Appearance This breed stands in height and weighs The Beauceron has a hard outer coat and a woolly undercoat that grows thick in cold weather, especially if the dog sleeps outdoors. Its standard colouring is black and tan (the latter colour referred to in French as
rouge ecureuil, squirrel-red) or, less frequently, grey, black and tan called harlequin. Other colours, such as the once prevalent tawny, grey or grey/black, are now banned by the
breed standard. The harlequin coats should have more black than gray with no white. In the black and tan dogs the tan markings should appear in two dots above the eyes, on the sides of the muzzle, fading off to the cheeks, but do not reach the underside of the ears. Also on the throat, under the tail and on the legs and the chest. Tan markings on the chest should appear as two spots but a chest plate is acceptable.
Ear cropping is no longer allowed in most countries. The Beauceron is unusual in having a double
dewclaw. In order to be shown, a Beauceron must have double dewclaws that form well-separated "thumbs" with nails on each rear leg; anything less will result in disqualification from
dog shows. The Beauceron's double dew claws are connected by bone (unlike most breeds) and some dogs are even able to flex each one individually. The Beauceron has no breed-specific health problems.
Characteristics The Beauceron is known in France as a guard dog, a helper around the farm (herding sheep or cattle), and/or a
ring sport dog (primarily protection training). This athletic, healthy and long-lived breed has been bred to be intelligent, calm, gentle, and fearless. Adults are typically suspicious of strangers and are excellent natural guard dogs. If not well trained, they can be aggressive. They do best when raised within the family but they can sleep outside, the better to act as guards (their weatherproof coats make them ideal kennel users even in the coldest winters). They have a double smooth coat that is short. They are eager learners and can be trained to a high level. However, their physical and mental development is slow relative to other similar breeds (e.g. German and other large shepherds): they are not mentally or physically mature until the age of about three years, so their training should not be rushed. Several five- or ten-minute play-training exercises per day in the early years can achieve better results than long or rigorous training sessions. == History ==