It was first shown at the first Paris dog show, in 1863; the first Briard to be registered in the Livre des Origines Françaises, the national stud-book, was Sans Gêne in 1885.

The Briard originated in, and is named for, the Brie historic region of north-central France, where it was traditionally used both for herding sheep and to defend them.

The first Briard to be registered in the Livre des Origines Françaises [fr], the national stud-book, was Sans Gêne, winner of a gold medal at the Paris show in 1885.

[7] Partly as a consequence of the mechanisation of agriculture and resulting rural depopulation of the post-War years, the Berger de Brie came to be commonly kept as a companion dog.

[5]: 45  In 1996, ten European breed associations in nine different countries joined to form the Union Européenne du Berger de Brie.