Beauceron

The Beauceron () is a herding dog breed originating from the plains of Central France. The Beauceron is also known as Berger de Beauce (, sheepdog from Beauce) or Bas Rouge (, red-stockings).

==Description== ===Appearance=== thumb|left|A harlequin (left) and a black and tan (right) Beauceron This breed stands in height and weighs The Beauceron has a hard outer coat and a woolly undercoat that grows thick in cold weather, especially if the dog sleeps outdoors. Its standard colouring is black and tan (the latter colour referred to in French as rouge ecureuil, squirrel-red) or, less frequently, grey, black and tan called harlequin. Other colours, such as the once prevalent tawny, grey or grey/black, are now banned by the breed standard. The harlequin coats should have more black than gray with no white. In the black and tan dogs the tan markings should appear in two dots above the eyes, on the sides of the muzzle, fading off to the cheeks, but do not reach the underside of the ears. Also on the throat, under the tail and on the legs and the chest. Tan markings on the chest should appear as two spots but a chest plate is acceptable. Ear cropping is no longer allowed in most countries. thumb|150px|Double dewclaws are a characteristic of the Beauceron. The Beauceron is unusual in having a double dewclaw. In order to be shown, a Beauceron must have double dewclaws that form well-separated "thumbs" with nails on each rear leg; anything less will result in disqualification from dog shows. The Beauceron's double dew claws are connected by bone (unlike most breeds) and some dogs are even able to flex each one individually. The Beauceron has no breed-specific health problems.