Breeds / Large
Beauceron puppies
A large French herding and guarding breed, confident, watchful and closely bonded to its own household. It matures slowly, needs a job and consistent handling, and is naturally reserved with strangers.
The facts
- Size class Large
- Country of origin France
- Adult weight 31.8 to 49.9 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 70 to 110 lb
- Adult height 61 to 70 cm
- Energy level Not published
- Grooming Not published
- Coat type Short smooth and double
- Typical lifespan 10 to 12 years
- Good with children Fine with supervision
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
- akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
- fci.be for country of origin
No published figure for energy level and grooming, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.
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. It is 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 its standard still requires. The character is confident and watchful, deeply attached to its own household, naturally reserved with strangers, and slow to mature, so it stays adolescent long after it has reached adult size.
This is a herding and protection breed that needs a job, daily physical work and firm, fair handling from the day it arrives. 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. It is rated mid scale with children and other pets, so supervision is the rule rather than an extra. The usual error is mistaking a calm, biddable puppy for 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. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its 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
From Beauceron breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/beauceron/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
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.
Other large breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.