The story of the Barbet is long and impressive. References to the breed are throughout history, doing various jobs, with various historical lineage, always referenced with respect and admiration. After so many centuries of serving man in so many capacities, the Barbet is not a common nor well known breed. A victim of the changes of the history he helped shape, the Barbet was nearly extinct after both the Great War (WWI) and WWII. Through the efforts of a very devoted few, this old breed is slowly being reborn as a dog for the future.
The Barbet is a French water dog and the breed’s name “Barbet” comes from the French word barbe, which means beard. It has been said that the French Royals have been hunting with Barbet for all time. The Barbet has also worked as sailor’s assistants, much like the Portuguese Water Dog.
The first certain reference to the breed occurs in the fourteenth century when a gascon count speaks of them in a book written in 1387.
The earliest attempt at categorizing the Barbet was in 1570 with De Canibus Britannicus. Originally written in latin by Dr Johannes Caius who was Queen Elizabeth’s doctor. Translated to English in 1576, a group of dogs for hunting and fowling called Aucupatorii were: setter, waterdog and water spaniel.
Sixteenth-century cynologist Fouilloux dubbed him the Barbet, from barbe, a French designation for beard; his pseudonym, laineux., translates into woolly.
This breed has contributed to the French language “être crotté comme un Barbet”—to be very, very muddy. Perhaps it is their impishness that entices them to muddy, swampy places, giving them the nickname of “Mud Dog.”
Painting of Barbet by Sydenham
Henry IV of France (1553-1610); king of France (1589-1610) was enthusiastic about all sorts of hunting, and he enjoyed waterfowling with his Barbet.
In 1587, Henry IV’s mistress, Corisande, was reproached by Monsieur de Bellieure Chancellor to Marie de Medici, for attending church in the company of “a fool, a monkey and a Barbet”. Though his comments had political overtones the mention of the Barbet has it’s own significance. We see the Barbet was a hunting dog with a difference.
In the early 1700′s, François-Marie Arouet, more commonly known as Voltaire, the french philosopher was quoted as saying “The Barbet is man’s best friend….”
Charles Diguet’s La Chasse au Marais (Paris: E.Dentu, 1889), p. 230. shows the water spaniel in full form. He observes that Water Spaniels are courageous, fast, indifferent to icy water where they’re happy to stay for hours, possess a keen natural retrieve; their sole fault is they’re a bit hard-mouthed.
A second name for the Barbet was: Griffon d’arrêt à Poil Laineux (wooly- haired pointer) as mentionned in the Larousse Universel (1922); Littré’s dictionary (1878 edition) which still exists and still mentions the Barbet, and La Sauvagine, Feb. 1995.
References abound as far to the Barbet’s intelligence, and fearlessness of very cold water. The only member in the water dog family to point, the Barbet was used for waterfowl hunting to such a degree that a saying of the day was “Muddy as a Barbet”, referring to the dogs appearance after hunting in the marshes. However, from the beginning this specially bred dog exhibited a loyalty and friendliness that made him a companion dog of choice. Nevertheless, the Barbet is rated as the number Four “Agility Dog” in France, just ahead of the Tervueren, one of four varieties of Belgian Shepherd Dogs.
The Barbet has been used in breeding several breeds, for example the Briard and the Newfoundland. But although the Barbet has been used in breeding other breeds, the Barbet itself almost died out. Before World War II there were two Barbet breeders in France and to these breeders’ knowledge there were not any other breeders. One of the breeders was Doctor Vincenti. After World War II there were only a few Barbets left and more than 20 years later breeding of the Barbet was started again. It was the daughter of Dr. Vincenti, Madame Petre, who started breeding Barbet again on the basis of the Barbet that she could find and which were descendants of Barbet bred by her father.
Today, the Barbet, although rare and in still endangered, continues to delight and amaze people around with world with it’s agility, propensity to water and its versatile field and water abilities. With such an extensive historical lineage, the Barbet is a timeless and classic breed of canine.
In summary, the Barbet is an integral part of dog history, and many familiar breeds have Barbet in their ancestry. Depending on geography and necessity, the Barbet connected through the centuries in various capacities, and as a companion dog.
The versatile nature of the Barbet has meant its survival, and today’s Barbet still has the assets attributed to it from the past.
© Mrs Paula Ballak
Below is a brief history of the Barbet from 1891 to 1970, when Mrs Pêtre, Dr Vincenti’s daughter, was offered a Barbet and decided to start breeding again.
The standard was written in 1891 by J de Coninck, president of the Société Havraise pour l’Amélioration des Races de Chiens. He thought the Barbet was more of a water dog than a gundog. The Barbet was in the FCI/SCC 7th group until 1986 along with the Griffon Korthals of which he was one of the founding fathers along with the Griffon Boulet. He also participated in the making of the Berger de Beauce along with the Briard and the Poodle.
1920-1930: Le Houelleur
M Le Houelleur, an SCC judge and hunter decided to acquire a Barbet and used him to hunt in the many areas of France he lived in and travelled through. He had already seen Barbets working in the Somme, the North of France, the Loiret, the Causses area and saw how quickly they adapted to the terrain. He became a breeder. His kennel name was Floirac, town where their family home was and still is, in Dordogne where the family spends holidays and summers together to this day.
1930-1940: Le Houelleur/Dr Vincenti
The kennel name “Mas de la Chapelle”, was registered at the SCC in 1933 by Dr Vincenti. The 2 dogs he used as foundation stock were Hourie de Floirac and Iff de Floirac from M Le Houelleur.
Hourie de Floirac: b. 15/8/33 out of Beseff de Floirac and Piram ( Barbet that came from a kennel in the Somme area of France)
46cms/20kgs/coat white with black, woolly.
Qualities:
* hunted remarquably well
* natural retriever
* very intelligent
* excellent model
Iff de Floirac: b. 6/3/ 34 out of Beseff de Floirac and Piram
55.5 cms/woolly coat, black heads, white moustache, good nose, very affectionate
Defects:
* sometimes a bit stubborn
* too tall
* too good looking
* too distinguished (!!!)
These 2 Barbets had 3 litters. Joyeuse was born in one of those litters.
39 pups were born in the Mas de la Chapelle.
Joyeuse du Mas de la Chapelle: b. 7/3/35
48.5cms/20.4kgs/wooly coat/ white with black on the croup
Qualities:
* very intelligent
* gay/expansive/an ideal Barbet
* only problem could be that her head is not round enough.
Joyeuse is probably the most well-known Barbet of that time because she was presented at many dog shows.
Dr Vincenti kept very strict records on each dog he produced in his kennel book that is available to us for perusal.
Example of overall remarks about the dogs: The dogs were white with black (as opposed to several of M Le Houlleur’s who were black with white). Good hunters/Very intelligent/flexible/ affectionate. Head length 20 cms/ woolly coats.
Records were kept on all the dogs as far as morphology (positive and negative points), colors, measurements, ability to hunt and character.
Unfortunately, as in other breeds, WWII did a lot of damage (and to dogs, too!) and it was difficult to find good quality dogs to keep the line going. M Le Houelleur had sold his last Barbet and stopped breeding in 1941 and Dr Vincenti had died. In the North of France, the numerous Barbets were just about exterminated after the war.
Just about doesn’t mean completely as it was known that there were still a few Barbets, mainly in the south of France. No one, unfortunately has ever looked into what stock could be left in the north of France, Belgium or the Netherlands as it is a tedious and time-consuming task. No one can say either or prove that the breed was extinct unless one has turned over every stone in the countries where there were Barbets starting at the beginning of the 20th century who most likely reproduced at some point.
1940-1960’s: The Ayme brothers
Very few births were registered at the SCC, but a few doing their best so as not render the breed extinct. Barbet were used for hunting and not for attending dog shows. The document below was taken from M Hermans’ Club du Barbet review no.2
As far as the Barbet was concerned, breeding went forward for a few years with the Ayme brothers, who lived in the mas (Mas de la Musique), next to the Vincenti family’s Mas de la Chapelle. They were far away from Paris and the SCC, and didn’t feel concerned with dog shows or beauty, the Barbet was a working hunter and that was their reason for being. Eventually, new blood had to be found as they were confronted to the inbreeding problem one has with not enough different blood. Thanks to Quesop (Portuguse water dog) brought back from Portugal, in a truck full of bulls! and mated to Bella, breeding was continued.
There are numerous family photos where the resemblance with Dr Vincenti’s Barbets is striking. Resemblance/phenotype that was continued, for lack of genetic proof so necessary to some …
In the late 1960’s M Le Houelleur who had been corresponding with Miss Postigo wrote an article about the Barbet, published in the SCC official review.
In 1970, Miss Postigo who lived in Marseille and worked closely with the Ayme brothers offered Mrs Pêtre one of her father’s Barbets’ descendants named Thais. Mrs Pêtre decided to start breeding again.
S’Gandar was the son of Quesop and Bella from the Ayme brothers. They were mated. Bella was the daughter of Thian and Tahio who in turn were son and daughter of Kino du Mas de la Chapelle and Lita. And a long line of descendants was started. Some successful, some less as is the case with most breeders.
Mrs Pêtre was helped in her endeavour by several willing people until the early 80’s, when M Hermans had decided to re-incarnate the Buffon Barbet from 1776, by crossing T.I. dogs found in shelters with poodles and more poodles and discarding all of the Griffon Barbets in the south of France along with their breeders, descendants of Dr Vincenti and M Le Houelleur’s Barbets from the 30’s. The Barbet war had began and is ongoing to this date, 30 years later.
With facts, true history, original documents, photographs of lines and true pedigrees being made available to all of us, perhaps there will be a solution found at some point in the future. In the meantime, you as a reader, can make your own opinion and not rely on someone else’s.
For more documents and facts, please refer to :
Barbet: French National Treasure
The historians and canine authors referred to, for information and history include the following:
http://chiensdeau.free.fr/BarbetenBresse/articles.php?pg=art151
This document cannot be used, reproduced, modified or copied, even partially, without EXPRESS WRITTEN consent of the owner.
© Mrs Elaine Fichter 2010 Barbet Historian
