The Picardy Shepherd is a little known dog. Between two world wars and many vicissitudes to have it officially recognized as a breed, it owes its survival to a handful of breeders, lovers of this endearing and discreet dog.
This is the story of an unknown breed of dog. Even in the region where he was born. This is the story of a confidential and discreet breed which only has a little over 200 births per year. A breed of dog that almost disappeared after each of the two world wars, victim of the deprivations inherent in armed conflicts. But not only…
The Picard shepherd, because it is about him in question, is however the first identified sheepdog in the history of France. It is even probably the oldest known sheepdog: in many paintings and engravings from the Middle Ages, we find the representation of a canine which looks very much like it. His ancestors are said to be dogs brought by the Celts during their invasions of northern France around the 9th century. But it will however be necessary to wait until 1925 so that the Picardy shepherd is officially recognized as a clean canine breed.
The cradle of this breed is located in the north of the Somme. But it is present in all the current Hauts-de-France and even in Belgium. “Sometimes, the Picard shepherd kept the herds of cows but especially those of sheep and goats, says Louisette Beauvisage, breeder of Picardy shepherds in Conty. Some still do it today.“ At the national sheepfold in Rambouillet, there is a 19th century painting of a shepherd accompanied by a dog which in many ways resembles the Picard shepherd of today.
Because in the 19th century, this dog was fashionable. A little. Not too. But enough for us to find mention of it in the canine press of the time and enthusiasts struggled to have it recognized as a breed. Selections of the most representative individuals have even already been made. In 1863, the first Picardy shepherds were presented at the dog show organized as part of the Universal Exhibition in Paris. “They were presented with Beaucerons and Briard shepherds“, explains Alain Grange, president of the Berger Picard friends club located in the Dordogne. “When we talk about Beaucerons, we say cousins! Before, the Picard Shepherd looked a lot like the Beauceronexplains Louisette Beauvisage. He had the same size, the same black and tan colors. And that’s why there are black Picardy shepherds“.
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Black, tan and white, it is the dress of the Picard shepherd that Jean-Pierre Mégnin, veterinarian and precursor of cynology, mentions in volume 4 The dog and its breeds in 1898: “In our conference on sheepdogs published in 1893 in the Revue des sciences naturelles appliqués, (…) we were right to use the expression at least 4 breeds of sheepdogs. Because we have since acquired proof that we still have at least two more races: a Picardy race and an Ardennes race.And to describe the dog in question:
This recognition by Jean-Pierre Mégnin of the existence of specific characteristics of the Picardy Shepherd encourages owners to present their dogs in dog shows. Thus, in 1899, the dog show in Amiens saw about fifteen registered. But the president of the sheepdog club who judges the competition refuses to let the Picardy shepherds compete.
The war of 14-18 will undermine the population of Picardy shepherds: the breed is becoming rare under the effects of food shortages caused by the conflict. Before you feed the dogs, you have to feed the men. Sheepdogs are also used as military auxiliaries. The Picardy Shepherd is no exception: responsible for signaling the presence of the enemy by growling, they also serve as liaison dogs and carry orders from trench to trench between the front line and command posts. In 1915, in a written and photo report published in the newspaper The torchTurco and his mistress Lily Claude, all dressed in the emblem of the Red Cross, will show the French how a Picard shepherd finds wounded soldiers in a forest.
Patrol dogs, attack dogs or draft dogs, many Picardy shepherds died under the bombardments and grapeshot. Others will be purely and simply eliminated by the enemy so as not to compete with Germanic canine breeds such as the German Shepherd. The German shepherd whose breed will be partly reconstituted with the most beautiful specimens of Picardy shepherds, requisitioned by the Germans as mentioned in this newspaper article The Breeder“illustrated journal of applied biology, acclimatization hunting and medicine compared to useful animals” :
The population of Picardy shepherds emerged bloodless from the Great War. But there are still enough individuals to restart the lines. At the Lille dog show, “in 1920, the first standards of the Picardy Shepherd were developed by Paul Mégnin who was a breeder and competition judge [le fils de Jean-Pierre Mégnin, ndlr]explains Alain Grange. In 1925, the Berger Picard breed was officially recognized“ by the Société centrale canine and the all-powerful French Dog Club. But even if several breedings are born after this official recognition, the Picardy shepherd remains a confidential dog, confined to his patronymic region.
Comes the Second World War and a new dark period for these dogs: food restrictions will get the better of most Picardy shepherds in northern France, but not only. “They were used by the Resistance, explains Louisette Beauvisage. The Resistance sent them messages or material. Sometimes the Picardy shepherds smuggled weapons and even explosives. And then again, the Germans only wanted to keep their dog breeds. They did with beasts what they did with men“.
“After the Second World War, there were very few Picard shepherds left. No more than a dozen in France. Dogs that farmers had hidden so they wouldn’t be shot by enemy soldiers“, confirms Alain Grange. The Picardy Shepherd is once again on the verge of extinction. To restart the race, it is necessary to multiply the births.
But the lack of dogs is a problem. “There was a lot of inbreeding. So we started to cross the Picardy shepherds who remained with Bouviers des Flandres, says Louisette Beauvisage. It gave the current race“. The standard of the Picard shepherd changes then. Especially in the color of the coats: in 1930, the recognized colors were black, gray, fawn and a few white spots. Post-war dogs are now lighter: beige appears and fawn dominates.
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“The first litter of Picard shepherds registered in the French Stud Book (LOF) was born on April 15, 1953comments Alain Grange. And in 1964, a new breed standard was defined and recognized by the Central Canine Society.“. The official existence of the Berger Picard asserts itself a little more with the creation in 1955 of the Club des Amis du Berger Picard (club which will be recognized by the SCC in 1959 and definitively affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture in 1974) by Robert Montenot , recognized canine enthusiast. A club that still exists today.
One might think the career of the Picard shepherd launched. But no. The breed remains discreet and little known. “He is a rustic dog. His gruff appearance and his reputation of yesteryear also perhaps does not help the Picard shepherd, confess Alain Grange. Before, they were not easy dogs. They were farm dogs, with a lot of character. Not evil but with a big character. I knew a breeder who supplied the French army with dogs for all kinds of use because they are versatile dogs. But they are not aggressive dogs. They’re just wary of strangers“.
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For Louisette Beauvisage, it is the physique of the Picard shepherd that makes potential owners doubt: “in people’s minds, a puppy is a big ball of hair. And the Berger Picard puppy is not that at all! He has a dry coat but not too much! He does not yet know how to hold his ears straight. He looks a little wonky! When I have babies, people who come to see them ask me if I’m sure they’re not bastards! Or they tell me that the puppies look like the tramp from Lady and the Tramp!“
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An injustice in short for a dog very appreciated by those who let themselves be tempted. “It is not an exuberant breed. The Picardy Shepherd hardly barks. He does not bite and is very good with children. He is also very attached to his masters.“, concludes the breeder. And if he is little known in France, the Picardy shepherd has nevertheless traveled a lot: from Picardy, his region of origin, he has been able to export himself all over the world. We find this worthy representative of Picardy in Poland, Canada or Brazil!
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