Barbet

The Barbet (bar-BAY), sometimes called the French Water Dog, was bred to work alongside fishermen along the coasts France, and with hunters in marshy land and rivers. It is a strong, muscular, active dog with a lot of natural exuberance and stamina, and it is unfailingly happy to splash into the water wherever some can be found. It is believed to be the forebear of such breeds as the Poodle, the Briard, the American Water Spaniel, and the Portuguese Water Dog. This breed is sometimes mistaken for a poodle because of the similar coat, however the Barbet is very different structurally. This dog is sturdy and never refined of bone. Its black nose is broad. Its legs are stout and its build muscular. It is extremely strong; this breed was developed to swim and hunt in difficult terrain, all day long. Its thick, single coat may be made of tight curls or of looser waves. The coat may be brown, black, fawn, gray, and pied. All white is seen very rarely. The most common is black or brown, with some white markings. The Barbet has the webbed feet found in many water dogs, to help propel it forward as it swims. It has a deep chest. Its ears are set high and back and are heart-shaped and floppy. The tail is never docked but left long and tapered. The dewclaws are occasionally removed. This dog stands from 20.5 to 25.5 inches high at the shoulder. The "Grand Barbet"� described in Count George Louis Buffon's book "Natural History"�(1750) is thought to be the original source of the various water dog breeds. There is much speculation about what that would be, but many historians believe the water dogs descend from the corded dogs that once roamed the plains of central Asia and eastern Europe with their nomad masters. Canine historians point to a much earlier dog that is first mentioned in 700 BC as one that lived with nomadic people on the Central Asian steppes, near the Chinese-Russian border. These people used a large curly dog to herd livestock; this dog was capable of working rough terrain and of working in water. Descriptions of it are very like the modern Barbet. Isolated for centuries in that region, the dog developed distinct characteristics. A theory holds that the dogs that lived on the Central Asian steppes eventually fell into the hands of another tribe, the Goths. The Goths then took the dogs to Germany, where they developed into the poodle. Cousins of the Goths, the Visigoths, invaded the Iberian Peninsula in the 4th century AD, and may have taken the dogs there also, where they developed into the Portuguese Water Dog. But another theory might be the most reasonable: that the dogs of the steppes were brought west by the early Celts, who spread from southern Germany into the Iberian Peninsula, and then northward into what is now Brittany in France, and the British Isles. This last theory would explain why the Barbet, the Poodle, the Portuguese Water Dog, and dogs like the Irish Water Dog and the Kerry Blue Terrier have traits in common. But regardless of how it came to be in France, it is certain that many hundreds of years ago, a dog of the same type was working in the fields to retrieve waterfowl for hunters, working on farms across central Europe as a versatile all-around farm dog, and working on the fishing boats from the southern Portuguese coast to the coasts of northern France and Germany, to Iceland. The word "Barbet"� comes from the French word "barbe,"� which means "beard"�. A common 19th century expression was "muddy as a barbet,"� which came no doubt from the dog's love of water and mud. Between the late 18th and early 19th century, the Barbet was the same dog as the Italian "Barbone"� and the "Poodle"�. With the coming of dog shows and selective breeding which was based on aesthetics, the Poodle came to be distinguished by more refinement and elegance, losing much of its retriever ability. The versatile nature of the Barbet as a work dog has meant its survival, and many of today's Barbets have the traits attributed to them from the writing of the first breed standard in France in 1891. Currently there are estimated to be about 600 Barbet worldwide, with most of those in western Europe. There are thought to be about 48 in the United States.The Barbet is an energetic dog that needs daily vigorous exercise. It can live in an apartment successfully, but only with adequate attention to its exercise needs. It is not given to excessive barking, but will warn the owner of a stranger's approach. The coat of the Barbet sheds very little and this breed is often a good breed for persons who have allergies to dogs. The coat must be washed and clipped every six to eight weeks to keep the dog looking good and the coat and skin healthy. Because the breed is so rare, there is little modern data on the health of the Barbet. However, it is likely that individuals of this breed can exhibit hip dysplasia or progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). Both of these can be often avoided by careful and selective breeding. This breed should also be monitored for bloat (GDV) which is a sudden and life-threatening condition requiring immediate veterinary intervention. The Barbet makes a good, if energetic, family pet and gets along with other household pets. It may be a big large and exuberant for small children. It needs an active owner, and an owner who is experienced with dogs. Without strong leadership and early training, this breed commonly becomes a "problem dog"�. The owner is wise to keep in mind that this breed is highly intelligent and needs mental stimulation as well as physical, so that it doesn't become bored and develop destructive habits. The Barbet is happiest with a job to do. Much of its energy can be expended in daily training exercises, jogging with the owner, long hikes, or retrieving objects in water. This breed is capable of successful competition in dog sports like scenting and tracking, obedience, agility, and water trials.

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