AKA: Pyrenean Shepherd, Petit Berger, Labrit, Pyrenees Sheepdog, Pyr Shep

Description: The Pyrenean Shepherd, as the Berges des Pyrenees is also called, is a medium-sized dog with its head a smaller proportion of its whole body. It has a flat skull and a short triangular muzzle. It has an expressive face and intelligent dark eyes. The ears are generally cropped. Others prefer them semi-prick or rose ears. Naturally prick ears are considered incorrect for the breed.

The Pyrenean Shepherd has a long and lean body. The legs are well-proportioned, and the hocks well-angulated. The tale can either be docked or left to be naturally long with a crook in the end.

This breed has two varieties of coats. The smooth-faced, or demi-long, has short hairs on the muzzle and a ruff around the face and neck. There is feathering along the legs, tail, and belly. The rough-faced, or long-haired, consists of longer and shaggy hair on the muzzle and face. Semilong or long hair is distributed over the rest of the body. It can also have cords over his hind quarters and front legs.

Dynamics: Bred as a sheepdog, the Pyrenean Shepherd is an energetic and athletic dog. It is a hardworking breed that is loyal and dedicated to its owners. It is also watchful and observant, sensing every mood and seeming to know what’s on its owner’s mind. It is easy to train and socialization is needed to avoid excessive shyness or aggressiveness in the breed.

Breed Group: Herding

Weight: 15-32 lbs (7-15 kg)

Height: males 15 ½-22 inches (39-56 cm), females 15-20 inches (38-51 cm)

Color: The Pyrenean Shepherd comes in shades of fawn (can have a black mask or overlay), brindles and shades of grey, and sometimes rare are merles and black coated Pyrenean Shepherds.

Country of Origin: The Pyrenean Shepherd originated in France, native to the Pyrenees mountains. It is bred mostly for herding but also used as couriers, search and rescue dogs, watch dogs, and company mascots.

Activities: The Pyrenean Shepherd is famous for its herding abilities, and has been so since medieval times. It is now also used as a search and rescue dog, a guard dog, watch dog, and as a companion dog.

Grooming: It may have a shaggy coat and a rough appearance but the Pyrenean Shepherd only needs to be brushed once a week. Regular checks for knots is needed, though, to keep the coat in show condition.

AKA: Akbas, Akbaş Çoban Köpeği

Description: The Akbash Dog is considered as the oldest of the flock-guarding group. They are match to the French Great Pyrenees, the Hungarian Kuvasz, the Italian Maremma and other white sheep guarding breeds. Akbash Dogs are large, thin, and strong that has an attractive appearance. They are proud dogs with medium or long white fur. As a guardian dog, they are designated to protect the sheep. Akbash dogs are calm, quiet and brave. They deserve the respect in training. They could be a guard dog too to its owner also, affectionate to their family. They should undergo socialization training to teach them to reach out to others and to strangers, this dog is a good guardian and watchdog.  The Akbash requires a strong and experienced owner.

Temperament: Akbash Dogs are very calm, quiet, independent, protective, brave, and loving. They will be aggressive toward strangers and some strange animals if not properly socialized and trained. Akbash Dogs are constant and peaceful, but watchful at the same time. With owners they are friendly. They are very loyal dogs. They are also very intelligent, independent. They are very protective, a good watch dog and has the attitude of being self-focused so, they may disobey if they think their choice is best for them.

Activity: They are a very athletic dog that requires a long daily walk, and lot of space to run around.

Grooming: They need good grooming. Their hair should be brushed a many times each week to avoid tangles. The hair of a Afghan Collie should be parted along the back and their ears should always be clean.

Health Problems: Health problems they would encounter are: Hip dysplasia, OCD, cardiomyopathy, hip dysplasia, entropion, hypothyroidism, seizures, and umbilical hernias. Their life span is about 10-11 years.

Breed Group: Flock Guard
Color: Coat color is white all over. It is light biscuit on the ears or on the ridge line. Coloration in the undercoat is acceptable.
Height: 28-32 inches (71-81 cm.)
Weight: 90-130 pounds (41-59 kg.)
Country Of Origin: Turkey

Dynamics: Very intelligent, loyal, protective, confident, courageous and highly territorial.

AKA: Berger Picard, Picardy Shepherd, Bacardi Shepherd, Berger de Pacardie

Description: The Berger Picard is a medium-sized dog with a tousled appearance. The ears are set high on the head and erect and the eyes are dark almond shapes. The eyebrows are thick but do not entirely cover the eyes. The Berger Picard is a breed known for its smile. It also has a tail that reaches to the hock and forms a J-curve at the tip.

Dynamics: The Berger Pacardi has a lively and assertive personality. It is sensitive and intelligent and can be easily trained. This is an energetic and hardworking breed, and is content having to work. It gets along well with children, too! It is naturally protective of its family.

The Berger Picard needs lots of human companionship. It has an intelligent sens of humor and disposition that will make it easy on the family to love it. It can be very reserved with strangers, though. Socialization at an early age is important for the dog to get along well with other animals.

Breed Group: Herding

Weight: 50-70 lbs (23-32 kg)

Height: 21-25 ½ inches (53-65 cm)

Color: The Berger Picard comes in either fawn or grey, with a range of shade variations.

Country of Origin: The Berger Picard originated in France, and is considered as the oldest of the French Sheepdogs. It was brought to northern France and the Pas de Calais by the Celts in the 9th century.
Activities: The Berger Picard was bred to work on the fields. This breed is very athletic and energetic that boredom will only make it restless and destructive.

Grooming: In grooming the Berger Picard, no special care is really needed, since its rough and tousled appearance is natural and the coat doesn’t mat. Brush its coat once a month and bathe it only when necessary. Trimming is needed, especially around the ear edges. This breed has a little doggie odor.

Other Info: The Berger Picard is bred for outdoor work, but it can live well in the city and in an apartment so long as it receives lots of exercises and play sessions. It will be quiet and inactive indoors but will go all out outdoors. This breed can be used as a guard dog, although it doesn’t bark that much. The Berger Picard is also talented in agility, tracking, schutzhund, flyball, swimming, and the French Ring Sport.

AKA: Bergamaschi, Bergamese Shepherd, Cane da Pastore Bergamasco, Bergamo Shepherd Dog

Description: The Bergamasco Shepherd is an ancient dog breed which can be traced back to at least 2000 years. It is a medium-sized dog, well-proportioned, and well well-balanced. It has a rustic appearance, distinctly set apart from the other breeds by its unique coat.

The Bergamasco Shepherd’s coat has three types of hair that forms mats or flocks. The mats would start from the spin and grow down each year reaching for the ground. The dog also has a thick curtain of hair covering its eyes, acting as a visor against the sun’s reflection off the snow in the mountains.

Dynamics: The Bergamasco Shepherd is an intelligent and peaceful dog. It gets along really well with its own kind and grow up in harmony with them. It has no natural impulse towards rivalry and domination and avoids provoking one another. It can be seen to have great respect for other Bergamasco Shepherds.

The Bergamasco Shepherd is attentive at the same time reserved. It would appear to be asleep or uninterested but it will participate in everything that goes around it. It is an excellent watch dog because it keeps an eye on its environment and doesn’t really like strangers appearing suddenly. When it comes to children , the Bergamasco Shepherd shows a very touching spot. It is patient, tolerant, and encouraging to the children, at the same time protecting them. This breed is actually used as therapy dogs for handicapped children.

While generally, the Bergamasco gets along with other dog breeds, it is better not to have it near a very protective breed. The Bergamasco also gets along with cats and other pets as long as it is socialized with them at an early age. Regarding strangers, it will all depend on how the Bergamasco senses him or her.

Breed Group: Herding

Weight: males 70-84 lbs (32-38 kg), females 57-71 lbs (26-32 kg)

Height: males 23 ½ inches (60 cm), females 22 inches (56 cm)

Color: The Bergamasco Shepherd can come in anything ranging from from gray or silver gray to anthracite. This color served as a camouflage for the breed when working in the mountains.

Country of Origin: The Bergamasco Shepherd officially originated in Italy. It is a very ancient breed, though, that its bloodline is traced from shepherds and cattle dogs from the Orient and the West, in the time when migration among nomad populations were happening. The first Bergamasco Shepherds was said to have been commonly found in the Alpine Arc and in the Po Basin of Piedmont and Lombardy, where they went in the winter.

Grooming: The Bergamasco Shepherd will not need so much grooming when it is fully flocked. Bathing and brushing is still needed, of course.

The three types of hair the Bargamasco Shepherd has are: the undercoat, which is fine, dense, and oily, forming a waterproof layer; the goat hair, which are long strands of hair similar to the coat of a goat; and the woolly top coat, which is soft and finer than the other two types of hair. It is when the woolly hair weaves together with the goat hair that flocking happens. The flocks continues to grow throughout the dog’s life, reaching the ground at its age of five years.

Activities: The Bergamasco Shepherd loves and enjoys the outdoors. It will be content on herding the sheep or playing with the children.

Other Info: The Bergamasco Shepherd has a life expectancy of 13-15 years. The Bergamasco Shepherd is perfect for seasonal to cold climates, as their dense coats will provide protection from the cold elements. This breed is not suitable for an apartment life and would sometimes prefer sleeping outdoors.

AKA: Tervuren, Chien de Berger Belge

Description: The Belgian Tervuren is a muscular and squarely proportioned breed, with a flat skull and a tapered muzzle. It has almond-shaped eyes that are small and dark. The ears stand erect and stand like equilateral triangles on its head. Its nose is black and the teeth meet in a scissors bite.

The chest is deep and reaches down to the elbow. The front legs are straight and parallel to each other. The hindquarters are muscular and looks light. The feet is round and cat-like. The tail is long, feathered, and reaches at least to the hock.

The Belgian Tervuren has a medium- to long-length coat, with a dense undercoat and a straight, black-tipped outercoat. Extra feathering is found on the rump, and on the back of its legs. There is also a ruff around its neck that goes down to the chest.

Dynamics: The Belgian Tervuren is one of the four popular Belgian Sheepdogs. It is an intellegent breed, serious, obedient, and protective. Training it has to be firm, but not harsh, else the dog will be uncooperative. The Belgian Tervuren has to be socialized at an early age because of their strong protective and territorial instincts. It will be able to get along well with children and other household pets. It can be dominant among the other dogs, however.

The Belgian Tervuren is used as police and guard dog but they also make excellent pets. This breed actually thrive on loving companionship. They are alert, watchful, and loyal. This is a very demanding dog, though, and needs a owner who knows how to handle it.

Given time, training, and affection, the Belgian Tervuren will not present any problems. However, when left too long on its own and ignored, it might become restless and destructive. This breed may also display herding behavior such as chasing and running around and nipping at their heels.

Breed Group: Herding

Weight: males 65-75 lbs (29-34 kg), females 60-70 lbs (27-32 kg)

Height: males 24-26 inches (61-66 cm), females 22-24 inches (56-61 cm)

Color: The base color of the Belgian Tervuren ranges from fawn to mahogany. Shades of gray are also accepted by some registries. White markings on the chest, toes, and chin are also common. The breed’s color generally darkens as it grows older.

Country of Origin: The Belgian Tervuren originated in Belgium, named after the Belgian village of Tervuren. It was Brewer M. Corbeel who founded the Belgian Tervuren after his fawn dog was crossed with a black longhaired dog owned by M. Donhieux.

Grooming: Daily combing and brushing is needed in grooming the Belgian Tervuren. Check and clip out mats that form. Cut the hair from between the toes and on the outer ears.

Activities: With its great stack of energy and stamina, the Belgian needs a lot of exercise and regular outdoor activities. This breed excels in herding, police and law enforcement work, drug busts, bomb and gas detection, search and rescue, tracking, obedience, sledding, agility, therapy, guide to the disabled or elderly, and naturally as a companion dog.

Other Info: The Belgian Tervuren has a life expectancy of 12-14 years. It is a generally healthy breed but is prone to minor health concerns such as epilepsy, skin allergies, eye problems, and hip and elbow dysplasia. Excessive shyness and excessive aggressiveness should also be carefully avoided through socialization and training.

The Belgian Tervuren will be fine in an apartment but it has to have its daily exercises and outdoor activities. This breed likes cool climates, but it does well with others.