Indian Bull Terrier is originated from United Kingdom but Briard is originated from France. Indian Bull Terrier may grow 13 cm / 5 inches shorter than Briard. Indian Bull Terrier may weigh 10 kg / 22 pounds lesser than Briard. Both Indian Bull Terrier and Briard has almost same life span. Both Indian Bull Terrier and Briard has almost same litter size. Indian Bull Terrier requires Low maintenance. But Briard requires High maintenance
Not much is known of the dog breed crossings that James Hinks carried out to get the Indian Bull Terrier. It is believed that he used the old English Bulldog, the English White Terrier and even the Dalmatian and Greyhound.
The dog comes from the UK but was later introduced to India. The Indian Bull Terrier, known as the Indian gladiator was introduced to India by the British Colonial Forces. The dog was developed from British dogs, namely Irish and English strains of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the original English White Terrier and the Hinks Bullterrier breed. The legacy of Hinks is known worldwide – he is known as the one who mixed white terriers to bull dogs to make bull terriers. He made a breed that was the base breed of the egg shaped head bull terriers we see today.
The dog is similar in looks to the old type English Bullterrier. The dog has always been valued as a fighter and as a watchdog.
Through myth and legend, the Briard is thought to be a very ancient dog. A French herding breed, a Briard type of dog appears in writings as early as the end of the 14th century. According to legends the Briard was owned by Napoleon, Charlemagne, Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. As a cross between the Barbet and the Beauceron, the Briard came into popularity following its appearance in a Paris dog show in 1863. Bred originally to guard and herd sheep, these intelligent, independent dogs were often left on their own. Because they both guarded and herded, their size and structure as well as their personalities were different from other dogs that worked sheep. Those that herded only were fast, agile and smaller. Those that only guarded were heavier, bigger and stronger. The Briard was in-between these two types of breeds. He was well suited to any kind of farm work and guarded the crops from the sheep’s desire to eat them. They moved the sheep from one grazing area to another and then to their holding area at night. No humans had to assist the Briard in this work once they were trained.
During World War 1, the Briards were drafted into service as messengers, sentries and search dogs for lost or injured soldiers. In that time frame the breed served almost to the point of extinction. Breeding programs following the war brought them back. Today the Briard is a home companion, a police dog, as well as both military and civilian search and rescue dogs.
The Indian Bully is a powerful, muscular, athletic and aggressive breed. He is a medium sized dog standing at roughly 46 cm to 56cm and weighs in the region of 20 – 30kg, both male and female.
As a Molosser, he has a strong, lean body with fairly long legs. Because of the white coat, quite a lot of them are born deaf and they also have skin allergies. The coat of the Indian Bull Terrier is short and smooth and nearly always white although you may well find some small dark markings on the coat. While solid white is the more common color, tan, red-brown and brindle can also be seen. He has the traditional egg-shaped head, erect ears, slanted eyes and long tail.
Your robust Indian Bull Terrier is a fearless dog, and where he has always been used for fighting in India and Pakistan, they are seeing the value of owning him as a pet too.
He is a loving, devoted pet, regarded as a bit of a clown. He is active and intelligent and apart from him wanting a lot of exercise, he just loves being with his human family, being involved with their hike, walks, ball games and swimming.
Being such a robust, active breed, he isn't suited to life in the city where the home is tiny and with little space to run. He is also strong-willed and maybe this characteristic of his might prove to be a bit of a handful for the first time dog owner.
He will need to receive early training and socialization, more so when there are children in the home. He can be inclined towards aggressiveness. They are capable of bonding with kids in the home but they can lean towards aggressiveness with other children.
The Briard is a powerful, intelligent and independent working dog. They have a straight topline and their height is almost the same as their length. They have long, large, rectangular heads with wide muzzles. Their noses are also square and jet black while their side set, large eyes can be black-brown or black. Their ears have traditionally been cropped but with more countries outlawing it, they can now have natural ears set high on the head. They have a tail that is feathered and low-cut. The feet of a Briard are round, compact and large.
The Briard is a double coated breed with a long beard and mustache. Their hair completely covers the head and the eyes so that they are not seen. They have prominent eyebrows as well.
Indian Bull Terriers are affectionate, playful 4-legged family members. They are loyal, protective and social and will get on well with their own human family members but not necessarily with strangers.
Precautions need to be taken around visitors who aren't familiar with the dog. He is powerful and energetic and must be trained and socialized to become the obedient, loving, loyal pet he is known to be.
As mentioned previously the Briard is intelligent and independent. They are also loyal, rugged, protective and bond intensely with their humans. They are often aloof when it comes to strangers or even when new furniture is introduced into the household. They have to learn that anything new into the family environment is friendly and good. They are great with children and susceptible to separation anxiety because of their deep affection for their people. Socialization for puppies is a must. This will let them know that people and children, other dogs in general are not harmful to their families. They have great memories and once they learn something – right or wrong – it is almost impossible to change it. They were bred to be independent thinkers who acted on their own conclusions. This is still true of the breed today, making them appear to be stubborn.
They are great watchdogs, fearless and brave; willing to learn, eager to make you happy. They are basically gentle but that always runs up against their protective nature. A strong alpha leader is needed to handle this hard-working dog.
With love and good care, your Indian Bull Terrier can reach up to 14 years of age and even more.
If you own the white Indian Bull Terrier, you need to keep in mind that deafness is found in many white dogs. Another concern for your white dog is sun protection. Whether white or one of the other shades, your dog has short, sparse hair and spending hours in the sun can be hazardous to him and he can suffer with serious sunburn. Serious sunburn can lead to other complications such as cancer.
Being a large breed, the Briard shares many of the same health concerns as other large breeds. They have a few of their own as well. Typical issues for a Briard might include:
Progressive Retinal Atrophy/Degeneration –degeneration of the photoreceptors and retina.
Your Indian Bull Terrier has a short coat and he doesn't thrive in cold, damp weather. When its really cold, keep him indoors or put a sweater on when he needs to go outdoors.
Give him a nice, warm, dry place to sleep and ensure that if he goes outside, there is both sun and shady spots for him to lie.
This is a low maintenance dog, so a twice-weekly brush will do him the world of good. It will get rid of loose hair, he will love the closeness the brushing provides and the brushing will keep his coat shiny and healthy.
If you have a white Indian Bull Terrier, if he has dirty marks on his coat, you can just wipe him down with a damp cloth.
Remember to do regular checks on his ears and teeth too. Tooth decay can bring on a host of illnesses for your pet.
If you are going to be giving your pet commercially manufactured dog food, make sure its the best there is.
Your Indian Bull Terrier is an active dog and you want to make sure that he remains healthy and active for the 10 to 14 years that he is with you. If you're unsure as to how to feed your pet, speak to your vet.
It will always be to your pets benefit to feed him some homemade food too and cooked chicken, brown rice and pasta and vegetables will keep his eyes bright and alert. If you can, try to add in some raw meat into his kibble too as this helps to keep his skin healthy. Never ever leave him without a constant supply of fresh, cool water.
It is best to feed the Briard smaller meals 2-3 times a day to prevent bloat. Feed 3-4 cups total for the day of a dry dog food that is high quality and made for large breeds.
Stationary Night Blindness – Congenital limited vision in the dark can vary from slight difficulty moving to complete inability to see in the dark.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy/Degeneration – Can lead to night blindness, limited or total blindness. Puppies with the disease can be blind before their first birthday.
Bloat (Gastric Torsion) – Stomach is distended and twists. Fatal if not treated quickly. Caused by eating a large meal quickly and either exercise immediately or drink a large amount of water right after eating.
Von Willebrand’s Disease – Blood clotting disorder leads to excessive bleeding. There is no cure, but it is manageable.
The Briard is a working dog and as such needs a job. They excel at agility, flyball, herding, obedience, confirmation and tracking. They need exercise and make excellent service dogs for people with disabilities and therapy dogs for those in emotional need.