Beauceron Pros And Cons

Beaucerons are incredibly smart. This can make training easier as they can pick things up quickly. It’s a fun challenge to ensure their daily stimulation needs are met. Watching them process the world and adapt to it is fascinating. They are typically fairly good problem solvers, work well independently, and love to learn.

A pro for the breed is their intelligence! They are extremely smart and willing to please, and they love being active and having a job to do. We have a farm, and intend to do herding with him, and I cannot wait! For some people, this could be a con if they are not prepared to spend the extensive time to train them throughout their lives, and to let them expend their physical and mental energy.

Frequently called the Jack of All Trades, Beaucerons are a great breed if you want to dabble in a little bit of everything. Traditionally bred for herding, Beaucerons have also been used in various other sports including bite sports. Beaucerons like to be active so the more stuff they do the happier they typically are. They can be seen participating in almost everything from Agility to search and rescue.

The biggest pro I have is their versatility. They can do almost anything you want them do, so they are a wonderful breed for dog sports! They excel in herding, obedience, protection sports, rally, agility, barn hunt and more. If you want a dog to compete with, a Beauceron would be a wonderful option! While they also love to snuggle and be a couch potato, that doesn’t last long, so if you aren’t ready to work with your dog, a Beauceron might not be for you.

Congratulations, you will never pee alone again. If you have ever wanted someone to love you and always want to be with you, look no further. Beaucerons are really great about wanting to constantly be around their people, at least in the same room as you if not in your exact space.

Beaucerons are intimidating looking but are actually cinnamon rolls. Typically big, loving, goofballs with their people, Beaucerons are often aloof with strangers. Combine that with their large builds and Beaucerons get the “Scary Dog” look. However, due to them being a less popular breed, it’s not a “banned breed” in most areas; unlike most of the “scary dog” breeds. This can make travel and finding housing much easier.

This is a “dust em off” breed when it comes to showing. The breed standard calls for them to be shown “natural” meaning no trimming or chalking. Aside from coat maintenance, nail trims and teeth brushing, Beauceron grooming is pretty minimal. They do shed a lot, but that can be managed with regular baths and brushings.

One of my husband’s major concerns about getting a shepherd was the shedding. I had a GSD when we first got married and he could not stand the hair. Thankfully, Talon has not come close to the German Shedder. That has a lot to do with his genetics, but I also feed him a raw diet, and many people I’ve talked to over the years have said their dogs shed significantly less when eating that way. So a Beauceron does have the potential to shed quite a bit, so that could be a con for a lot of people.

Another pro for me is their protective instinct. We live in a more rural area, and my kids and I are usually home alone most of the day. Beaucerons have an extremely powerful visual presence, which I definitely wanted, and they are more aloof to people they have not met. We took a lot of time from the beginning to socialize Talon with all kinds of people and dogs. So while he is great in all social situations, he still is alert and on guard when we are home and someone or something new arrives. This could be a con for people who want that Golden Retriever-type attitude. My Beauceron is friendly, but takes a little bit to warm up to someone new.

They are incredibly smart, sometimes they think they are smarter than you, sometimes they are so smart they loop back to stupid. Due to their intelligence, they require a lot of mental stimulation to ensure their needs are met. If you don’t appropriately stimulate a Beauceron, they will do it themselves… at the expense of whatever you left out. They also tend to hate repetition which makes proofing a behavior hard.

They are big dogs with a tendency to fling their bodies around. They generally have no idea how big they actually are and no spatial awareness which can lead to things being knocked over or other accidents. My 95lbs male thinks he’s a lap dog and the amount of things he has broken but bumping his butt into them is astronomical.

This is a SLOW maturing breed; Mentally and physically. Beaucerons are typically fully mature by 3-4 years of age, unlike the typical 2-3 for most breeds. It sounds fairly easy to deal with until you are stuck in the “teenage” phase for a lot longer than you expected.

Originally bred for moving and protecting large herds of sheep long distances, the Beauceron needs lots of physical and mental stimulation. Unlike the Malinios who are more “fire cracker”, exploding energy, the Beauceron is a steady burning candle; bred for stamina and endurance. This is not a couch potato dog. Beaucerons need to be active and stimulated – a walk around the block and a fetch session isn’t going to cut it. And they don’t care if it’s rain, shine, deadly hot out or freezing cold, they want to be out doing things. If you are willing to put in the training and to be active with these dogs they are fabulous. But they can be terrors without proper structure and stimulation.

Beaucerons are traditionally a herding breed, meant to move sheep through various areas. This includes encouraging the less than willing through well placed nips. This behavior is instinctual for Beaucerons, especially as puppies. They, like many herding breeds, are more likely to try an “herd” things when they are young; including but not limited to you. Proper training can help with this issue.

Talon is wonderful with our two boys. He loves to play with them all day! Having a dog good with kids is definitely a pro, but Beaucerons grow extremely fast, and can soon outweigh and tower over younger kids. Being a shepherd breed, they tend to be mouthy, so you just have to make sure you are diligent in training them from a puppy to behave appropriately around small children, and Vice versa.