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Pyrenean Sheepdog

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The Pyrenean Sheepdog , the Chien de Berger des Pyrénées in French , is a small to medium-sized breed of herding dog from the Pyrenees Mountains region of France . It is found herding flocks of sheep throughout the Pyrenees alongside the much larger Pyrenean Mountain Dog which is kept as a flock guardian .

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16-587: The Pyrenean Sheepdog is found in three coat types, the long-haired and goat-haired (together called the Chien de Berger des Pyrénées À Poil Long ) as well as the smooth-faced (called the Chien de Berger des Pyrénées À Face Rase ); the latter is recognised as a separate breed from the former two by the Société Centrale Canine . The Pyrenean Sheepdog is found along the entire length of the French Pyrenees and

32-775: Is even known in Basque Country to the west. The breed is one of a number of similar rough-coated sheep herding- type breeds found throughout Europe including the Briard and Berger Picard from France, the Barbado da Terceira and Cao da Serra de Aires from the Azores and Portugal, the Polish Lowland Sheepdog from Poland, the Gos d'atura from Catalonia, the Pastore Fonnese from Sardinia,

48-459: Is generally a dog or breed of dogs historically used in connection with the raising of sheep . These include livestock guardian dogs used to guard sheep and other livestock and herding dogs used to move, manage and control sheep and other livestock. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale has grouped Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs ) in Group 1. This dog-related article

64-678: Is still used as a herding dog in the Pyrenees region, in France the breed is sometimes called the Labrit or Labri or the Berger des Pyrénées, it is often referred to as the Petit Berger which means Little Shepherd. The Pyrenean Sheepdog is a small to medium-sized breed (it is the smallest French herding breed) that resembles as small Berger Picard ; they usually stand between 38 and 56 centimetres (15 and 22 in);

80-462: Is typical of smaller herding dogs; the varieties are anatomically almost identical, although the smooth-faced variety is described as being slightly shorter in the body and having more compact feet. The breed is considered very hardy and its build gives it impressive stamina, particularly so given the altitudes it works in, it easily covers over 32 kilometres (20 mi) in a day. The Pyrenean Sheepdog's coat can be medium (known as goat-haired) or long,

96-633: The Bearded Collie , Border Collie , Rough Collie and extinct Welsh Hillman from Britain, the Schafpudel from Germany, and the Schapendoes from Holland, as well as the Armant from Egypt (descended from French Briards). A number of scholars believe it is possible the ancestors of these herding-type dogs were introduced to Europe during Indo-European migrations over 4,000 years ago, and they spread throughout

112-683: The Fédération cynologique internationale , where it was one of the original five founding member organizations in 1911. The SCC was founded in 1881, to sponsor dog shows in France as The Kennel Club was doing in England. In 1885, the Book of French Origin ( Livre des origines français , L.O.F.) for the preservation of native dog breeds was begun through the SCC. In 1957, the French Ministry of Agriculture recognised

128-518: The L.O.F. may be either open or closed, and there is a mechanism for recognising dogs with unregistered parents, by visual inspection. After three generations (number of generations set by law) the descendants are registered without additional separate inspections. The SCC has a President with four vice-presidents, a secretary-general and adjunct, and a treasurer and adjunct. There is a 26 member committee, made up of representatives from regional kennel clubs, breed clubs, and dog activity clubs. Reporting to

144-455: The L.O.F. with other animal records, and it became the official French listing for purebred dogs. Today, all purebred dogs are listed in this register, subject to checking and restrictions. The parent dogs must be certified for breeding, and the puppy certified by inspection of an SCC judge between 10 and 15 months of age. French legal code allows only L.O.F. certified and registered dogs to be sold as purebred. Stud books for specific breeds within

160-543: The breed is rather wary of strangers although the smooth-faced variety is said to be less so. Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9 Centrale Canine The Société centrale canine (English: Central Canine Society ), officially the Société Centrale Canine pour l'Amélioration des Races de Chiens en France and abbreviated SCC , is a French kennel club founded in 1881. It is made up of regional clubs and breed clubs, and coordinates and regulates activities and connections between governmental groups and dog clubs, as well as activities through

176-405: The breed standards state the long-haired dogs are 40 to 50 centimetres (16 to 20 in) and bitches 38 to 48 centimetres (15 to 19 in) whilst smooth-faced dogs are 40 to 54 centimetres (16 to 21 in) and bitches 40–52 centimetres (16–20 in). The breed weighs between 8 and 15 kilograms (18 and 33 lb). The breed has a lean, athletic build which gives them both speed and endurance as

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192-486: The chest and limbs. Traditionally the Pyrenean Sheepdog's ears and tail were docked although this custom is no longer common due to the procedures being restricted/ banned in numerous countries. The Pyrenean Sheepdog is an extremely active breed, sometimes described as a 'ball of fire', it is very intelligent and quick-witted, mischievous, has quick reactions and abundant nervous energy; like many breeds of sheepdogs

208-516: The committee is a general assembly from all of the regional and specialty clubs, with one member for every 50 to 300 members of the club being represented. In addition, there are commissions for education, scientific research, judges' training and the L.O.F., shows, and many other topics of interest to dog fanciers. Société centrale canine dog show titles and terms used in French dog shows: Official website Sheepdog A sheep dog or sheepdog

224-482: The continent evolving through selective breeding into the regional breeds with certain physical characteristics to suit the demands or preferences of the region. Traditionally the Pyrenean Sheepdog is one of two breeds maintained by shepherds in the Pyrenees, the larger Pyrenean Mountain Dog was used as a flock guardian , protecting flocks from depredation from local predators (in particular wolves ), as well as from thieves;

240-486: The long-haired varieties have longer hair on the face whilst the smooth-faced variety has much shorter hair on its face. The breed's coat provides excellent protection from extreme weather, particularly the long-haired variety, the variations seen in the breed's coats is an indication that the breed is primarily bred for working ability and not appearance. The breed can be fawn, grey, blue, brindle or black in colour which can be overlaid with black and also can have some white on

256-449: The smaller Pyrenean Sheepdog was used to herd the flocks, an important function over the summer months when the flocks are grazed on mountain pastures. The Pyrenean Sheepdog was first recognised by the Société Centrale Canine in 1926; today they recognise it as two breeds, the first the long-haired or Chien de Berger des Pyrénées À Poil Long and the second the smooth-faced or Chien de Berger des Pyrénées À Face Rase. The Pyrenean Sheepdog

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