Bouvier Des Flandres

General Information - Bouvier Des Flandres

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History

The Bouvier Des Flandres is also known as the Belgian Cattle Dog or the Vlaamse Koehund, (and sometimes Dirty Beard!). This dog takes its name from its place of origin, the plains of Flanders in Belgium; and the French word 'bouvier' means herdsman. However, not much more information exists about its ancestral origins. Some claim it descended from the Schnauzer, while others suggest the breed is a mix of several European herding breeds, the Flemish Cattle Dogs in particular. Although its history is vague, its value as a working dog has never been questioned, whether it be herding, guarding the farm, or cart pulling. Before the Machine Age, the Bouvier was used to drive cattle to market, and later, the strong and capable dog proved its merit on the battlefields of WWI and WWII. The breed is still used for police and protection work. A breed standard was not agreed upon until 1922, and since then the breed has found favour all over the world. It was introduced to New Zealand in the mid 1970s. The breed has been promoted by a few, loyal, dedicated Bouvier fanciers to the extent that through their efforts there are currently several hundred in New Zealand. It carries a characteristically heavy beard, moustache, and eyebrows. The Bouvier is well adapted to family living but requires regular outdoor activity; it is also still used for herding and security.

Temperament

Intelligent and obedient Bouvier Des Flandres looks mean but in reality is calm and gentle. They are excellent at learning and once they learn a command the will remember it their entire lives. Bouvier Des Flandres are known for their loyalty. They require an experienced handler and are often protective of their families. Bouvier Des Flandres do not reach adulthood until they are 2-3 years old.

Upkeep

The Bouvier Des Flandres is not a breed that can be put aside until the mood strikes to play with it. It needs daily exercise and daily interaction, and a lot of both. It loves the chance to herd, but its requirements can also be met with a good jog, a very long walk or a vigorous play session. It can live outdoors in temperate to cool climates. It makes a good house dog, however, and would prefer access to both house and yard. Its harsh coat needs combing once or twice weekly, plus scissoring and shaping (clipping for pets and stripping for show dogs) every three months.

Bouvier Des Flandres

A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be careful to avoid obvious conditions and exaggerations, as well as being mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

Breed Standard - Bouvier Des Flandres

General Appearance: Compact body, short:coupled, powerfully built, well boned, strongly muscled limbs, giving impression of great power but without clumsiness in general deportment.

Characteristics: Lively appearance revealing intelligence, energy and audacity. Its harsh beard is very characteristic giving forbidding expression.

Temperament: Calm and sensible.

Head and Skull: In proportion to build and stature general impression is of strength, accentuated by beard and moustache. Head clean cut. Skull well developed, flat, somewhat longer than wide. Proportions of skull to muzzle are 3:2. Stop shallow, but appears deep due to upstanding eyebrows. Muzzle broad, powerful, well boned, straight in upperline, sloping slightly toward nose which should never become pointed. Circumference measured just in front of eyes approximately equal to length of head. Nose should be very well developed, thus extending the foreface in a slightly convex line towards its tip, rounded at edges, always black. Nostrils wide. Cheeks flat and clean.

Eyes: Alert in expression. Neither protruding nor sunken. Slightly oval in shape and horizontally placed but not too close together. As dark as possible in relation to coat colour. Light or wild-looking eyes highly undesirable. Eyerims always black, lack of pigmentation undesirable. Haw never visible.

Ears: Set on high, very flexible, triangular and in proportion to head.

Mouth: Jaws strong. Teeth strong and white with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck: Strong, well muscled and thickening slightly towards shoulders. A little shorter than length of head, nape strong and slightly arched. Without dewlap.

Forequarters: Forelegs very strong and absolutely straight. Shoulders relatively long, muscular without heaviness, obliquely placed. Shoulder blade and upper arm of equal length. Elbows well set into body and parallel, turning neither in nor out. Forearms, seen from front or side, straight, parallel to each other, perpendicular to ground. Well muscled, heavy boned. Pasterns strong, fairly short, sloping very slightly.

Body: Short, strong, deep, broad, compact with very little tuck:up. Length from point of shoulder to point of buttock about equal to height at withers. Chest descends to level of elbows and is not cylindrical, although ribs well sprung. Croup extends horizontal line of back, blends imperceptibly with curve of rump; broad but not excessively so in dogs, broader in bitches. A rising croup, or one which falls away very definitely undesirable.

Hindquarters: Moderate angulation, firm and well muscled, with large, powerful thighs. Legs strong and sturdy with hocks well let down and perfectly perpendicular when viewed from rear.

Feet: Short, round and compact. Toes tight and well arched. Nails black and strong. Pads thick and hard.

Tail: Previously customarily docked or may be born tailless.
 Docked - Docked to 2-3 vertebrae.
 Undocked - Continuing normal line of vertebral column. Carried gaily when moving. In overall balance with the rest of the dog.

Gait/movement: Powerful, driving, free and easy. Ambling is permitted, but not desirable.

Coat: Abundant, so thick that when separated by hand skin barely visible. Hair coarse to touch, dry and matt. Neither too long nor too short (about 6 cms (21/2 ins)). Unkempt:looking but never woolly nor curly, gradually becoming shorter as it comes down the legs, always harsh. Flat coat denoting lack of undercoat highly undesirable. Undercoat dense and close grained. On head shorter, outside of ears very short. Upper lip well moustached, lower carrying a full harsh beard giving forbidding expression so characteristic of breed. Eyebrows formed of backward-sweeping hairs accentuating shape of eyebrows but never veiling eyes.

Colour: From fawn to black including brindle. White star on chest permissible. White predominating or chocolate brown highly undesirable. Light washed:out shades undesirable.
          Weight approx - Dogs 35-40 kgs (77-88 lbs); Bitches: 27-35 kgs (59-77 lbs).

Faults: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

Note: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

DNZ No 517
Copyright Dogs New Zealand
01 Jul 2015

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.