BEAUCERON Q&A
“OUR GOAL IS TO PROMOTE THAT BEAUCERONS ARE
INCREDIBLY MAJESTIC LOOKING DOG, OOZING IN BREED TYPE, WITH STOIC POISE AND OF GREAT PRESENCE, THAT CAN CALMLY GUARD YOUR FAMILY USING ITS JUDGEMENT AND HIGHLY INTELLIGENT BRAIN.”
on breed type and judges reward breed type. Very little, if any, emphasis is placed on dog structure. To say the least, not many breeders over there understand dog structure. When Eric immi- grated to the USA in 2018, it had been a bit of a culture shock for him. In the USA, in general, dogs are selected for and judged based on structure fi rst. Th e understanding of Beauceron breed type in the USA is not quite known yet. All this knowledge has allowed Eric to merge two broad visions of an ideal Beauceron, one based on breed type and one based on structure. Th is has allowed him to truly grow as a breeder and breed even better dogs. We are both very excited about the future of our breeding program now that we are located in the USA. PAMELA FROST My 1st love is Rottweilers which I have owned since 1974 and have bred fi ve litters between 1999 and 2018. I got into herding with my Rottweilers and have been lucky to put AKC, AHBA and ASCA herding championships on a num- ber of the Rottweilers that I have bred. Herding is what led me to the Beauceron. After all the years of herding with my Rott- weilers, I decided to try a “herding” breed and I fell in love with the Beauceron. My fi rst Beauceron was Luc du Chateau Rocher, born 2/15/2015, who I acquired from Karla Davis, well-known and respected Beau- ceron breeder. Luc is an awesome dog, fi nishing his AKC CH at 11 months old. He went on to earn is GCHS last year and made the trip to Westminster in 2019 as the #1 male Beauceron in the US. For 2018, Luc has also earned an HSAs in AKC herding. He has a natural tending style of herding. I did also acquire Magie Noire du Mont des Croisettes from French breeder, Agathe Leurs, in 2016. She is a GCH and also has earned an HSAs in AKC herding. Magie Noire also shows much talent at tending herding. Luc and Magie Noire have had two litters of puppies in 2018 and 2019. One male, Mordu, earned his AKC CH at ten months old. Th ese young dogs still have a lot of growing and training to go in order to assess the success of this pairing. I live in Southwest Washington state (about 45 minutes North of the Portland, Oregon airport). Outside of dogs? Surely you jest! I retired from life as a programmer and database manager about 20 years ago. Since then I spend my time on our 40 acre farm manag- ing Dorper sheep, Irish Dexter cattle, Nigerian Dwarf goats and various poultry. Th e farm and livestock were acquired for the dogs to facilitate herding training. Do I hope the breed’s popularity will change or am I comfort- able with the placement? I would be happy if the Beauceron does not become too popular. Unfortunately, being popular has proven to not be in the best interests of any breed of dog for a number of reasons. People (like myself) fi nd the Beauceron very attractive, but
sometimes they make you realize you feel certain emotions even before you know it yourself. Th e Beauceron is a “brain” breed, we cannot live without them. What special challenges do breeders face? Breeding Beaucerons or any other breed, we all do face the same challenges. As long as we have our dogs we have no challenges. What age do you start to see de fi nite signs of show-worthiness? We usually have a good indication around three to four weeks of age. Our sorting of show potential vs family pet gets fi rmed up until eight weeks of age. At eight weeks we sell everyone except the show potential ones. Most important thing about our breed for a new judge to keep in mind? We highly recommend all new, but also seasoned judges, to be participants at judges eduction seminars on Beaucerons. We are always available on behalf of the American Beauceron Club to present our seminar to any judges wanting to learn more about the breed. Eric being originally from France, his Beauceron experience is deep. A few highlights to keep in mind about the Beauceron breed standard: Head must be lupoid in type and chiseled, neck must be carried proudly when standing, chest should be deeper than 50% of the dog’s height, feet are compact and large with, of course, the double dewclaws in the back, the back is strong and straight, tail base carried not above backline. Finally, the Beauceron is a shep- herd: so it must have powerful e ffi cient movement! Please read the standard for more details on the breed standard. Th e best way to attract newcomers to our breed? Having bench shows or “Meet-the-Breed”, to showcase the best temperament dogs standing on a table for the public to see, admire and ask questions about the breed. Ultimate goal for our breed? Promote that Beaucerons are incredibly majestic looking dogs, oozing in breed type, with stoic poise and of great presence, that can calmly guard your family using its judgement and highly intelligent brain. Th is is what our dog Jaguar is for us (CHB Jaguar Noir des Monts du Lac). Wherever she is, all eyes are attracted to her beauty. She stoically stands and waits for people to admire her. However, if someone attacks one of us, she becomes another dog in fi ercely defending us. Our favorite dog show memory? We actually have a few. Th e kennel produced four World Winners, fi ve French Champions (in France only two champions are awarded every year per breed). Th e kennel also produced the fi rst Beauceron ever to win an AKC All- Breed BIS and the fi rst and only (until this year) Beauceron to win Herding Group 3rd at Westminster Kennel Club in 2013, and this year this highly prestigious performance got repeated by the niece of this dog, placing herself at the 3rd position of the Herding Group at Westminster! Anything else we’d like to share about our breed? In France, at All-Breed and especially Specialty Shows, Beaucerons are persis- tently selected for head and breed type only. Breeders select based
262 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2020
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