Bouvier des Flandres vs Briard
Side by side
Bouvier des Flandres
Briard
Adult weight
Males 35–40 kg (77–88 lb); females 27–35 kg (60–77 lb)1
Males 32–45 kg (71–99 lb); females 25–38 kg (55–84 lb) (breed club figure)2
Fully grown
12 months, both sexes4
Shedding
Holds loose hair until it is brushed or clipped out
Sheds through the year
Grooming
A brush once a week
Daily brushing
Exercise
Plenty
Class
Watchdog
Watchdog
Which suits you
Lifespan
In UK vet records the Briard lives longer: a median of 12.6 years, against 11.3 for the Bouvier des Flandres.
Shedding
Their coats shed differently: the Bouvier des Flandres holds loose hair until it is brushed or clipped out, the Briard sheds through the year.
Grooming
The Briard needs more grooming, daily brushing, where the Bouvier des Flandres needs a brush once a week.
Temperament
They differ most on intelligence (Bouvier des Flandres: learns readily, likes games; Briard: needs daily brain work) and on sensitivity (Bouvier des Flandres: hardy, takes a busy home in its stride; Briard: average).
Alike
They are much the same size as adults, about 34 kg (76 lb) for the Bouvier des Flandres and 35 kg (77 lb) for the Briard.
Alike
Both are rated the same on loyalty: sticks close to its people.
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
What they're like
Bouvier des Flandres
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Large
Bouviers are calm, steady and watchful, with a strong protective streak and a reserved manner towards strangers.
Briard
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Large
The Briard is loyal and protective towards its household and reserved with strangers. It learns quickly but has an independent streak suited to work done with little direction.
Breed traits
Day to day
Bouvier des Flandres
Briard
Activity
Differs
A good daily walk and play
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Differs
Learns readily, likes games
Needs daily brain work
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Bouvier des Flandres
Briard
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
Bouvier des Flandres
Briard
Sensitivity
Differs
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Chases; needs managing
Puppy growth
Reference curves · both sexes
Summary
Detail
Both grow to much the same adult weight, about 34 kg.
Bouvier des Flandres
Briard
More comparisons
Compare the Bouvier des Flandres with
Sources
- 1
- 2American Kennel Club. Briard breed page. ↑
- 3
- 4Hawthorne et al., 2004. Body-weight changes during growth in puppies of different breeds. Journal of Nutrition 134(8 Suppl): 2027S–2030S (WALTHAM). ↑
- 5
- 6
- 7Morrill et al., 2022. Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science 376: eabk0639 (Darwin's Ark). ↑
- 8Dogs Trust. Finding a good, responsible breeder. ↑
- 9American Kennel Club. Screening puppy buyers: how top breeders find the best homes. ↑
- 10
Parts of this page were written by AI ·