It might be the only breed we know of with a breed standard that calls for “griffonage,” and in our view, griffonage is what gives the Berger Picard its distinctive, tousled, and completely natural look. It refers to the bushy eyebrows, moderate beard and moustache, and a slight ruff on the front and sides of the neck, framing the head, all of moderate length. No doubt, it’s one of the aspects of the breed that made audiences fall in love with the breed in the movie,”Because of Winn Dixie,” (most of whom didn’t realize the dog was a purebred dog), but make no mistake: The Berger Picard is a serious herding breed from France where it performs its job by practicing a herding style known as “boundary” or “tending.”
Boundary herding was largely the result of dogs needing to keep sheep within an acceptable boundary, and not eating the crops, flowers, or vegetables out of someone’s allotment or garden. Most of the time, the only way a Picard knew what the boundaries were was from a narrow furrow of dirt, or a change of surface. In essence, the dog was a “living fence.”
Berger Picard by LA Shepard/thedoglover
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Lovely description
Thanks, Valerie – easy to do when the dog is a gorgeous as the one whose picture you’ve shared!
Beautiful dogs. We have been interested in them since we met our first one in France many years ago competing in obedience. It was a six month old puppy and was beautiful and obedient.
They are quite lovely, Juli, we agree!
Great little read!
Why thank you, Madison, and that’s a mighty beautiful dog you’ve got there!
Nice artwork! We love the griffonage! Picards are fun little quirky dogs.
Quirky, but utterly loveable.
Here’s my brindle boy, Sonny, in a photo much like your illustration! This breed makes you smile every single day. They’re not really “easy”, but once they have a hold on your heart, they have you forever! And yes, they are awesome herding dogs, tons of natural instinct that just needs to be channeled and worked into a partnership with their “shepherd”.
As owners of a herding breed, ourselves, we completely understand your having described yours as not an “easy” breed, but oh, are they worth the investment. They’re intelligent, discerning, and not likely to fawn. We love your picture, Liz – it does a lovely job of showing the joy in this breed.