This article was originally written for the New Zealand Briard newsletter, French Letters.
A Briard In My Bed...
I was somewhat surprised when Brian and Linda first asked to feature Emma and me in this newsletter. We have had no great accomplishments in the show ring, obedience trials or agility, in fact Emma’s greatest accomplishments are gastrointestinal. So ours is an ordinary tale of an not-so-ordinary dog (after all, what Briard could ever be called ordinary?) living an ordinary life in suburbia.
I came to Briards rather late in life. (I’ve always been rather slow.) I remember that fateful day well. I had been out shopping with the family one weekend and as I unloaded grocery bags one of the children switched on the TV. By chance Crufts was showing. I forgot about the shopping bags, yelled at the kids not to change channels, and plonked myself down on the couch, ignoring all cries for refreshments until the program was over. I was in luck that day. Although I had missed most of the program, I had not missed the most important event – the Working Dog final.
As I sat glued, looking out for the German Shepherd (at the time I was blissfully sharing my life with two beautiful German Shepherds) I was enthralled by a number of breeds I had never seen before. Then in trotted a most beautiful dog – it was so rich a gold, it looked almost orange. Its glorious long coat flowed out behind it as it trotted around the ring, and I fell in love.
If it had just been Crufts I may not have done any more about it. But a higher power must have been at work because a week or so later I received the latest Kennel Cub Gazette, and as I thumbed through I found a full page photo of the gorgeous Jenelle. I was so excited! I thrust the magazine in front of my then husband and rambled incoherently about the dog on Crufts, Jenelle, and the need to find out more.
Mohan rang Linda the next day. I wasn’t there for the conversation but he reported back to me. I was told that Linda doesn’t allow her puppies to go to homes with preschoolers. (My children were then 7, 4 & 2) As my face dropped, he added the all important “But”.
Linda was prepared to make an exception in our case as our children were already used to being bowled over by large dogs! I think I emitted a scream of delight and my mind became focussed on puppies. Having two German Shepherds who were (and still are) far better behaved than my three two-legged children, I was of the opinion that one cannot have too many dogs. Long hours into each night we discussed baby names. ‘Aimee’ was high on my list until I discovered our baby would come from the ‘E’ litter. A French name beginning with E, using ten letters or less. There was only one choice: Emmanuelle. Emma for short.
When Emma arrived some weeks later, little did I realise that our lives would never be the same again.
Life with a Briard is certainly different both inside and outside the home. I soon discovered that raising a Briard is not the same as raising a German Shepherd. Sure all puppies will chew, so I wasn’t terribly surprised to find my house looking like a poultry-plucking factory when Emma discovered the delights of feather pillows and duvets and teeth marks on chair legs seemed par for the course. But I was somewhat unprepared for the Phantom Knicker Snatcher who seemed to ricochet off walls like a cartoon bullet. I was also ill-prepared for the triple-action Goose nuzzle that had me airborne on more than one occasion and caused most of our guests to walk sideways around our house, their backs pressed firmly against the walls. And then, of course, is the famous Briard Paw...
Emma’s accomplishments are not insignificant. She has astounded vets and dog-lovers alike with her gastronomic endeavours and intestinal fortitude. She did not set out to make medical history. In fact, we had great ambitions for the show ring initially. Emma’s show career seemed promising enough, but she was greatly hampered by my incompetence, so we turned our attentions to obedience. When it comes to obedience training, Emma is in her element. Unbeatable! She taught me to sit, and down, and even stand for examination in no time. My recall is perfect. One quick call from Emma and I race to her no matter what distractions lay around me. She even taught me to retrieve a variety of objects on command. Her training methods are simple enough: she makes it clear what she wants then lavishes praise on me when I get it right, and she keeps up my enthusiasm by making each training session a game for me. Unfortunately, Emma’s obedience expertise has never been officially recognised because of a terrible asymmetry in Kennel Club trials. By their rules it is acceptable, and even desirable, for Emma to lie down while I wander off for a few minutes, but the rules do not allow me to go into a down stay while Emma goes wandering. Most unfair, when you think about it.
Of course, what is most endearing about a Briard is not what they do but who they are. Emma is Miss Personality Plus: a lovable clown on energiser batteries. Now that she’s ten, she is starting to mature. Her goose is more a double than a triple these days, and she doesn’t bounce quite so fast or quite so high off the walls, but the Briard personality never fades. Someone once described Briards as “Hearts wrapped in fur” and I don’t think there can be a better description.
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