Add in a dose of an owner or handler not pwaying attention or exercising clear cut impulse control rules, voilà, dog fight, dog chase, bul- lying, or recipient of bullying reacting extremely emotional, sometimes ignit- ing the prey reaction of the Briard even more.
Here is where the subjects of dog parks and doggy day care enter the picture. A relatively new
248 • SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2017