Historical
The Barbet, an astonishing story!
The question of the origin of a race is almost always impossible to answer.
establish. Overall, consider that the breeds of
dogs are as artificial as
the borders of men, and let us start from the fact that, in the Middle Ages, it was by the term
“barbet”, meaning bearded, which is a French version of water dog. He
This is a dog with long, curly hair that is particularly well adapted to water and climate.
rigorous. Written and iconographic sources suggest that it is widespread in
regions of Western Europe integrating biotopes favorable to birds
aquatic: at the time, marshy areas were much more widespread
than today!
We cannot therefore attribute a precise geographical origin to water dogs, even
if their early designation in French constitutes an indication more than a real one
argument. This is how we speak today of the barbet as the only water dog
French.
In 1694, the Dictionary of the French Academy attested that the expression “crotté comme un barbet” had become established in everyday language; but it is also said of a man who follows another everywhere, “that he follows him like a barbet.” » In the 17th and 18th centuries, it is very present in French literature and iconography. Throughout the 1st Empire, in France, the popularity of the barbet was particularly great within the regiments and many soldiers took their dog on campaign. It should be noted that at the time “poodle” and “barbet” represented, in the eyes of most people, the same dog! For a grunt of the Grande Armée, a big, big, well-curled, well-dirted poodle became a barbet and vice versa; hence some confusion.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the barbet was also used on board ships. It was used to bring back seabirds that were killed, or anything that could fall into the sea. If its descendant the poodle enjoyed success, the rustic barbet suffered a significant decline in the 20th century. The final blow was dealt to the breed by different factors: - the decline of waterfowl hunting. - the fashion for more versatile or English hunting dogs. - the elegance and refinement of poodles. - and finally , the requirements of its grooming.
In the 13th century, our regions were still covered with immense forests and agriculture was relatively undeveloped. On the other hand, hunting occupies a large place and is reserved for the nobility who own mastiffs and perhaps greyhounds. Barbet dogs are herd guardians, retrievers and therefore omnipresent in the countryside. Over the centuries, different types or families have been formed: spaniels and other “spaniels”, Portuguese water dogs, Newfoundlands, shepherds, griffons, briards, poodles, etc.
One of the oldest and most precise mentions of the barbet is found in a collection of tales from 1580: “The short story produces excellent traits of truth. » by the monk Philippe Le Picard. He mentions the “barbet dog”, “the most cheerful, the noblest, the most skillful, the kindest and the best learned that can be seen, even when it is to go to the water and catch any game. »
And he really almost disappeared completely; It was not until 1980 that some lovers of this dog founded the Club du Barbet and other water dogs. “Redips” with the poodle and other dogs of unknown origins made it possible to restart production which led in 1986, then in 1999, to the official publication of a new breed standard. Since then, little by little, the poodle's big brother has reappeared in our streets, our forests and... our podiums. But one thing is certain, there is no old or new barbet, there is only one kind of barbet which is the fruit of many breeders who love the breed.