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LargeHerding Group

Briard

The Briard is an ancient French herding breed documented since the 8th century, traditionally paired with the companion Beauceron for shepherd work.

Calculate Briard age
Lifespan12.6 yrrange 11–14
SizeLargeHerding Group
Weight55–100 lb24.9–45.4 kg
Senior at6 yrgeriatric at 10

Gallery (3)

About

About the Briard

The Briard is an ancient French herding breed documented since the 8th century, traditionally paired with the companion Beauceron for shepherd work. The long coarse outer coat and beard-like muzzle furnishings protected against weather and predators.

Aging

How Briards age

RVC VetCompass places median lifespan at 12.6 years (n=277). Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) is the breed-defining inherited visual defect; hip dysplasia and gastric dilatation-volvulus track at typical large-herding-breed rates.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 12.6 yr · range 11–14Senior careSenior at 6 · geriatric at 10Common health issues5 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
55–100 lb(24.9–45.4 kg)
Height
22–27 in(55.9–68.6 cm)
Coat type
Long
Colors
BlackTawnyGrayBlack & GrayBlack & TawnyWhiteTawny & Gray
Temperament

Temperament

How Briards tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

loyalconfidentsmartindependent
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Elbow Dysplasia

    Description and veterinary guidance for Elbow Dysplasia land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~1 yr

    Congenital Cardiac Defect

    Description and veterinary guidance for Congenital Cardiac Defect land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
45min
per day

Briards are satisfied by around 45 minutes of daily activity (energy level 3/5). Short, regular outings beat one long session.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.