Berger Picard Information & Dog Breed Facts

Although the breed is relatively new to the AKC ring, it has a lengthy and fascinating history tracing back to the 9th century. These dogs are also known as the Picardy Shepherd, Berger de Picardie, or Chien de Berge.

While most people only recognize them from the movie “Because of Winn Dixie” they are told to be the oldest French herding breed, with characteristics similar to the strong, rustic pastoral dogs that have long been seen throughout Northern Europe.

The Name

Picardie, one of France's oldest provinces, is named after the Salian Frankish Picard tribe. In the fifth century, these Germanic people arrived in the area.

In the 12th century, the name Picardie was coined to refer to the broad territory where the Picard language was spoken. This territory, which stretched from northeastern France to the Netherlands, formed a crossroads for Merongovian and Carolingian kingdoms.

These main uniting dynasties arose in a post-Roman Europe that was divided. The Berger Picard was first mentioned in the ninth century, according to nineteenth-century cynologists.

Ancestry

Some enthusiasts believed that the Berger Picard was closely connected to other French sheepdogs like the Briard and Beauceron and that it predated them all. Others claimed a close connection to Belgian herders such as the Tervuren and Malinois, a plausible conclusion given the Netherlands' proximity to northern France.

Despite all these beliefs, a DNA analyst in 2018 proved that the Berger Picard is closely related to the German Shepherd Dog, as well as a variety of Italian herding breeds, notably the Bergamasco Sheepdog.

Even though all those breeds differ substantially in appearance, temperament, and function, the research suggests that they all share a common ancestor who lived in Western Europe.

On the verge of extinction

During the two world wars, the Berger Picard, like many other European breeds, was virtually extinct. During the Great War, four battles were fought along Picardy's Somme River over the course of four years, destroying farmland and cattle. In the early 1950s, when France returned to post-war normalcy, fanciers explored the countryside for excellent breeding prospects, and the breed slowly began to recover.

It's been a long road through. The Berger Picard club wasn't recognized by the French Kennel Club until 1959, and an official standard wasn't approved until five years later. The first Berger Picard litter was born in the United States in 1978, and the breed entered the Herding Group for the first time in July 2015.

The Berger Picard has been in advertisements for Geico, J. Crew, and Verizon in the 15 years since "Because of Winn-Dixie" put it on the map. Despite the exposure, it is still a relatively rare breed, which is probably a good thing because this independent-minded species does not fit into every family.

Even if some people still don't know what to call it, the ruggedly attractive Berger Picard can't help but turn heads, on-screen or off.

Little smugglers

The breed had a well-established function in French culture before the first world war which pushed the breed to the verge of extinction, and it wasn't limited to herding. Its reputation extended as a smuggling dog as well in the last few decades before the first world war.

Tobacco smuggling is included in most breed histories, but nothing compares to the economic possibilities of lace trafficking. Chantilly lace isn't only a song by the Big Bopper. France was a lacemaking center for centuries. The rising demand for this high-end item prompted a lot of resourcefulness to avoid paying expensive customs fees.

These pastoral dogs with a shaggy coat and a medium stature were appropriate for the job. They were unnoticeable, and they could easily carry 25 pounds of lace wrapped around their body and hidden by an artificial skin.