The Hallmarks of the Breed

The Hallmarks of the Breed

by Donavon Thompson

You hear people talk about the Hallmarks of their Breed, especially in the
judging community. What do judges look for in a good exhibit – what are
those things that put the dog in the top group for selection? During my
seminars I like to talk about the Hallmarks of breeds, these things should
be the very items each of us as breeders, exhibitors or pet owners should
know. You will also hear Briarders talk about “Breed Type”. Breed type
is the combination of all the qualities of a Briard (or any breed) that make
the dog unmistakedly BRIARD! Breed type is derived from the presence
of the Hallmarks of the breed, and also encompass balance, soundness,
movement and temperament.

To me, a Hallmark of any breed, is your ability seeing only a single feature,
to identify the breed. For example the Afghan Hound tail – if you saw a
photo of just the tail, it can be no other breed. The same is true for Briards –
a good “J” tail can be no other breed. If you saw a silhouette of a German
Shepherd in the flying trot, it can be no other breed than a GSD. The head
of a good Collie cannot be any other breed than a collie! The cording on a
Puli, the foxlike face of a Pembroke Welsh-Corgi, the Bouvier Head, and
so on.

The Briard possesses several “Hallmarks”

The Tail:

The standard reads “Tail – uncut, well feathered, forming a crook
at the extremity, carried low and not deviating to the right or to the left.
In repose, the bone of the tail descends to the joint of the hock, terminating
in the crook, similar in shape to the printed “J” when viewed from the dog’s
right side. In action, the tail is raised in a harmonious curve, never going
above the level of the back, except for the terminal crook. Disqualification –
tail non-existent or cut.”

The tail of the Briard is unique, while the Beauceron may share the shape, it does
not have the feathering called for in the Briard standard. I see many tails that
have no crook, are too short, and carried high over the back – all of these
things don’t “measure up” when we are looking at hallmarks of the breed.

The Dewclaws:

AKC standard: “Dewclaws – two dewclaws are required on each rear leg,
placed low on the leg, giving a wide base to the foot.”

While other breeds do require double dewclaws – the Great Pyrenees, the Beauceron –
no other breed has the mix of coat that is unique to the Briard. There are as many
stories as to why we have dewclaws as there are days of the week, however, the
French Shepherds who developed this breed, believed that it needed dewclaws to
be a Briard and consequently they are a hallmark of the breed.

The Head:

I hear so many people claim that the Briard is not a head breed. Usually you hear
that coming from someone whose Briard is a little lacking in head. About 20 to 25%
of our standard is dedicated to the head! Spending this much time on this unique head
demonstrates how important it is. The AKC Stand on the head begins with –

“the head of a Briard always gives the impression of length, having sufficient
width without being cumbersome. The correct length of a good head measured
from the occiput to the tip of the nose, is about forty (40%) per cent of the
height of the dog at the withers.”

This is very specific – “about” doesn’t mean 30% and above, it means that the ideal is
about 40% of the height of the dog at the withers and the standard also continues to
state “There is no objection to a slightly long head, especially if the animal tends to have
a longer body line.” This is a long head and without it the specimen deviates from the
standard. Measure your dogs head in relationship to its height and find out if you need
improvement in length and width.

The head of the Briard is described in find detail in the standard covering Expression,
Eye shape and placement, Ears, Skull, Muzzle, Nose, Planes, Teeth, Lips – 2 out of 8
disqualifications on the Briard are related to the head: “Yellow or spotted eyes, and nose
any other color than black.” The standard creates a picture with words to describe the
overall head:

“Viewed from above, from the front or in profile, the fully-coated silhouette gives
the impression of two rectangular forms, equal in length but differing in height
and width, blending together rather abruptly. The larger rectangle is the skull
and the other forms the muzzle. The head joins the neck in a right angle and is
held proudly alert. The head is sculptured in clean lines, without jowls or excess
flesh on the sides, or under the eyes or temples.”

The Coat:

What a beautiful hallmark – a magnificent Briard Coast is unmistakedly Briard! Here,
the Standard mentions something that few in the Briard remember. We are so
consumed by ring preparation and hair dryers that one of the unique characteristics
of the Briard is all but invisible. The standard reads:

“The outer coat is coarse, hard and dry (making a dry rasping sound between
the fingers). It lies down flat, falling naturally in long, slightly wavy locks,
having the sheen of good health….”

It is beautiful to behold the “slightly wavy” coat – it is rarely seen in the ring, which
I hope to believe is grooming or heat from the dryer – but nevertheless it is a
Hallmark of the Breed!

I must caution that there are other things that are essential to the Briard, certainly
he must be able to move to do his intended works (his “quicksilver movement is
surely another hallmark of the Briard), overall balance and shape are essential
to the Briard, but these hallmarks take a good dog to a place of being a great
example of the breed.

The Briard Standard lists 8 disqualifications and one penalization. The disqualifications are:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

All dogs or bitches under the minimum size limits.
Yellow eyes or spotted eyes
Nose any color other than black
Tail non-existent or cut
Less than two dewclaws on each rear leg
White Coat
Spotted Coat
White spot on chest exceeding one inch in diameter

The only specific penalization contained in the standard:

“Dogs with clumsy or inelegant gait must be penalized”

While this article is about the Briard, with very little effort you can apply this to any breed –
all are unique and all have “Hallmarks”!