Journée du Beauceron

The Journée du Beauceron is a prestigious event celebrating the versatility of the Beauceron, France’s iconic herding and guardian breed. Modeled after the French “Journée du Beauceron” organized by Club Les Amis du Beauceron (the breed’s official French club), these gatherings combine conformation (morphology) evaluations, temperament testing, and demonstrations of working ability.

At the heart of this system is the Cotation – a selective rating that benchmarks a Beauceron’s quality across morphology, character, health, and performance. Cotations serve as a “stamp of approval” for breeding stock, ensuring the preservation of the breed’s working heritage, soundness, and type. Cotations emphasize the Beauceron’s role as a balanced working dog: robust, intelligent, and unflappable.

Whether you’re entering a puppy, adult, or senior, understanding Cotations helps set realistic goals and highlights pathways to elite status like COT 4 (Recommandé – Recommended).


Rules & Regulations

    • The Journee is open to all Beaucerons and owners regardless of their membership status with the WBA.

    • Entries are limited to the first 70 dogs to sign-up.

    • All entries must be received, mail or online, by June 1, 2026. All entries received after the deadline will incur a $50.00/entry fee. Day-of entries will be allowed as space permits for an additional $50.00/entry.

    • Cropped dogs may only compete in states/countries where cropping remains legal.

    • At no point may dogs be hand stacked, all dogs must stand freely and naturally.

    • Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated at this event. Any complaints filed to the Journee Committee regarding unsportsmanlike conduct will result in your immediate removal from the event without refund.

    • All entrants and spectators, regardless of membership status with the WBA, are subject to the WBA Member Code of Ethics.

    • No dog under 4 months of age may participate.

    • All dogs must be registered with the American Kennel Club, Canadian Kennel Club, or FCI

    • All dogs must have a microchip that will be verified during both the temperament test and morphology.

    • A copy of your Registration Certificate or Certified Pedigree must be included with your entry form.

    • All ages from 4 months and up may participate but only dogs aged 12 months and up will be eligible for Cotations.

    • All OFA results must be publicly available on OFA’s website. (Rewritten as: Hips and elbow health certifications must be submitted with application or publicly available on a website like OFA.)

    • Health results acquired in a different country must be submitted with official passing certifications and will be approved on a case-by-case basis. 

    • COT5 and COT6 will only be awarded at the Journée du Beauceron hosted by the Working Beauceron Association. Applications must be made at least 60 days in advance.

    • Dogs being presented for COT4 at the Journée du Beauceron must be at least 15 months of age and entered in the adult classes. You must bring all certifications and evaluation forms with you for verification.

    • Please refer to the American Cotations page for more information on qualifying for cotations. (I will be working on this as well)

    • Contents of all evaluations become property of the Working Beauceron Association and will be published in the Working Beauceron Association Newsletter. Evaluations may also be used and/or published at a future date.

    • Video and Audio recording may be present during any aspects of the event. By entering or spectating any portion of the event, you may be subject to video and audio recording of yourself or your dog by the Working Beauceron Association.

    • Pictures, video or audio recordings of a dog or handler by anyone other than the Working Beauceron Association is strictly prohibited except when permission has been granted by the owner/handler.

Register

Puppy Classes

    • Bébé (4-6 months)

    • Puppy (6-9 months)

    • Jeune (9-18 months)

    • No temperament test

    • Puppies will participate only in the morphology evaluations

    • Puppies Rankings:

      • Disqualife (Disqualified)

      • Bon (Good)

      • Prometteur (Promising)

      • Tres Prometteur (Very Promising)

    • Only puppies which have received Tres Promettuer may move on to compete in the classes.

  • Puppy Morphology $80/entry

    *No additional fee for classes

    **All Working Beauceron Association Members will receive a 10% discount on all entered dogs they own. Please consult the Journée Committee for your coupon code.

Classes

Adult Classes

    • Intermédiaire (15-24 months)

    • Ouverte (15+ months)

    • Travail (15+ months plus original working certification see below for more info)

    • Vétéran (8+ years)

    • Champion (must be a recognized champion in work or conformation)

    • Altered (+15 months, sexually altered, and ineligible for Best in Journee)

    • Dogs which have already received a COT4 may skip the measurements and character test and move directly to the classes.

    • From 15 months and up, the choice is left to the owner between Juene, Intermédiaire, Ouverte and Travail class, depending on the maturity of the dog.

    • Any dog which is sexually altered must compete in the Altered class or For Exhibition Only. Altered dogs will not compete for Best in Journee but can win Best Altered.

    • Dogs may be entered For Exhibition Only (FEO) in either Temperament, Morphology, or Both. The dog will not be eligible to compete in the classes when entered FEO.

    • Travail Class Qualifications include:

      • French Ring 1 -3

      • Mondioring 1-3

      • PSA 1-3

      • 2 Passing IGP Scores at the same level under 2 different judges

      • Herding (started or level 1) on any course/stock

      • 2 Passing Tracking Scores at the same level under 2 different judges

      • Current Search and Rescue Certification

      • Current Detection Certification

      • ***Proof of title or certification must be included with your entry form.

    • Only dogs which have received Excellent+ may move on to compete in the classes.

    • The group shot test is compulsory for all Excellent + dogs, except for dogs already COT4.

    • Adult Rankings:

      • Disqualife (Disqualified)

      • Bon (Good)

      • Tres Bon (Very Good)

      • Excellent 

      • Excellent + (Morphology only)

    • Adult Morphology & Temperament $100/entry

    • For Exhibition Only - 1 Evaluation $70/entry

    • For Exhibition Only - Both Evaluations $80/entry

    *No additional fee for classes

    **All Working Beauceron Association Members will receive a 10% discount on all entered dogs they own. Please consult the Journée Committee for your coupon code.

Additional Classes

    • Breeder

      • At least 3 but no more than 5 dogs

      • Male or female

      • Produced from the same breeder already entered in individual classes.

      • Ranking will be given to the breeder based on the homogeneity and overall breed type of the group as a whole.

    • Producer

      • A male or female dog

      • Accompanied by a minimum of 3 but no more than 5 of their 1st generation descendants already entered in individual classes.

      • Ranking will be given to the owner of the Producer based on the homogeneity and overall breed type of the group as a whole.

  • Add later

    • Adult Morphology & Temperament $100/entry

    *No additional fee for classes

    **All Working Beauceron Association Members will receive a 10% discount on all entered dogs they own. Please consult the Journée Committee for your coupon code.