Barbet
About the Barbet
Temperament
Physical Characteristics
| Size Category | Medium (25-50 lbs) |
|---|---|
| Height | 19-25" |
| Weight | 35-65 lbs |
| Coat Type | Curly |
| Coat Length | Medium |
| Colors | |
| Hypoallergenic | Yes |
Care Requirements
Exercise Needs
High (60-90 min/day)
60 minutes per day recommended
Grooming
Regular - 2-3x/week
Mental Stimulation
★★★★★Needs plenty of mental challenges
Drooling
★★★★★Living Conditions
Cost of Ownership
| Purchase Price | $2,500-$4,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual Cost | $1,600/year |
Costs vary based on location, breeder, and individual needs. Annual costs include food, veterinary care, grooming, and supplies.
Health Considerations
Like all breeds, Barbets may be prone to certain health conditions:
Regular veterinary check-ups and proper care can help prevent or manage many health issues.
Best For
- Families with Children
- First-Time Owners
- Active Owners
- Allergy Sufferers
May Not Be Ideal For
- Long Work Hours Away
- Sedentary Lifestyles
Guides for your Barbet
The story behind the Barbet
Rough-coated water dogs of Barbet type appear in French records and art across several centuries, used in marshes and river country to retrieve waterfowl for hunters working first with nets and later with guns. The type sits near the root of a broad family of European water dogs and woolly-coated breeds, and it has been proposed as an ancestor to several of them, including poodle-type dogs. Numbers fell severely through the twentieth century, and the two world wars nearly eliminated the breed. French enthusiasts rebuilt the population from a small remnant in the later 1900s, the standard was revised, and interest gradually spread to other countries. The Barbet is now recognised by the FCI and other registries and remains uncommon, kept mainly as a companion and occasional gundog.
Originally bred for: Retrieving, Waterfowl hunting, Companion. You can trace how working roles shaped today’s breeds across our dog guides.
Feeding a Barbet
An active medium water dog needs quality adult food that sustains a dense coat and steady working energy, with intake matched to how much swimming and fieldwork actually happens. Because the coat hides body shape completely, condition is best assessed by hand rather than by eye.
Watch for: Woolly-coated water breeds commonly show food reactions through skin and ears, and constant swimming with heavy ear feathering makes ear irritation an ongoing theme worth distinguishing from diet. No specific ingredient is implicated. Discuss suspected triggers and elimination trials with a veterinarian.
Mealtime extras: training treats worth keeping in your pocket. Everything else lives in our dog nutrition and feeding hub.
Living with a Barbet
Day to day, the basics matter most: how much exercise your dog needs, how often to get out for a walk, and how much sleep is normal.
For play and enrichment, browse our favorite dog toys and interactive toys for rainy days.
Gear that fits the breed makes life easier: a well-sized dog bed, a properly sized crate.
Raising a puppy? Work through crate training and the teething timeline — or see how old your dog is in human years with our dog age calculator.