General Appearance:
A dog of rugged appearance; supple, muscular and well proportioned.
Head and Skull:
The skull slightly rounded and a little longer from occiput to stop than
it is wide when measured through the points of the cheekbones. Emphasis
should be placed on the fact that the head is composed of two equal
rectangles, occiput to stop and stop to end of nose, when viewed in
profile and from above. The muzzle square and very strong, any tendency
to snipiness being severely penalised. The nose large and square and
always black no matter what the colour of the dog. The head should carry
hair forming a moustache, beard and eyebrows lightly veiling the eyes.
Mouth:
The teeth very strong, white and with a perfect regular and complete
scissor bite, ie. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and
set square to the jaws. Lips black, no matter what colour the dog.
Eyes:
Horizontally placed, well open and rather large, not oblique. Intelligent
and gentle in expression. Dark brown, eye-rims always black, no matter
what colour the dog.
Ears:
Set on high. The ears covered with long hair, should not lie too flat
against the side of the head. They should be fairly short, the length of
the ear being equal to, or slightly less than, half the length of the
head. When the dog is alerted, the ears should be lifted slightly and
swing very slightly forward.
Neck:
Of good length, strong and muscular, arched to give proud carriage of the
head and flowing smoothly into well-placed shoulders.
Forequarters:
Shoulders well angulated and well laid back; forelegs well muscled and
with strong bone.
Body:
The back firm and level, chest broad and well let down, there should be a
very slight slope at the croup, which determines the set of the tail. The
Briard should be very slightly longer in the body than he is high at the
shoulders.
Hindquarters:
Well angulated with hocks set not too low and turning neither in nor out,
but the leg below the hock not quite vertical. Hindlegs, particularly the
thighs, well muscled. Double dewclaws set low on the hindlegs of the
utmost importance.
Feet:
Strong, turning neither in nor out, about midway between a cat's foot and
a hare-foot. Nails always black. Pads firm and hard and toes close
together.
Gait:
Effortless and, when the dog extends himself, covers a great deal of
ground. Extremely supple enabling the dog to turn quickly. The gait
strong, firm, very smooth with plenty of drive.
Coat:
Long (not less than 7cm [3 in]) on the body. Slightly wavy and very dry. A
fine dense undercoat is required all over the body.
Tail:
Long, well covered with hair and with an upward hook at the tip. Carried
low but held neither to one side nor the other. The bone of the tail
should reach at least to the point of the hock.
Colour:
All black, or with white hairs scattered through the black coat. Fawn in
all its shades, but the darker colours preferred. Fawns may have dark
shadings on the ears, muzzle, back and tail, but these shadings must blend
gradually into the rest of the coat, since any demarkation line denotes a
bi-colour which is unacceptable. Briards may also be slate grey.
Size:
Dogs 61-69 cm at withers. (24-27 in)
Bitches 58-64 cm at withers. (23-25.5 in)
Slight undersize is not to be considered a fault in an animal under 18
months of age. A well balanced animal should never be penalised for being
slightly over the maximum size.
Faults:
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and
the seriousness with which the fault is regarded should be in exact
proportion to its degree.
Note: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.