Meet the Barbet
For many generations, hunters have sought a dog that was truly a dual-purpose hunter — a fine pointer for upland birds and a rugged waterfowl dog. All too often, efforts to develop such a breed have ended in one facet or the other being compromised. The results of these breeding efforts usually wound up with something that was a mediocre pointer and a fine duck dog or a top-notch pointer but a middling waterfowl hunter.
While some of the Continental breeds, known for their prowess on upland game, have made a valiant effort to be great on both upland birds and waterfowl — and several, in fact, are even eligible to run in AKC retriever hunt tests — it’s rare indeed that one of the dogs in these breeds is as good in the marsh as even a fair-to-middling retriever breed developed to hunt waterfowl. By the same token, despite all the hoopla about pointing Labradors and, to a much lesser extent, pointing Golden Retrievers among people who hunt with their dogs, I’ve yet to see one that had the bird-finding ability or the style that just an average pointer, setter or Brittany exhibits hunting upland birds.
It seems as though getting a really good pointer that is stellar on upland birds and a really good retriever that is a standout waterfowl hunter in the same dog has been, in the words of Rudyard Kipling in his 1892 collection of songs and poems “Barrack-Room Ballads,” a case of these efforts being “Never the twain shall meet.”
But some Frenchmen may have come the closest to creating this ideal combo, starting in the 14th Century with a reference in a 1387 book to what was to become known — albeit not very well known, at least among modern-day hunters and dog people in general — as the Barbet.
Gaia (Can Ch. Ginkgo De Cleo Grantham Gaia RI BCAT THDA CGC TKN), one of Stacy Able’s Barbet, has been successful in rally, Fast CAT and therapy work.
It wasn’t until the 16th Century that the breed was actually named Barbet, from “barbe,” French for “beard.” It is also thought to have been influential in the development of other breeds, as it is considered to be one of the ancestors of the Bichon, Newfoundland and Briard.
King Henry IV of France hunted with a Barbet, and his mistress was once reproached by the chancellor to Marie de Medici for attending church with “a fool, a monkey and a Barbet.” While this statement had some significant political overtones at the time, it did point out that the breed was a hunting dog with a difference, and modern-day owners have come to appreciate its versatility. Although the Barbet has been a fine hunting dog for hundreds of years, it is a rare breed today, but still is one of the top agility dogs in France. American owners have also been impressed with the breed’s versatility.
“Barbets love to do things with their owners and, being a medium-sized dog, do well in many different canine sports,” says Stacy Able, president of the Barbet Club of America. “We have many dogs participating in rally, obedience, Fast CAT, lure coursing, dock diving and more. Since the breed was developed to flush and retrieve, we’re hoping we’ll soon see some Barbet with hunt-test titles.”
Andi (Ch. Ethelred Good Karma de Ginkgo BCAT), another Able Barbet, found coursing to be something she thought was fun.
Able became enamored with the Barbet’s smart, clownish personality after her sister-in-law imported one from France in 2000. Since then, she has imported several. Noting that most Barbet have a healthy prey drive, which works well for lure coursing and dock diving, Able has had a great time participating in Fast CAT with Andi (Ch. Ethelred Good Karma de Ginkgo BCAT), and she hopes to start training with her and Gaia (Can Ch. Ginkgo De Cleo Grantham Gaia RI BCAT THDA CGC TKN) in agility and hunting. Able also owns Petra (GCh. Ginkgo De Zora Petra and Murray (Ch. Ginkgo de Gaia Murray BCAT TKN CGC).
The Barbet was developed to be a companion dog, which means they are suitable for many different performance activities, according to Judy Descutner, who owns Fia (Hickory Tavern Final Grade RN CAA THDN CGC), Flynn (GCh. Hickory Tavern Wish Upon a Star CM DX FDC) and Stava (Hickory Gavern Extravaganza RN FDC FCAT THDX RATO DMA DSA HDN CTCA “CGCU TKP), who she co-owns with Shane and Dan Catalano. Sports where her dogs have done very well include rally, obedience, coursing, dock diving and farm dog.
“Barbet are pretty easy to train,” she says. “Although they aren’t a high-drive breed, a sensitive handler can get a lot from them by making training fun and enjoyable. Barbet definitely don’t like being bored, and when a situation is stressful for them, some of them may shut down. Some of the performance sports area really loud with dogs barking, and that can affect a Barbet. It takes careful management to not have a chaotic environment affect them adversely.”
Susie Rohr’s Barbet, Harper (GChB Ginkgo de Ellis Lexington CM2 BN RI BCAT CGCA TKN), has been successful in the show ring as well as several performance activities, as she is the first in the breed in the U.S. to reach the grand-champion bronze level. But according to Rohr, dock diving was definitely not something Harper wanted to do.
“Since the breed is a water dog, I had to try dock diving,” she explains. “Well, it turned out that ‘Princess Harper’ refused to get wet. We tried all sorts of enticements, and it was still a ‘no go.’ We have never been able to overcome this issue with her. She doesn’t even like to go outside if it’s raining.”
Dock diving was definitely not on Harper’s list of fun things to do, as she hates water and doesn’t even like to go out in the rain.
Rohr agrees that Barbet are a sensitive breed. “They’re not shy, but they need positive reinforcement. If we work and work on a rally sign, for example, Harper will turn her head and just ignore me. I know then that I’ve tried too hard, and practice is over for that day. I’ve also found I can’t get frustrated with her, or she’ll shut down. I have to watch how I’m trying to train something with her. I have to keep everything very happy.”
An “icky pooh” response to water was not the case with Flynn, however. “I briefly trained her for a WC [working certificate] test,” Descutner says. “She did a fantastic job retrieving from the water, but she was completely thrown on the land by having a gunner in the field, and she dropped her bird. This was due to a lack of experience and training for both of us. I hope to give it another try when we’re better prepared, and maybe we’ll be successful next time. But it seems like there is never enough time to do all the things we want to do with our dogs.”
Unlike Harper, Judy Descutner’s Barbet Flynn (GCh. Hickory Tavern Wish Upon a Star CM DX FDC) loves water and is an accomplished dock diver.
Stacy Able notes that so far, at least, no Barbet has tried and been successful at field work. But a significant part of the problem, she says, is the difficulty in finding field trainers willing to take on working with a breed they know nothing about and have likely never seen. Another issue is finding field clubs that will welcome this rare breed for the same reasons pro trainers have shied away from working with Barbet. But, she says, she is hopeful that — as the breed itself as well as what the Barbet were developed to do becomes better known — the reluctance to work with a Barbet will diminish, and field trainers will figure out what “buttons” they have to push to successfully work with a Barbet in the field.
“To be perfectly candid, however, we have had some Barbets that were overly stubborn. They know what to do, but they have their own minds and will challenge you,” Able adds. “Often, we’ve found that taking a break and then ‘circling back’ a bit in their training works to rekindle their enthusiasm. They can be sensitive, so it’s important to keep that in mind in training. If it’s obvious that a Barbet doesn’t like a sport or activity, we move on with them. Being aware of your dog’s body language as well as keeping their mental and physical health in mind is more important than any ribbon or title.”
Descutner’s other Barbet, Fia (Hickory Tavern Final Grade RN CAA THDN CGC), found her niche chasing a lure.
Rohr says that the lack of familiarity with the breed in the dog world means that Barbet owners have a lot of education to do with judges and new owners.
“One of the things we have to overcome right away with people new to the breed and the general public is that the Barbet is an old, purebred breed. They are not ‘doodles,’” she notes. As for the show ring, “in the beginning, some conformation judges just did not know exactly what they wanted. There is definitely a variety of Barbet, and all of them are OK. Just because one is curlier than some of the others does not mean they are not deserving of wins in the show ring.”
Descutner says one of the problems she sees is that some people attracted to the Barbet because it is a new or rare breed are not much interested in respecting the tradition and hard work necessary to succeed, especially with a coated dog that requires a lot of preparation and attention.
“We have many new owners bringing home a Barbet,” Able says. “While it is wonderful to have so many people interested, and we should encourage newcomers, they may not understand the importance of training and prepping before they step into the ring. Every Barbet out there is representing the breed, and it’s important we do so properly. Grooming this breed is a big undertaking, even for pet owners, and we definitely should not be showing dogs that are matted. We need people vested in understanding the standard and how it applies to their Barbet. We need to help new Barbet owners find good mentors.”