Breed Priorities – Berger Picard
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By Nikki Riggsbee
While the Berger Picard began competing in AKC’s herding group in July, 2015, it is one of the oldest of the French sheepdogs, tracing back perhaps over 2,000 years. It is related to other breeds from the area, including the Briard and Beauceron whose tails also end in a “J” hook, and possibly also to the Bouvier des Flandres and Belgian Laekenois. The World Wars were hard on northern France, and the Picard nearly died out. It was rebuilt after WWII using the most typical dogs that could be found.
Some Berger Picards were imported into the United States in the last third of the twentieth century. It took a movie to bring the breed to the notice of the general public–Because of Winn-Dixie–in 2005. The parent club was formed after that movie, and the founding members successfully followed AKC’s instructions on achieving breed recognition.
Unlike some other newly recognized breeds, the Picard seems to have enough interest and popularity to have entries at many shows and enough quality to successfully compete. Still, there are not as many breed experts as there are in many long-established AKC breeds. We began with the parent club mentors and added those we could find with substantial breed experience to invite to participate in a survey on their breed for this article. We found twenty-one. Fourteen agreed to participate, and nine surveys were returned. Those who completed surveys have been in the breed more than eleven-and-one-half years on average.
Berger Picard Virtues
The experts prioritized a list of Picard characteristics called for by their breed standard. The list of virtues below is in order by the average ranks, with one being the most important.
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