This breed was named after the region from which they come from, Beaucer, in Northern France. Although there are a fair amount of Beaucerons in France, they are rare in America. Beaucerons are quite intelligent and also very obedient which explains why they make such a good livestock guard dog.
physical appearance
The Beauceron is a large, athletic, working dog. Like I said earlier, Beauceron mainly used as a guardian dog. Today, Beaucerons are still used as herder, in the army and also as a family watchdog. The half pricked or drop-ears are set high, either cropped or left natural. Unique features Beaucerons must have are double dewclaws on each rear leg. They have smooth, short double-coat that has longer hair on their hindquarters. Usually come in black with tan markings. The tan markings on their chest should appear as two spots, but chest plate is also acceptable. They also come in harlequin with a mix of grey, white, and tan spots on their coat.
(top left) Adult Beauceron standing (top right) Adult Beauceron laying down. (bottom left) Double dewclaws. (bottom right) Harlequin Beauceron.
behavior
Beaucerons are highly energetic, very obedient, calm and gentle, but fearless at the same time. They are naturally suspicious towards someone they are not familiar with. They would seek approval from their owners before approaching strangers. They are eager learners and are able to be trained to a high level. A Beauceron that is properly trained and socialized gets along fine with children and other animals. Be firm and authoritative when training Beaucerons because they beed to know who is the alpha dog of this pack (read: your family). Beaucerons will do fine in apartment settings. However you still need to give them a sufficient excercise, because ideally herding breed like Beaucerons do best in homes with large yards.