Briard

This long coated sheep herd and guard dog originates in the province of Brie in France. The breed shares some common ancestry with its short coated 'cousin' the Beauceron and references to the breed can be found in 14th century legends. The Briard was exhibited at the very first dog show in France in 1863 and gained official recognition in 1897. Briards was used in both World Wars by the French army as pack dogs, accompanying search parties looking for wounded soldiers.

Read the breed standard

Images for this breed

The Pastoral breed group

The Pastoral Group consists of herding dogs that are associated with working cattle, sheep, reindeer and other cloven footed animals.

Usually this type of dog has a weatherproof double coat to protect it from the elements when working in severe conditions. Breeds such as the Collie family, Old English Sheepdogs and Samoyeds who have been herding reindeer for centuries are but a few included in this group.

Breed standard colours

Breed standard colour means that the colour is accepted within the breed standard and is a traditional and well-known colour in this breed.

Breed standard colours in this breed include:

Black
Fawn
Slate Grey

Other colour/s

'Other' means you consider your puppy to be a colour not currently known within the breed and one that does not appear on either the breed standard or non-breed standard list. In this instance you would be directed through our registrations process to contact a breed club and/or council to support you on identifying and correctly listing the new colour.

Non-breed-standard colours

Non-breed-standard colour means that the colour is not accepted within the breed standard and whilst some dogs within the breed may be this colour it is advised to only select a dog that fits within the breed standards for all points.

Colour is only one consideration when picking a breed or individual dog, health and temperament should always be a priority over colour.

Whether you’re thinking of buying a puppy, or breeding from your dog, it’s essential that you know what health issues may be found in your breed. To tackle these issues we advise that breeders use DNA tests, screening schemes and inbreeding coefficient calculators to help breed the healthiest dogs possible.

More about health

Priority health schemes and tests

The Kennel Club's Assured Breeders must use the following (or equivalent) schemes, tests and advice. All other breeders are strongly advised to also use these.

Hip dysplasia screening scheme (BVA/KC)
Eye screening scheme (BVA/KC/ISDS)
DNA test - CSNB - part of The Kennel Club’s DNA Testing Services* (see below). Find lists of tested dogs

Important health schemes and tests

We strongly recommend that all breeders, both assured breeders (ABs) and non ABs, use the following (or equivalent) schemes, tests and advice.

Check inbreeding calculators

*The Kennel Club’s DNA Testing Services - simple to use and easy to organise all-in-one DNA tests

The DNA tests listed above marked with an asterisk (*) are included in our DNA Testing Services. This includes:

CNSB (Congenital stationary night blindness)

Kennel Club Assured breeders and Kennel Club Accredited Instructors receive a 10% discount.

Find out more about our DNA Testing Services.

Find out about a particular dog's results

Please visit our Health Test Results Finder to discover the DNA or screening scheme test results for any dog on The Kennel Club's Breed Register.

You can also view the inbreeding coefficient calculation for a puppy's parents, or for a dog you're thinking of breeding from.

Have any questions about health in your breed?

If you have any concerns about a particular health condition in your breed then you may wish to speak to your vet or you could contact your breed health co-ordinator.

Breed health co-ordinators are individuals working on behalf of breed clubs and councils who are advocates for the health and welfare of their chosen breed. They acts as a spokesperson on matters of health and will collaborate with The Kennel Club on any health concerns the breed may have.

To contact your breed health co-ordinator please email

Health (The Kennel Club)

Breed watch

Category 1

Currently no points of concern specific to this breed have been identified for special attention by judges, other than those covered routinely by The Kennel Club's breed standard.

Read more about Breed Watch

There are a number of The Kennel Club's rules and regulations that may prevent a litter from being registered, find out about our general and breed specific breeding restrictions below.

More about breeding

The following breeding control scheme has been agreed by representatives of the Briard clubs and The Kennel Club, effective from 1 January 2016:

All Briards used for breeding should be either proven hereditarily clear of CSNB or have a CSNB DNA test before they are used for breeding
The Kennel Club will cease to routinely accept any new registrations for Briard progeny produced from a CSNB carrier parent mated to a clear parent (either DNA tested or hereditary clear)
Breeders wishing to register progeny from a carrier from this date need to apply for permission prior to the proposed mating, and applications are dealt with on a case-by-case basis involving input
If such permission is given and a carrier is mated to a DNA tested or hereditary clear dog, all progeny must be DNA tested and registered with The Kennel Club as either CSNB clear or Carrier
The Kennel Club will place endorsements on the carrier progeny, such that if they are bred from without the necessary approval sought beforehand, their progeny will not be able to registered with The Kennel Club