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Today's Beauceron - Sport and
Utilization
| The Beauceron is an eager and
willing worker, whose intelligence and obedience, make him an extremely versatile and
superior working dog. Today's Beauceron is being used much in the same fashion as
the German Shepherd dog in this country. While still tending sheep and cattle, the
Beauceron is utilized for military and police work, Search & Rescue, canine sports such as Agility, French Ring, Schutzhund,
Obedience, Tracking, Skijoring, and of course as a family companion. |
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Picture is the property of Alain
Gailleton.
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Most Beaucerons are extremely
agile and athletic dogs. For this reason, they are being utilized in
a variety of dog sports like French Ring, Schutzhund, and Agility.
On both sides are pictures of
"Noir" crossing the palisade and the long jump. The
palisade's height ranges from 6 to 8 feet. The long jump ranges from
10 to 15 feet (depending on the level that the dog competes at, i.e. Ring
I, II, or III). |
Picture is the property of Alain
Gailleton. |
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Picture is the property of Alain
Gailleton. |
For centuries the Beauceron
has been used as a shepherd dog. While attending
flocks of sheep and other livestock is no longer the main purpose of
this breed, a strong herding instinct remains within many working
dog bloodlines. The Beauceron on the left is working a herd of sheep
at the 1999 French Herding Dog Championship.
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The Beauceron's
strength of character, his loyalty and strong working ethics have made him
an excellent candidate for police work. While in large still
unknown to police departments in this country, this breed has served for
many years as canine officers in its native France. The physical and
mental demands put onto a dog for police work training are enormous.
The "wash-out" rate is high, regardless of breed.
There is one major drawback for
Beaucerons in police work: they are a slow to mature breed. GSD's for
example, are mature at age 2; a Beauceron is still a teenager at this age
and does not reach maturity until approximately 3 1/2 years.
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Here I am with Janus and Maggie skijoring. |
The versatility of the breed allows it to
participate successfully in activities for which they were not breed
for. Their endurance, dense undercoat, and need for lots of
year-round excercise, make them a good candidate for skijoring and mushing. |
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