Reeds Fowling Amelia- Barbet dog

Look at this beautiful Barbet, she is the sister of my Martha.....

Obi at 11 months

Obi, otherwise known as red collar for several weeks is another boy from Bepop and Jedi. He has turned into a gentle chap probably because he lives with young children. His beard is like his Mum, who is coming up to 8 years old and has never had her beard trimmed.

Rugby the Barbet

If you look carefully you will see a hand holding Rugby, he is a rather lively boy and my camera just doesn't have a good shutter speed!. So a good photo of his nose to start, taking him to get confirmed could be quite a weekend as one can imagine how fast he will go round a ring.....He is a lovely charactor which is what is important.

Barbet dog history

This was written in 1881 and we now have some more images of the Grand Barbet 'Lowe'

The name barbet , which for three centuries was given to all the setting dogs with long hair, was replaced since by that of caniche, so the origin of the name is obviously duck. For a long time cane [male duck .fr] indicated the male barbet , and caniche the female. But the barbet is not a poodle, the blind dog. In certain aptitudes for hunting, the barbet has a little of the spaniel and the griffon, and much of the poodle by its aspect and its conformation. Like the spaniel, this dog originates from the sheepdog of the north. Over time, crossings and the climate, the barbet became what it is nowadays. I do not believe that the breed is well fixed; what causes me has to think this are the differences that one frequently finds in it. At the Dog Show of 1863, there was a prime barbet, Lowe owned by Mr. Favre. This dog had a head which slightly resembled a small Newfoundland, only the ears were longer and were covered with wool, but the muzzle, a little longer, was almost bare; long hair did not cover the eyes, as is found in almost all barbets.

The barbet, such as I know it, is of average size, strong enough to bring back a hare; its body, is entirely covered with long wool which falls down in front of the eyes. The ears are long, less long however than those of the poodle; though very squat, it is higher on legs than the poodle. The foot is large and broad. The eyes, set round in the head, when one sees them under the hair which hides them, have a strange expression which reveals much intelligence and kindness. I have never looked at the eyes, so full with devotion, of a poodle or of a barbet without feeling attracted towards him, without stroking him.

Is a Barbet a Gundog?

Martha surprised me on Saturday, so her new title will be Amazing Martha.
We have been on a new shoot which is quite near us and they were short of beaters so we went along, sadly Bepop is a bit big for this shoot as due to the distances we cover, sometimes a landrover is needed so the size of dog is very relevant. Anyway back to Martha......On the 5th drive of the day she appeared along a track with a huge cock bird that had only a leg injury, this was her first experience of a warm bird and to add a very large alive bird and she presented it to me beautifully, a very proud moment :). I didn't think the day would get better but on the last drive, when we were all exhausted as it had been a tough day with only 6 beaters and 2 dogs, a Spinione and a Barbet , amazing Martha worked like she had never done before.The last drive is called the the Water meadows, and with all the rain and flooding it was extremely wet!!!!, she worked the hedge without any instruction and flushed the birds and as she was doing all the work I got out my camera, and suddenly she appeared with a shot bird, so there you have it, Martha excelling at a job. At the end of the day she got a few more pats than normal from the guns, and a few more asking, ''what is your dog again?''   .

Countdown has started for Barbet Bepop

Well we have 7 days to wait (ish) and we are 2/3 through decorating but 2/3s is better than 1/3 so I am hopeful we may still get it done!. Bepop is sporting a rather short trim as when I got her on the table to trim her short she was in fairness as good as gold but I could see her discomfort, I did allow her to lie down but she still looked uncomfortable so out came the clippers. She is such a lovely shape that if I may say so myself I quite like her short, and should she have lots of puppies there will be advantages, at least she will be less likely to crush one as she will now feel it. She went to the vets yesterday for a check, and she has put on 6.5kg, although you wouldn't know it watching her running around the garden and still trying to leap the gate. As the countdown starts, she is definately getting more soppy, she wants more cuddles and her life is food, food and more food.   The whelping box is still in pieces on the dining room table, tomorrow hopefully it will be ready. I will try and get some more photos tomorrow,

Novaforesta Duplo

I had a lovely visit today, from Duplo and family.Duplo met Martha and  I would say he was rather bemused by her, she desperately wanted a mad run around the garden and he was enjoying the smells in the garden (remember Betsy and Bepop in season!). Duplo is a very calm boy, wonderful to groom and bath and it was great to catch up with his owners. Duplo also has a crochet hook at the end of his tail, similar to a Briard, not many Barbets have this.  

Hallie and her Dad, Eton the brave!

At long last, Hallie met her Dad and she loved him. It wasn't love at first sight as Eton was a bit too playful and she was a little scared but after a couple of hours of grooming she saw him in a different light and the roles were reversed and Eton was looking slightly harassed by a very playful daughter. 

Grandma Betsy

Early Barbet stud

Marquis 1934

So why wasn't this stud ever used? or maybe he was and there are no records for him.
I like him, but that is because at the moment I am working Bepop more as a land dog than a waterdog so I am attracted to dogs that look like they can do a days work on the land (with no grooming!).
Marquis would struggle swimming all day, he is a classic barbet griffon, a time in our barbet history of transition.

Barbet D'arret History

Its rare to see actual photographs of our breed. This photo is from the book ''Dogs of all Nations'' by  Bylandt, a well respected man also known as the Father of the breed standards. The 1904 version of the book also shows three illustations of barbets and has the breed standard in English, French, German and Dutch. The Boulet (Griffon a poil long) and the Korthals are also listed. In this slice of history the Boulet was accepted as brown and white, not just brown. This photo accompanies the barbet standard in Dutch. Bylandt would have certainly known the difference between a barbet and a poodle, his poodle Ajax was featured in the book. Very pleased to see so much coverage of the barbet, and no mention of the pwd, swd, or the lagotto; it would have been good to see how they looked. One final word, this barbet seems almost to be sporting a spaniel trim, which makes me feel better as for working that`s how I trim Bepop.