The barbet, a medium-sized French water dog, is a special breed. These are dogs with many good qualities and it therefore comes as no surprise to find that this breed has a growing number of human fans. Barbets do well under varied living conditions. They are wonderful family dogs that enjoy playing with children and other family members, and are also good working dogs. Barbet dogs are energetic and extremely friendly. This means that they prefer company. They are not dogs that will simply lie around all day. Barbets want to walk, play, work – in short, they are active dogs that are keen to please their owners and play a social role in a family. It makes no difference whether they live in the town or the country, as long as they have enough daily exercise and attention.  They are just as calm and quiet in the home as they are energetic out of doors. These are very relaxed dogs that never make a nervous impression. They will not bark unnecessarily, but only if something really unusual is happening.

Barbets were originally water dogs, bred to retrieve waterfowl. Their love of retrieval and of water is therefore in their blood, as our Toutes shows here at the age of five months. Toutes loves water and therefore takes a dip almost every day, regardless of how cold it is.


The barbet’s curly coat is an additional advantage. Barbets do not shed hair, which is a benefit for people who are allergic to dog hair. Naturally their coats do need care. The amount depends on the length of the coat. A long-haired barbet will need a weekly brush to keep the coat from tangling, while a barbet with a short coat will obviously need far less brushing. I personally like to keep the coat shorter in summer and slightly longer in winter. A trimmed barbet looks very athletic and it is always a surprise when the thick coat comes off and our ‘woolly bear’ turns into an athletic hunting dog!’ At shows, of course, a barbet is expected to have a fine long coat.