Most of our breeds have happy natures. The Cocker Spaniel is “merry,” the Icelandic Sheepdog, Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen and Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen are happy, the Irish Setter is rollicking, the Berger Picard is spirited (and the Entlebucher Mountain Dog is high spirited), the Dogo Argentino and Cesky Terrier are cheerful, the Lakeland Terrier is gay, while the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is very gay. These are all descriptives that appear in their AKC breed standards.
Only one breed, however, is “joyful,” and it’s not yet fully recognized by the AKC. This will change when the Barbet takes its place among the family of AKC accepted breeds on January 1, 2020. It is the only breed whose AKC standard includes the word, “joyful.”
Having lived with half a dozen Barbet of all ages and both genders in close quarters for days, we can attest to the breed’s kind nature, even temperament, and indeed, “joyfulness,” but all bets are off when it comes to the field and especially water. Originally used to search, locate, and flush out waterfowl hiding in water vegetation, the Barbet was also called upon to retrieve the game (or, back in the day, the stray arrow) shot by his master. Very resistant to cold, the Barbet will go into water even if it’s frigid. This is one reason why some believe the breed’s genes were introduced into the development of other water dog breeds, including, quite possibly, the American Water Spaniel, Poodle, and Portuguese Water Dog.
Image at the top: “Fiona,” a four year old Barbet by Stacy Able Photography
Center image is two year old “Astrid” shared by Barb Lentz Gresham
How fascinating. I love that you are able to search standards for common terms. Both my breeds, Norwich Terriers and Tibetan Spaniels, are described in their standards as “gay.”