The Briard is a large breed of dog, one of many herding breeds.
The Briard has been known for some centuries. Charlemagne, Napoleon, Thomas Jefferson, Lafayette all owned Briards.
This ancient sheep guard and herder has also been used by the French Army as a sentry, messenger, and to search for wounded soldiers because of its fine sense of hearing. They were used in the First World War to the point of extinction.
It became popular only after the Paris dog show of 1863 - in large part due to the improvement of the dog's looks achieved by crosses with the Beauceron and the Barbet. The Briard is named either for Aubry of Montdidier, a man who was supposed to have owned an early Briard, or for the French province of Brie, although the dog probably does not originate in that locale.
The Briard still serves as a herder and flock guardian today, as well as an esteemed companion dog. Some of the Briards talents are search & rescue, police work, military work, herding, watchdogging and guarding.
Currently the Population of Briards are slowly recovering. Experts state they are related to the Berger Picard.
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If you can't find a local breeder in your area don't worry, many breeders are using the major airlines like American, Delta, Continental and Northwest airlines for shipping their puppies.
At this time the airlines will ship puppies to the following States: Alabama AL - Alaska AK - Arizona AZ - Arkansas AR - California CA - Colorado CO - Connecticut CT - Delaware DE - Florida FL - Georgia GA - Hawaii HI - Idaho ID - Illinois IL - Indiana IN - Iowa IA - Kansas KS - Kentucky KY - Louisiana LA - Maine ME - Maryland MD - Massachusetts MA - Michigan MI - Minnesota MN - Mississippi MS - Missouri MO - Montana MT - Nebraska NE - Nevada NV - New Hampshire NH - New Jersey NJ - New Mexico NM - New York NY - North Carolina NC - North Dakota ND - Ohio OH - Oklahoma OK - Oregon OR - Pennsylvania PA - Rhode Island RI - South Carolina SC - South Dakota SD - Tennessee TN - Texas TX - Utah UT - Vermont VT - Virginia VA - Washington WA - Washington, D.C. - West Virginia WV - Wisconsin WI - Wyoming WY - Hawaii HI.