Popular in France - otherwise almost unknown
For a long time the Picard remained in his home country a predominantly regionally known breed of dog.
Since a couple of years the number of registered puppies per year has exceeded the 300 mark. The breed is therefore in a slow but steady upward trend. Picard breeding has finally managed to
overcome the borders of Picardy and France. Since the mid-1970s, committed breeders have also created small breeding enclaves for these dogs abroad. With an estimated world population of 3,000
Picards, it looks as if the future of the breed, perhaps for the first time since the documented period of breeding history, seems secure in the long term.
Gradually, two different types emerge
As long as these types differ only in certain nuances, which are still largely within the limits of the standard specifications, there is no reason to worry. However, breeders who are committed to this breed, as well as the judges who evaluate it, should in future have a careful eye on exaggerations with regard to these points.
The number of puppies registered since the beginning of breeding in the Federal Republic of Germany varied between three and 14 puppies in one to three litters per year between 1986 and 1992. In 1993, 33 puppies fell for the first time in a total of six litters. The number of Picards in Germany at that time was about 160 dogs; of these are only six breeding females, two of which were burdened with medium hip dysplasia (HD).
In France, picard breeding in recent years has seen a tendency to develop two different types: a "type rustique" (rustic type) and a "type élégant" (elegant type). The "type rustique" corresponds to the Picard as we have always known it: a simple rustic dog with a very longing physique and a moderately long head and body hair. The "type elegant" appears in a slightly more elegant appearance, with a
narrower chest, less mass overall and therefore a high-legged appearance.
The head and body hair are also often of softer structure in the latter.
For its true friends, the picard's special charm lies precisely in its simplicity, its unadulterated nature and the rusticity of its appearance. So far, at least, the Berger de Picardie has not yet had to take part in the folly and fashions in the development of so many other breeds towards the increasingly elegant or even bigger and more powerful renown and show dog. For about 60 years, for example, the maximum values of the withers height (65 cm for males and 60 cm for females) have remained the same - a reasonable height for a herding dog, which should not be exceeded if possible.
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