Barbet | French water dog | Barbet News

Welcome the American Barbet website. This site is here to help educate, aid, and promote the preservation and continuation of the Barbet, French water dog, in America. Without your help, the Barbet, ancestral breed of the Poodle, Briard, and many others, will be forgotten. As of 2010, there are less than 50 known Barbet in the States. The first recorded litter was born in the States in the 1990's. In 2004, there was a litter of 8, 2007 there were litters of 7 and 1. In 2009 there was one litter of 6. Primary difficulties for this breed are limited exposure, designer dogs, and sparse knowledge. To help this breed thrive, explore this site and others to learn about the Barbet.

The Barbet is not for everyone.  Although an affectionate and loving companion, excellent as a family pet, its' high maintence coat (grooming), its' instinct for hunting and retrieving, and its' extreme intelligence require the Barbet to have consistent training, exercise, discipline and owner dedication.

Being the Barbet is a rare breed, breeders are cautious where the pups go. They don't want to find out down the line they have been used for a designer dog. Almost all Barbet have a spay/neuter contract as even though there are low numbers, every barbet is not right for breeding.

Due to the extremely low number of Barbet in the world, little is known about long term health issues. Some issues that have exhibited themselves are ear infections, hip dysplasia, hernias, undescended testicles, undershot/overshot bites, Liver shunt, thyroid issues, and epilepsy. Of the few health issues that have exhibited themselves, most problems can be traced back 4-6 generations. Often this is due to limited breeding stock. The most common of these issues are ear infections, a problem in most water dog varieties. Ear problems can be minimized by proper ear care. A veterinarian should be consulted if the dog shows signs of an ear infection. Lifespan of the Barbet averages 13-15 years with one recently passing away at age 19.

If you are wanting to rescue a barbet, there simply are very few barbet and even fewer rescues. If you want a dog with similar looks and character and do not care if it is a purebreed check out this site: www.poomixrescue.com/rescuedogs_adopted.html

If you are interested in saving the Barbet Français from extinction and you feel strongly about its history, then wait for a pup. Please email: me, for puppy news from the United States of America. You will get what you pay for: genotype and phenotype. Average cost of a Barbet in North America is $2000. If you import from Europe keep in mind the cost to fly over there and pick the dog up.

 

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