The Beauceron is a very ancient breed which has been used for centuries in France as a herding dog and guardian of the flock. Other names for the dog are Berger de Beauce (Shepherd of the Beauce) or Bas Rouge (Red Stockings). The descriptive name of "red stockings" describes the typical coloring of the dog, it must have red on all four legs and elsewhere as described in the breed standard written by the Beauceron Club of America: " the markings are: dots above the eyes; on the sides of the muzzle, fading off on the cheeks, never reaching the underside of the ears; two spots on the chest are preferred to a breastplate; on the throat; under the tail; on the legs the markings extend from the feet to the pasterns, progressively lessening, though never covering more than 1/3 of the leg, rising slightly higher on the inside of the leg".