KENAI
Briard

The breeds · herding

AKC Herding · UKC Herding · FCI standard 113

Briard.

FCI 113 utilization: sheepdog and guard dog; bred and selected for herd-driving and guarding; the French army used it in both world wars as sentinel and ambulance dog searching for the wounded. UKC: early guard and watchdog, later herder and drover; Red Cross and military dog in the World Wars carrying first-aid equipment and ammunition. AKC editorial: a boundary herder that keeps sheep inside the line and thieves and wolves outside it. Wikipedia: Rozier in 1783 describes the open-plains Brie dog as the conductor of the flock rather than its defender, keeping sheep out of crops and vineyards. RKC: flock guard and herder; used in both wars as pack dogs accompanying search parties looking for wounded soldiers.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

12.6YRMedian lifespan11.3 to 13.4, measured on real dogs.
0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
55–100LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 55 to 100 lb; breed bitches 55 to 100 lb.
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day (RKC). The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 23 to 27 in · bitches 22 to 25.5 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard

Low and high span AKC/UKC and FCI. No ideal printed.

Weight

dogs 55 to 100 lb · bitches 55 to 100 lb

Breed clubAKC

Breed-wide band counted in both sex rows.

Coat

AKC: outer coat coarse, hard and dry, lying flat in long slightly waving locks, six inches or more on the shoulders; undercoat fine and tight; head hair falls with a natural center part, eyebrows arch up and out without veiling the eyes. Any uniform color except white (black, shades of gray, shades of tawny); white coat, spotted coat or chest spot over 1 in disqualify. FCI 113: goat-like texture, dry, supple, long, slight undercoat; under 7 cm is a severe fault; black, fawn, fawn with black overlay, gray or blue. RKC: long coat

Breed clubAKC breed standard

Shedding

Sheds (RKC 'Sheds: yes'); AKC breed page shedding level 1 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · Outer coat coarse, hard and dry, long and slightly waving, six inches or more on the shoulders; fine tight undercoat (AKC). FCI: goat-like texture, dry, supple, long, slight undercoat

DerivedAKC breed standard

Derived from the coat description (2 = heavy or long coat).

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

12.6 years (11.3 to 13.4)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

UK pet-dog sample.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day (RKC)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than 2 hours = 150.

Exercise need

RKC: more than 2 hours per day; large house, large garden, town or country. AKC breed page energy level 3 of 5. The two bands disagree; both stand

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

AKC breed page energy level 3 of 5; mental stimulation needs 3 of 5; barking level 1 of 5

Breed clubAKC

Grooming load

4 of 5 · Every day (RKC grooming band); AKC breed page coat grooming frequency 4 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC library mapping defines 4 as daily or regular care; the RKC band 'every day' recorded as 4.

Grooming

RKC: every day, long coat. AKC breed page coat grooming frequency 4 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 113 utilization: sheepdog and guard dog; bred and selected for herd-driving and guarding; the French army used it in both world wars as sentinel and ambulance dog searching for the wounded. UKC: early guard and watchdog, later herder and drover; Red Cross and military dog in the World Wars carrying first-aid equipment and ammunition. AKC editorial: a boundary herder that keeps sheep inside the line and thieves and wolves outside it. Wikipedia: Rozier in 1783 describes the open-plains Brie dog as the conductor of the flock rather than its defender, keeping sheep out of crops and vineyards. RKC: flock guard and herder; used in both wars as pack dogs accompanying search parties looking for wounded soldiers

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale

Registry texts say 'drive' and 'guard'; the AKC editorial says 'boundary herder'. Both stand.

Also used on

Military sentry, ambulance (Red Cross) dog, ammunition and equipment carrier and messenger in the two World Wars (FCI, UKC, RKC); now mostly kept as a companion dog (Wikipedia)

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

Field trial standard

FCI 113 classification: Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs, Section 1 Sheepdogs, 'With working trial'. No AKC or French herding-trial result was read

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

14% · 14.0% dysplastic of 3,150 OFA hip evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 84.7% normal; mild 8.6%, moderate 4.5%, severe 0.9%; breed rank 89 in the OFA table

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is higher.

Elbow dysplasia

0.6% · 0.6% abnormal of 980 OFA elbow evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 99.4% normal; grade 1 0.6%, grade 2 0.0%, grade 3 0.0%; breed rank 155 in the OFA table

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Same voluntary-registry caveat as hips: under-reported, skewed toward breeding stock.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia: congenital hereditary retinal dystrophy was identified in Briards in Sweden, and in 2001 gene therapy partly reversed Leber congenital amaurosis-like blindness in three puppies. The RKC lists a DNA test for congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) and the AKC listing of the national breed club's tests includes a CSNB (LCA) DNA test. OFA hips 14.0% dysplastic (n 3,150)

EditorialWikipedia

Editorial plus two registry test lists; no VetCompass paper or club survey for the Briard was read.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 1; Watchdog/Protective Nature 4; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 1; Coat Grooming Frequency 4; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 3; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 9 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Berger de Brie, Chien de Brie, Chien de Berger francais de Plaine

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

Your briard, on the record.

Log the days, the miles and the birds, and the KENAI app keeps the dog’s story beside the breed’s. Free to start.

Get the app