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The Barbet is a medium-sized breed of French water dog. It is a rare breed. The breed's name comes from the French word , meaning 'beard'.

Description

Appearance

right|thumb|250px|Two female barbets

The barbet is a prototypic water dog, with a long, woolly, and curly coat. Their coats grow continuously and must be trimmed and groomed regularly, otherwise the coat can become matted.

Most Barbets, especially those shown in conformation shows, are black or brown, sometimes with white markings. Other rare colors include fawn, grey, pari, creme, and pied. while a 2013 study found a coefficient of 9.1%, likewise very high.

History

thumb|Barbet d'Arret, circa 1915

The Barbet as it is known today is a fairly rare and recent breed development. Over the centuries, the breed existed in various forms, at times serving simply as a companion or guardian dog, but more often utilised as an all-around flushing or working dog. The term barbet gradually became a generic name for any dog with a long, curly, and/or woolly coat. Barbets are perhaps best-known for being a retriever of hunters' quarry, valued by duck, goose, and other fowl-hunters amongst the marshes, wetlands, estuaries and along the coastal areas of France; this wet and dirty job eventually spawned the term "muddy as a barbet", popularised in the 19th century. Between the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the same type of dog was known as the in France, the in Italy, and the in Germany<!--German capitalizes all nouns. French and Italian do not capitalize breed names except where they contain a proper name, like a place name.-->; additionally, for nearly 100 years, barbets and poodles were considered the same breed.

Like many others, the breed went nearly extinct after WWII. In the 1970s, French breeders attempted to revive the breed. In France, there were 307 Barbets registered between 1975 and 2001.

Great Britain (UK)

thumb|left|UK-born barbet

The first Barbet, a male, was brought into the UK in 2001, although he did not reproduce. In 2007, two unrelated females were brought in from France;

  • Médor, a famous parisian barbet. He refused to leave the grave of his master, who died during the July Revolution and thus became a symbol of fidelity and an icon of the uprising.

See also

  • Dogs portal
  • List of dog breeds

References

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