Beauceron puppies

About the Beauceron

The Beauceron is a French farm dog from the plains outside Paris, used to move flocks and cattle by day and guard the property at night. They are large and powerfully built, 61 to 70cm and 31.8 to 49.9kg, with a short black and tan double coat and the double rear dewclaws the breed standard still requires. The character is confident and watchful, deeply attached to their own household, naturally reserved with strangers, and slow to mature, so they stay adolescent long after they have reached adult size.

As a herding and protection breed, a Beauceron needs a job, daily physical work and firm, fair handling from the day they arrive. Socialisation matters more here than in most breeds, because a Beauceron that has met little will suspect everything. The short coat is straightforward, a weekly brush with more during the moult. They are rated mid scale with children and other pets, so supervision is the rule rather than an extra. Enjoy the calm, biddable puppy, but do not expect them to grow into a soft adult.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Beauceron puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a very high energy breed. The mistake owners make is trying to tire them out physically. Training, scentwork and puzzles will do more than distance ever will. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Hip dysplasia, screened by hip evaluation and x-ray of breeding stock
• Bloat and gastric torsion, a surgical emergency in deep chested dogs, so owners should learn the signs
• Dilated cardiomyopathy, screened by a cardiac exam and echocardiogram
• Progressive retinal atrophy, picked up by an ophthalmologist evaluation

Your Beauceron puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Beauceron.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 31.8 to 49.9 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 48 inch (48 x 30 x 32 in, 122 x 76 x 81 cm) for an adult of up to 49.9 kg; chew toys made for large breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Do slow feeder bowls work? Choosing one for a puppy that gulps
• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other large breeds

More on the Beauceron

Previous: Bearded Collie · Next: Bedlington Terrier

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Beauceron breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/beauceron/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: KekeK9, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.