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PUPPIES: NEW LITTER EXPECTED SOON – www.rocknrollover.com
Did you know?
· A standard of the Bouvier type was not adopted
until 1912. That was accomplished by a Frenchman, Mr. Fontaine, vice-president
of the Club St. Hubert du Nord.
· The Bouvier was recognized by the AKC in 1929, and
admitted to the stud book in 1931.
· The American Bouvier des Flandres
Club was established in 1963.
So you want to own a Bouvier des Flandres?
The Bouvier des Flandres
has long been prized for his remarkable abilities as an all purpose farm dog.
Cattle driver, messenger, guardian, and protector, the Bouvier
is a versatile dog.
He has a rough harsh tousled coat that requires regular brushing to help keep
shedding to a minimum.
The Bouvier is a natural guard dog, but he is not an
attack dog. He is a tolerant dog who enjoys the company of children.
Breed
Standard
General Appearance
The Bouvier des Flandres is
a powerfully built, compact, short-coupled, rough-coated dog of notably rugged
appearance. He gives the impression of great strength without any sign of
heaviness or clumsiness in his overall makeup. He is agile, spirited and bold,
yet his serene, well behaved disposition denotes his steady, resolute and
fearless character. His gaze is alert and brilliant, depicting his intelligence,
vigor and daring. By nature he is an equable dog. His origin is that of a
cattle herder and general farmer's helper, including cart pulling. He is an
ideal farm dog. His harsh double coat protects him in all weather, enabling him
to perform the most arduous tasks. He has been used as an ambulance and
messenger dog. Modern times find him as a watch and guard dog as well as a
family friend, guardian and protector. His physical and mental characteristics
and deportment, coupled with his olfactory abilities, his intelligence and
initiative enable him to also perform as a tracking dog and a guide dog for the
blind. The following description is that of the ideal Bouvier
des Flandres. Any deviation from this is to be
penalized to the extent of the deviation.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Size--The height as measured at the withers: Dogs, from 24½ to 27½
inches; bitches, from 23½ to 26½ inches. In each sex, the ideal height is the
median of the two limits, i.e., 26 inches for a dog and 25 inches for a bitch.
Any dog or bitch deviating from the minimum or maximum limits mentioned shall
be severely penalized. Proportion--The length from the point of
the shoulder to the tip of the buttocks is equal to the height from the ground
to the highest point of the withers. A long-bodied dog should be seriously
faulted. Substance--Powerfully built, strong boned, well muscled,
without any sign of heaviness or clumsiness.
Head
The head is impressive in scale, accentuated by beard and mustache. It is in
proportion to body and build. The expression is bold and alert. Eyes
neither protrude nor are sunken in the sockets. Their shape is oval with the
axis on the horizontal plane, when viewed from the front. Their color is a dark
brown. The eye rims are black without lack of pigment and the haw is barely
visible. Yellow or light eyes are to be strongly penalized, along with a
walleyed or staring expression. Ears placed high and alert. If cropped, they are to be a triangular contour and in proportion
to the size of the head. The inner corner of the ear should be in line
with the outer corner of the eye. Ears that are too low or too closely set are
serious faults. Skull well developed and flat, slightly less wide than
long. When viewed from the side, the top lines of the skull and the muzzle are
parallel. It is wide between the ears, with the frontal groove barely marked.
The stop is more apparent than real, due to upstanding eyebrows. The
proportions of length of skull to length of muzzle are 3 to 2. Muzzle
broad, strong, well filled out, tapering gradually toward the nose without ever
becoming snipy or pointed. A narrow, snipy muzzle is faulty. Nose
large, black, well developed, round at the edges, with flared nostrils.
A brown, pink or spotted nose is a serious fault. The cheeks are flat and lean,
with the lips being dry and tight fitting. The jaws are powerful and of equal
length. The teeth are strong, white and healthy, with the incisors meeting in a
scissors bite. Overshot or undershot bites are to be severely penalized.
Neck, Topline, and Body
The neck is strong and muscular, widening gradually into the shoulders.
When viewed from the side, it is gracefully arched with proud carriage. A
short, squatty neck is faulty. No dewlap. Back short, broad, well
muscled with firm level topline. It is supple and
flexible with no sign of weakness. Body or trunk powerful,
broad and short. The chest is broad, with the brisket extending to the
elbow in depth. The ribs are deep and well sprung. The first ribs are slightly
curved, the others well sprung and very well sloped nearing the rear, giving
proper depth to the chest. Flat ribs or slabsidedness
is to be strongly penalized. Flanks and loins short, wide and
well muscled, without weakness. The abdomen is only slightly tucked up. The
horizontal line of the back should mold unnoticeably into the curve of the
rump, which is characteristically wide. A sunken or slanted croup is a serious
fault. Tail is to be docked, leaving 2 or 3 vertebrae. It must be set
high and align normally with the spinal column. Preferably
carried upright in motion. Dogs born tailless should not be penalized.
Forequarters
Strong boned, well muscled and straight. The shoulders are
relatively long, muscular but not loaded, with good layback. The shoulder blade
and humerus are approximately the same length,
forming an angle slightly greater than 90 degrees when standing. Steep
shoulders are faulty. Elbows
close to the body and parallel. Elbows which are too far out
or in are faults. Forearms viewed either in profile or from the front
are perfectly straight, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground.
They are well muscled and strong boned. Carpus exactly in line with the
forearms. Strong boned. Pasterns quite short,
slightly sloped. Dewclaws may be removed. Both forefeet and hind feet are
rounded and compact turning neither in nor out; the toes close and well arched;
strong black nails; thick tough pads.
Hindquarters
Firm, well muscled with large, powerful hams. They should be parallel with the
front legs when viewed from either front or rear. Legs moderately long, well muscled, neither too straight nor too inclined. Thighs wide and muscular. The upper thigh must be
neither too straight nor too sloping. There is moderate angulation
at the stifle. Hocks
strong, rather close to the ground. When standing and seen
from the rear, they will be straight and perfectly parallel to each other. In
motion, they must turn neither in nor out. There is a slight angulation at the hock joint. Sickle or cow-hocks are
serious faults. Metatarsi hardy and lean, rather
cylindrical and perpendicular to the ground when standing. If born with
dewclaws, they are to be removed.Feet as in
front.
Coat
A tousled, double coat capable of withstanding the hardest work in the most inclement
weather. The outer hairs are rough and harsh, with the undercoat being fine,
soft and dense. The coat may be trimmed slightly only to accent the body line. Overtrimming which alters the natural rugged appearance is
to be avoided. Topcoat must be harsh to the touch, dry, trimmed, if
necessary, to a length of approximately 2½ inches. A coat too long or too short
is a fault, as is a silky or woolly coat. It is tousled without being curly. On
the skull, it is short, and on the upper part of the back, it is particularly
close and harsh always, however, remaining rough. Ears are rough-coated.
Undercoat a dense mass of fine, close hair, thicker in winter. Together
with the topcoat, it will form a water-resistant covering. A flat coat,
denoting lack of undercoat is a serious fault. Mustache and
beard very thick, with the hair being shorter and rougher on the upper
side of the muzzle. The upper lip with its heavy mustache and the chin
with its heavy and rough beard gives that gruff
expression so characteristic of the breed. Eyebrows, erect hairs
accentuating the shape of the eyes without ever veiling them.
Color
From fawn to black, passing through salt and pepper, gray and brindle. A small
white star on the chest is allowed. Other than chocolate brown, white, or parti-color, which are to be
severely penalized, no one color is to be favored.
Gait
The whole of the Bouvier des Flandres
must be harmoniously proportioned to allow for a free, bold and proud gait. The
reach of the forequarters must compensate for and be in balance with the
driving power of the hindquarters. The back, while moving in a trot, will
remain firm and flat. In general, the gait is the logical demonstration of the
structure and build of the dog. It is to be noted that while moving at a fast
trot, the properly built Bouvier will tend to
single-track.
Temperament
The Bouvier is an equable dog, steady, resolute and
fearless. Viciousness or shyness is undesirable.
Approved
Effective Febraury 23, 2000