The legs are straight and muscular. The Briard has a double coat which includes a soft, dense, felt-like undercoat which protects against extreme cold and a coarse, dry, hard outer coat that sheds rain and snow in winter and insulates against heat in summer. The Briard does not shed its outer coat as do other breeds. Coat colors come in gray, black and tawny. Long dark hair hangs from the ears and blends with a heavy beard of the same color.
Hair also falls from the eyebrows across the muzzle and down the side of the face.
Unlike most other breeds, the Briard retains double rear dewclaws. The tail is long, well covered with hair and has an upward hook at the tip. The movement of the Briard is powerful and agile. The average height is between 22 and 27 inches and the average weight is 75 pounds. They are loving and kind but will defend those in their charges to the death if need be.