Does anyone own a Briard?

NoNameNoNumber

NoNameNoNumber

NoNameNoNumber

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25 Nov 2009
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Hi guys.
We'll be getting a Briard puppy at the end of January all being well. 8 week old.
A bit of a pain with Covid restrictions means that we will likely have to have him couriered over to us from Wales which would be a shame.

Anyway, he will be our first dog raised from a puppy. We both grew up with dogs and have always been around dogs but still, we are aware of the challenges a new puppy will likely bring.

Any briard owners in here?
I like the idea of a raw food diet, not sure what he will be used to eating yet but likely continue that for a while to try to minimise any upset tummies.
Anyone got their larger dogs on a raw food diet?
 
We have a pug coming in mid Jan (we've been to see him a couple of times and will be doing a social distanced collection), we've looked at all food options but at 1st he'll be on Royal Canin which we will be moving him off asap, looked at raw food because the next door neighbour has a 1 year old french bulldog on raw food and he's fine.

We've done loads of research and there's so many recommendations for both dry and raw food it's impossible to separate the 2 I think you have to try and see what suits them the best but not having a dog since moving out my parents 24 odd years ago when walking into Pets at Home food section was a massive wtf moment!!
 
Yeah I'm sure there are arguments for both sides as it usually the case.
I guess largely it comes down to cost, we have seen a few raw food companies online that will supply a diet matched to the dog but it's around £4/day so that's not happening.
I will see what I can get chicken thighs in bulk for and look at options of making it at home en masse.

I appreciate it can be quite breed specific, for instance, a Briard is likely to put on 1kg/week and will have a lot of hair to sustain, so it's requirements will be somewhat different to a pug.

Do you plan to crate train your pug?

Interesting times :)
 
Yeah we've got everything in place now, even got a Blink mini camera so we can keep an eye on him without disturbing him.

Check your local area as next door neighbour is a manager at Pets at Home but she still buys her raw food from a local supplier rather than there as even with her employee discount it's cheaper at the other supplier.

I was concerned as I'd read that lots of pugs have allergies but even that's confusing as other places say they have no more allergies than other breeds so I'm none the wiser :D
 
So after speaking with the breeder, they have recommended Purina Pro plan puppy food.for the first year.
They have 40 years experience with Briards and won Crufts numerous times so I won't be second guessing them.
Also, after some extensive googling, it seems a lot of dogs can't handle raw food from a puppy as it takes time for them to build up the gut to be able to safely digest it. It's something I may come back to in the future though.

The most alarming advise they gave us to not walk them for the first 6 months, and after that, only a couple of hundred yards max as they can suffer from hip dysplasia quite badly. Also, no jumping, no stairs, and only exercising them in the garden for 5-10 minutes at a time. Seems I'll need to be on the ball with keeping their excitement down!

Can't wait though. Looking more and more likely we'll have to use a courier as we're all in tier 4.
 
I would never feed any of my dogs on any thing but raw, even the very best "kibble" is no where as good as a complete raw diet imo.
There are plenty of companies that sell complete raw diet, bone, meat, veg etc.All of the dogs teeth are built for eating meat and bone, not crunching processed biscuits.Their poo shows how much they are digesting no huge piles and hardly any smell compaired to kibble fed dogs.

Their coat, joints, teeth so much better for being on raw.Each to their own though kibble is convienient for many people, just look at places like pets at home etc the shelves are full of it.In most cases a lot more expensive than a good quality raw diet.

If you have the space grab a cheap freezer and grab some frozen raw, your dog will thank you.

Just one of many:-
https://www.cotswoldraw.com/
 
Not walking them for 6 months seems way over the top?! They are working dogs aren't they? And walks are needed for socialising etc.
 
Very strange indeed, the first year of owning a puppy is awesome fun walking playing etc etc, i have had full on pedigree that have more red champions on their paper work, to working dogs.All of them love to play rough and go for good walks.
I honestly could not imagine having a dog i couldnt walk for a year!!
 
NoNameNoNumber said:
Can't wait though. Looking more and more likely we'll have to use a courier as we're all in tier 4.
Click to expand...

We spoke to our (or soon to be ours as my mother has used this vet practice for 20+ years) vet and they said it's classed as essential travel to collect a puppy as you will be it's owner/carer and because you will have to take the puppy to be checked over it's looked as animal welfare, we've checked with the people we're going to get him off and they're fine with this, they checked with the vet they're taking them to (Pets at home vet) and he said very similar, can't wait 2 weeks tomorrow we can collect our little chap.

I've heard about not walking them too far in the first few months (bones are still developing etc.) but wasn't aware it was as much as 6, obviously we'll follow what the vet advises when we take him in for a check up because when you look on the internet there's just too much conflicting advise.

I'm really keen to have him on raw food and doing a lot of reading up on it, obviously as our neighbour feeds her dog on raw she constantly sings it's praises but I really want to let him choose (the cotswold link provided by @eola suggests putting down a little of both raw and kibble and see which the dog chooses) which suits him best.
 
eola said:
I would never feed any of my dogs on any thing but raw, even the very best "kibble" is no where as good as a complete raw diet imo.
There are plenty of companies that sell complete raw diet, bone, meat, veg etc.All of the dogs teeth are built for eating meat and bone, not crunching processed biscuits.Their poo shows how much they are digesting no huge piles and hardly any smell compared to kibble fed dogs.

Their coat, joints, teeth so much better for being on raw.Each to their own though kibble is convenient for many people, just look at places like pets at home etc the shelves are full of it.In most cases a lot more expensive than a good quality raw diet.

If you have the space grab a cheap freezer and grab some frozen raw, your dog will thank you.

Just one of many:-
https://www.cotswoldraw.com/
Click to expand...

As mentioned above, hip dysplasia is an issue in these dogs, although both parents have good hip scores. Still, I read up on the Purina puppy kibble. It prevents the dog from growing too quickly. If they gain weight before their bones mature it seems like that can provoke hip issues.
If I go to raw I am very much off piste and I have no idea what a 3/6/9 month old Briard should weigh so very difficult for me to judge.
Where as if I stick to the the puppy kibble as recommended for a year, then introduce raw. I feel that would be a much safer option. Gotta remember, I'm new to all of this :)





planty said:
Not walking them for 6 months seems way over the top?! They are working dogs aren't they? And walks are needed for socialising etc.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%
He can be socialised in the park, but drive there, let him play on a long leash etc. I do wonder what the dfference is between him having zoomies for 10 mins in the garden vs a 10 minute walk though. I guess, pulling on the lead can load up the hips a lot.

eola said:
Very strange indeed, the first year of owning a puppy is awesome fun walking playing etc etc, i have had full on pedigree that have more red champions on their paper work, to working dogs.All of them love to play rough and go for good walks.
I honestly could not imagine having a dog i couldnt walk for a year!!
Click to expand...

Tell me about it!
I have joined the Braird FB page and that's full of puppies being puppies!

Maundie said:
We spoke to our (or soon to be ours as my mother has used this vet practice for 20+ years) vet and they said it's classed as essential travel to collect a puppy as you will be it's owner/carer and because you will have to take the puppy to be checked over it's looked as animal welfare, we've checked with the people we're going to get him off and they're fine with this, they checked with the vet they're taking them to (Pets at home vet) and he said very similar, can't wait 2 weeks tomorrow we can collect our little chap.

I've heard about not walking them too far in the first few months (bones are still developing etc.) but wasn't aware it was as much as 6, obviously we'll follow what the vet advises when we take him in for a check up because when you look on the internet there's just too much conflicting advise.

I'm really keen to have him on raw food and doing a lot of reading up on it, obviously as our neighbour feeds her dog on raw she constantly sings it's praises but I really want to let him choose (the cotswold link provided by @eola suggests putting down a little of both raw and kibble and see which the dog chooses) which suits him best.
Click to expand...

The government guidelines say this
In all tiers, you must follow social distancing rules when buying or adopting a pet.

You should not visit a breeder or rescue centre in person to view an animal in its home environment before buying or adopting it. In tier 4, this is not a reasonable excuse to leave your home.

In all tiers, you should ask for a virtual tour instead. Take extra care to make sure that the seller is legitimate by following government guidance on how to get pets responsibly

Breeders and rescue centres should make arrangements to deliver your pet to you when it is ready to be rehomed. Where this is not possible, and it is reasonably necessary for the pet’s welfare, you may collect the animal. You should collect your pet by appointment only.

In tiers 2 to 4, you must collect without entering the premises where this is a private dwelling.
Click to expand...

So it seems they should be collected only if it is not possible to collect.
Is a 200 mile journey from East Midlands to South Wales reasonable? I had a quote for delivery and it came back at £795!
The breeder has said they can put us in contact with a courier they have used in the past and 'it's not expensive', they also seem keen to go this route despite me voicing that I'd much rather collect.

I know hip dyslpasia isn't just a big dog thing but it is apparently much less common in smaller dogs, so rapid weight gain overbearing the skeletal structure is perhaps much less likely if you were to go raw from the off.
Healthier dog, smaller poos and less stinky. Win win :D
 
Yeah we've not visited since tier 4 was introduced (although Barnsley where we're collecting from is in Tier 3 we in North Derbyshire are in Tier 4) but we will be collecting him in person, the only issue I think you may have is that the Welsh have been stopping people on the border but I guess with the government guidelines saying it's reasonable to collect (there's no way I'd pay £800 for a courier) and why would it be ok for a courier to collect him and drive to you and then back home rather than you drive to collect him and then drive home as long as it done in the garden distanced what's the difference?
 
Maundie said:
Yeah we've not visited since tier 4 was introduced (although Barnsley where we're collecting from is in Tier 3 we in North Derbyshire are in Tier 4) but we will be collecting him in person, the only issue I think you may have is that the Welsh have been stopping people on the border but I guess with the government guidelines saying it's reasonable to collect (there's no way I'd pay £800 for a courier) and why would it be ok for a courier to collect him and drive to you and then back home rather than you drive to collect him and then drive home as long as it done in the garden distanced what's the difference?
Click to expand...

That's exactly my logic.
My mrs is testing herself twice a week for covid (respiratory physio on Covid wards) so we can be reasonably certain we're clear. We can distance from from breeder and not enter her property at all too where as paying for a delivery driver exposes both parties to a 3rd guy. Also, sod paying £800 for delivery too!
 
Yeah looks like you've got better knowledge regarding positive test than majority of the country so what's the issue, do you get paperwork to show negative tests? If so I'd take the latest with you.

Exciting times though getting a puppy, this will be my 1st actual dog as others have been while living at home with parents so he will be a massive learning curve for myself and the missus, good luck with it mate and hopefully you'll have many years of a loyal loving companion.
 
It's like a pregnancy test, just shows up on the sample as -ve.
Best of luck to you too :)

I've been binging on youtube vids, Zak George has done a brilliant series training a new puppy Kona. Well worth a watch if you've not seen it already.

Keep us updated!
 
I got the cage and pen set up in the kitchen/diner yesterday.
It's a part of the house we are often in, but equally, there's little in there he can destroy( I say that now :D)
The pen covers an area of 4m2, 2x2m. I intend to buy a cheap patch of Lino to put on the floor to make any accidents easy to clean up and protect the floor. I've since taken it all down though until the big day :)
 
We're keeping his cage under the stairs, obviously being a pug his cage is a lot smaller and from there we're going to let him have the run of the hallway and kitchen/diner closing the door to the lounge unless we're in there with him, we've "proofed" the house as much as we can and as I work in the kitchen he will have me to annoy during the day.

We've got a stair gate so he can't go upstairs without 1 of us either as we don't want him at risk of falling down them and injuring himself, we just keep walking round saying "that'll have to move" and it feels like we've moved so much already.

We've also got the neighbour measuring and quoting to remove the front hedge and replace with fencing so it's all enclosed but that won't be done in the next week so I've got one of those lawn screws that I can attach his lead to so he can't escape before that's done, with him only being tiny I can't see him pulling it out the ground and he won't be out without us either.

One thing that's worrying the missus is that there seems to be so many missing dog posts on Facebook at the moment and of course every owner is putting that the dog was stolen from their secure garden as it wouldn't look good on social media to not have looked after their dog properly and it escaped would it.
 
Maundie said:
So quick update, we've been and picked Lionel up today and he's currently snoring his little head off hoping he's feeling comfortable and relaxed in his new home
Click to expand...

Good luck with him. Hope he slept on his first night! We get our GSP pup tomorrow :D.
 
i grew up with Briards. I have had two over the last 10 years and baby sit another 3. In regards to hip dysplasia the Briard world has pretty much stamped it out but it will never go away. Most will tell you that the dog and bitch need to be hip scored and if they're ok the puppies will be fine, this is incorrect as it can rear it's ugly head from further down the line. I should know from breeding my first, that i lost at the start of last year, his scores and the bitches scores were brilliant but the puppy i kept has really bad hip dysplasia. Turns out three generations ago one of the dogs had really bad hips. Hip dysplasia in Briards is more hereditary than based on weight.

He is down for hip operations this summer though. In regards to food the ones ive had/looked after over the years have always had kibble with raw meat (mince/fish) but they will eat anything if unsupervised :D ill dig out a list of kibble when im in later.

with regards to walking i would suggest you get them lead walking as soon as they are allowed out and about, this will build up hip muscles if you are worried about them. Also they can be a nightmare to train so lead training at an early age is advised. :D
Yep they are sheep dogs so they like to pull, chase other dogs then try and herd them back to you. haha


Out of interest who is the breeder you are getting the Briard from ? there aren't many about so ill probably know them.
 
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