A Briard has been called "a heart wrapped in fur", and he certainly will give back the love and affection you give to him '100 fold'. He is extremely loyal and trusting of his owner. You are never alone when you own a Briard - literally. 'He will follow you everywhere - even to the loo!'

The Briard has a long coat, and a lot of coat means regular grooming. But the advantages are that he does not have a regular moult like a lot of other breeds. The dead hair should be brushed out in a grooming session.

He is a fantastic family dog. Full of fun and with a great sense of humour. I like to think of them as clowns, because even if you have had a bad day, he will roll over into a position you have no option but to laugh at, truely a wonderful friend. But any dog is what you make of him, and with a Briard, who is intelligent, easy to train and quick to learn, you really reap the benefits of your labours. They are good at obedience and love agility, they enjoy being shown and love to show themselves off in the ring although they are cheeky and realise they are able to get away with things when there are others watching him perform, (a good one is biting the handlers bottom), well I did say cheeky! The Breed Standard published by the Kennel Club calls the Briard 'Gay and Lively'. Oh yes and don't we know it.!! As he was supposed to tend the sheep without human help, for weeks at a time, he is a very intelligent dog, using his own brain to make his own decisions. This can make him stubborn at times, as he may think he knows best - and sometimes he does! A Briard puppy therefore, needs to be trained from the day he arrives into your home.

The Briard is a sheepdog breed. He was bred to drive sheep rather than herd them up like a Collie. Therefore he is a dog who should be able to work all day. He was bred to guard the sheep too, against wolves, so the Briard today can still sometimes have a strong guarding instinct. That is not to say he is particularly aggressive, but will certainly let you know if a stranger is approaching your (and his) home. He needs huge amounts of socialisation both with humans and other dogs as soon as you get him home as a puppy, this can not be stressed enough....!

Although his breed history can make him wary of strangers, he will never forget anyone once he has met them. Consistency with firmness and kindness is the key, you must give him rules if there are no rules in place the briard is likely to take charge and make up his own rules. A trained dog is a happy dog and a happy dog is a delight to live with and take out.

Be warned - some briards do not grow up until they are 9 or 10! You do not need to have a big garden with a briard, he is unlikely to exercise himself! Although he loves being outdoors, being alone is not what he enjoys and he will wait for you by the back door, either to join him in play or return indoors with you.

He does not need 15 mile hikes every day either. A Briard will do as much or as little exercise as you choose. The main thing is that he is with you. If you run or walk miles every day your Briard will enjoy accompanying you. If not, he won't mind, as long as he is by your side.

The Briard is not a breed for everyone, but if he is for you, he is for life - literally. Yours and his! Once you have had a Briard if you are anything like me, then no other breed will do. - I hope you enjoy your briards as much as I enjoy mine....