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The
Canadian Breed Standard
ORIGIN AND
PURPOSE
The Bouvier des Flandres, as the name indicates originated in
Flandres - both France and Belgium, as there are no boundaries
separating these two countries. In the beginning, the Bouvier
was used to herd cattle; for draught and butter churning.
Modernization has changed farm equipment. Now the Bouvier is
used as guard for home or farm, for defence work or police work.
His great physical and moral aptitudes, his excellent nose,
initiative and intelligence make him an excellent tracker and
gamekeeper's aid. |
GENERAL APPEARANCE - GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Cobby, short-bodied and thickset on powerful and muscular limbs;
gives the impression of power, without clumsiness as a whole.
The fire in his eyes denotes intelligence, energy and audacity.
He is calm, rational and prudently bold.
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TEMPERAMENT
Bouvier is even-tempered, never shy and not overly aggressive. He
is calm, rational and prudently bold, never 'pretty' in attitude
or behavior. With those he knows well he is outgoing and almost
boisterous. Shy dogs that back away under normal situations and
overly aggressive dogs that show aggression without reason
should be severely penalized.
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SIZE
Dogs 24 ½ inches to 27 ½ inches (62.2 to 69.8 cm) at the withers.
Bitches 23 ½ inches to 26 ½ inches (59.7 to 67.3 cm) at the withers.
Slightly larger or smaller size should not be faulted if other
factors are of good to excellent quality. However, the average size
is most desirable. Weight - approximately 77 to 100 pounds for dogs,
60 to 85 pounds for bitches.
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COAT
The coat is very full. The top coat plus the dense undercoat make a
perfect wrap adapted to abrupt climatic changes characteristic of
the breed's country of origin. It must be rough to the touch, harsh
and dry neither too long nor too short (about 2 ½ inches /6.3 cm),
slightly tousled without being woolly or curly. On the head the coat
is shorter and almost shaven on the outside of the ear, but the
inside is protected by fairly long hair. On the top of the back, the
coat is harsh and dry; it becomes shorter on the lower legs, while
still harsh. A flat coat is to be avoided since it indicates a lack
of undercoat. Soft, woolly, silky, or too long or short a coat are
considered faults. Undercoat - wadding made of fine and course hairs
grows under the overcoat and forms with it a waterproof mantle. Lack
of undercoat is a fault.
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COLOURS
The coat of the Bouvier des Flandres is fawn or grey often brindle
or dark grey, or black. Light-coloured coats (white, cream) and
washed-out colours or chocolate brown with white spots are not
desirable. A white star on the chest is allowed.
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HEAD
Massive, appearing more so because of his beard and mustache, it is
well proportioned to his body and size. To feel, it is finely
chiseled. Skull well developed and flat, longer than its width. The
top lines of the skull and muzzle are parallel. The proportions of
the skull to the muzzle are 3 to 2. Stop is barely perceptible, more
apparent than real because of the raised eyebrows.
Muzzle- wide, powerful, bony, straight in upper profile,
diminishing toward the nose but never pointed. The muzzle is shorter
than the skull - in proportion 2 to 3 and the circumference just
below the eyes is about equal to the length of the head. Cheeks flat
and dry.
Nose - This is the continuation of the muzzle, it is slightly
convex at its extremity - must be well opened nostrils. Spotted,
pink, brown or butterfly are faults.
Mouth - Jaws should be powerful and of equal length; teeth
strong, white and healthy. The upper incisors must meet the lower
ones like the blades of scissors. Overshot or undershot are faults.
Mustache and Beard - Fully dry, shorter and harsher on top of
muzzle. The upper lip has a mustache and the chin has a full, harsh
bread which gives the gruff expression so characteristic of the
breed.
Eyes - Bold and energetic, neither prominent nor sunken. In
shape slightly oval on a horizontal plane. The colour should be as
dark as possible in keeping with the colour of the coat. Light in
colour or haggard in expression should be severely faulted. Eyelids
- Black without a trace of deficient pigmentation. No haw should be
visible. Eyebrows - These are made of upstanding hair which
accentuate the arch of the eyebrows without ever hiding the eyes.
Ears - cropped in a triangle, they are carried well up;
attached high and very mobile. It is recommended that the size and
shape should match the size of the head. Uncropped ears are allowed.
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FOREARMS
Seen from the profile or front they remain straight, parallel to
each other, perpendicular to the ground. They should be well muscled
and of powerful bone structure.
Elbows - Close to the body and parallel. Elbows out or close
are faults. In action they must remain parallel to median line of
the body.
Carpus - (Knee) in plumb with forearms, except for accessory
carpus at back. Strong and heavy bone.
Pastern - (Metacarpal) of strong bony structure, very slightly
inclined forwards.
Feet- Short, round and compact. The toes should be close and
well arched. Nails - strong and black. Thick and hard soles.
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BODY OR TRUNK
Powerful, cobby and short. The length of the point of the shoulder
to ischium should be about equal to the height at the withers. The
ischium is the rear point of the rump. The chest should reach to
level of elbows and never be cylindrical, though the ribs are well
sprung. The depth, i.e., the distance between the sternum and the
last rib must be great - about 7/10th of the height at the wither.
The first ribs are slightly curved; the others are well sprung and
well inclined to the rear giving the desired depth of the chest.
Flat, too long or overly rounded and short ribs must be greatly
penalized.
Flank - The flank between the last rib and the haunch must be
very short, especially in males. There is very little tuck-up.
Back - Short, wide, muscled and firm - showing no weakness but
remaining flexible. Long body or sway-back are faults.
Loin - Short, wide and well muscled - must remain flexible but
without weakness.
Croup or Rump - Must follow as closely as possible the
horizontal line of the back and follow (merge) smoothly into the
curve of the rump. It should be wide without excess in the male,
more developed (wider) in the female. A descending (steeply tilted)
croup is a serious fault.
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HINDQUARTERS
Thighs-
Wide and well muscled. The direction will be parallel to the
median plane of the body. The femurs will be neither too straight
nor too inclined. The buttock will be well let down with good, firm
breeches. The kneecap or patella, is situated on an imaginary line
from the iliac crest to the ground.
Legs - Moderately long, neither too straight nor too inclined.
Powerful and pronounced musculation is demanded. Rear legs must move
in the same plane as front legs. No dewclaws.
Hocks - Rather close to the ground, broad, well muscled and
stretched. Seen from back they will be straight and parallel in the
"stand" position. In action they remain parallel.
Feet - Round, strong toes; close and arched. Strong, black
nails and thick, hard soles.
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TAIL
To be docked to 2nd or 3rd vertebrae. The tail should be an
extension of the spine and carried high during movement. Some
Bouviers are born with short tails and should not be faulted for
this.
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GAIT
The Bouvier des Flandres as a whole must be harmoniously
proportioned to permit a gait free, proud and bold. The walk and
trot are habitual gaits, though ambling and pacing are also
employed. A Bouvier will single track at a trot.
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NOTE: A male
animal should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the
scrotum.
The foregoing description
is that of the ideal Bouvier des Flandres. Any deviation from the
above-described dog must be penalized to the extent of the deviation,
keeping in mind the origin and purpose of the breed.
The History of
the Breed
Much of what we know today
about the origin of the Bouvier is due to the research of Louis Huyghebaert,
a major canine authority of the late 1940's. He claims that the Flemish
monasteries of the Middle Ages played a major roll in the evolution of
working dogs of their region. They imported Scottish Deerhounds and other
rough-coated sighthounds to be bred to the existing regional farm dogs. It
is thought the possibly dogs similar to the Irish Wolfhounds were also
included. They created, through selective breeding, a large rough-coated
guard and chase dog.
The Bouvier continued to
evolve in what are now the modern Belgian provinces of West and East
Flanders. In the late 1800's sufficient dogs of similar characteristics
existed on Flemish farms to give rise to the Bouvier as a breed.
However, they were not uniform in size, weight, in texture and color of
coat, nor in the shape of the head. There were basically two types. The
Bouvier des Roulers, a large, wiry black dog with a deep chest, ranged
in height to 27-1/2" with coats of black, brindle, or dark gray. The
Paret style was not quite as tall, ranging from 22-1/2 to 24-1/2 inches,
with colors ranging from true fawn to sorrel, charcoal gray, and
brindle. They were more barrel-chested with a coat which was not quite
as wiry.. These two types eventually developed into the Bouvier Belge
des Flandres, recognized in 1910 by the Societe Royale St. Hubert,
Belgium's national kennel club. It was not until 1933, that
registrations were made under the current name, Bouvier des Flanders.
Today, it would be hard to recognize the smaller Paret type, as the
Roulers type evolved in most dominant breeding programs.
These early Bouviers were
used on farms to herd cattle. They worked, not by chasing, but by
blocking and moving lead cows. Utilizing the strength and endurance of
these animals to an even greater degree, the Bouvier became a draft
animal, pulling milk and cheese carts, as well as turning millstones. In
order to accommodate the harnesses worn by the dogs and to prevent
injury to tails, the farmers docked the dog's tails shortly after
whelping. Because pet dogs were at that time were taxed, the Bouviers
ears were cropped to show they were a working animal, not a pet.
During World War I, the
breed was nearly destroyed. Flanders was devastated and breeding
activity came to a stand still. Most animals were abandoned and died,
and others were acquired by the Germans. World War II brought further
hardship to the breed where those breeding programs in France were
similarly destroyed. Bouviers were so valued by the Allies in both wars,
who used them for pulling ambulance and supply carts, scenting the
living wounded from the battlefield and sounding alarms, that the Axis
shot Bouviers upon sight. Because of the efforts of a few dedicated
people, well-hidden dogs saved the Bouvier as a breed from extinction.
The Bouvier today is found
world-wide and continues to evolve as a versatile, intelligent breed
which adapts easily to a variety of work situations and lifestyles.
Breed History
reprinted with permission from Sandi Lyon, Margaux Bouviers.
The present day Bouvier in
Holland. This is a sister to our BPIS winner, "Jazz".
Docking of tails and cropping of ears is not permitted in Holland
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