Bouvier des Flandres
Standard
Country of original : Belgium - France
Date of publication of the current original of standard: 06/22/2001
FUNCTION: originally the Flanders Bouvier was used as a shepherd, hunting and draft dog.
The reorganization of farms led to the unnecessity of the first two functions. Today, the Flanders Bouvier is used primarily for the protection of property, farms, as a guard and police dog. The advantages of the physical structure, behavior, excellent instinct, initiative and intelligence make the Flanders Bouvier an indispensable hunter, postman and security guard.
CLASSIFICATION: Watchdogs and Racing Dogs.
GENERAL APPEARANCE: Short, compact body with strong and very muscular limbs. It gives the impression of great strength, without any signs of weakness or clumsiness.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: The length of the body from the shoulder joint to the sciatic tubercle should be approximately equal to the height at the withers. The ratio of the length of the skull and muzzle: 3 to 2.
BEHAVIOR: calm, thoughtful character. The dog is both prudent and fearless, with a lively look that expresses mind, energy, and courage. The Flanders Bouvier is very hardworking and efficient.
HEAD: massive, has an impressive appearance, additionally emphasized by a beard and mustache. In size, it is proportional to the body and growth of the dog, with clean, clearly defined lines.
SKULL: well developed, flat, slightly longer in length than in breadth. The upper lines of the skull and muzzle are parallel. The frontal groove barely marked. The part from the forehead to the muzzle: due to the formed by the hair and raised eyebrows, it seems more pronounced than it is in reality.
MUZZLE: Nose: The nose continues the line of the muzzle, which closer to the end becomes slightly rounded. The nose is well developed, rounded, with wide open nostrils, black. The muzzle is broad, voluminous, massive, gradually tapering towards the nose, but not pointed, the back of the nose is straight. The length of the muzzle should be shorter than the length of the skull in a ratio of 2 to 3. The girth of the base of the muzzle, measured along a line below eye level, should be approximately equal to the length of the head.
Lips: Tight, with strong pigmentation.
Teeth: Jaws are powerful, the same length. The teeth are strong, healthy, white, evenly set. Scissor bite or a straight one. Cheeks: flat, plain lines, zygomatic arches not too protruding.
Eyes: with a bold and firm expression, neither convex nor sunken. Oval, horizontally planted. Eye color - dark - depending on coat color. The eyelids are black, without the slightest sign of unpigmented areas.
Ears: By cropping the ears, they get a triangular pointed shape. Ears set high, very mobile. It is recommended to crop the ears in proportion to the volume of the head. Uncropped ears: Ears set: set high, above eye level, vertically hanging. The kink of the ear should not be higher than the cheekbone. Ears shape: medium length, forming an equilateral triangle, slightly rounded at the end, tightly adjacent to the cheekbones; with the exception of a slight kink at the upper point of the base of the ear, the auricle is smooth without folds. The size of the ear is proportional to the size of the head; the ears are covered with very short hair.
NECK: Strong and muscular, gradually expanding towards the shoulders, without suspension. When viewed from the side, the neck has a beautiful bend, keeps high and straight. The length of the neck is slightly less than the length of the head. It is powerful, slightly curved. BODY: powerful, short, with a dense short loin.
Topline: The upper line of the back and lower back is horizontal, dense, strong. Withers: with a slight rise.
Back: short, wide, muscular, without signs of weakness, while being quite flexible. Loin: short, wide, very muscular; should be flexible, with no signs of weakness.
Croup: should be located as close as possible to the horizontal line of the back.
Chest: Broad, lowered to the elbows, but not cylindrical. The front ribs are slightly curved, the remaining ribs are rounded and have a certain slope back, providing the chest with the needed length. The bottom of the chest rises smoothly to a moderately tightened abdomen. The sides are short, especially by males.
TAIL: Set relatively high, naturally extending the line of the spine. Some dogs are born tailless. The tail is docked during the first week after the birth of the puppy; when knocked down, 2-3 vertebrae are left. In countries where docking is prohibited by law, a full-length tail is allowed.
FOREQUARTERS: General view: with strong bones, very muscular. Absolutely straight, when viewed from the front - parallel. Shoulders: relatively long, muscular, but not heavy, moderately sloping.
Shoulders: Moderately sloping. Elbows: close to the body, parallel. Forearm: when viewed from the side or front - absolutely straight, parallel to each other, perpendicular to the ground. Very muscular, with strong bones. Carpus: located on a straight line with the forearm. Strong skeleton. Forefeet: short, rounded, compact. The nails are strong, black. The paw pads are thick and hard.
HINDQUARTERS: General view: strong, with well-developed muscles, when viewed from the back - straight and strictly parallel. They move in the same plane with the forelimbs.
Thighs: Broad, very muscular, parallel to the median plane of the body. The thigh should not be positioned either too straight or too oblique. The sciatic tubercle is located low.
Tibia: Moderately long, very muscular, at the same time neither too straight nor too sloping. Hocks: located fairly close to the ground, wide, dense, compact. When viewed from the rear (in a standing position) should be straight and strictly parallel. In motion, they must not turn in or out.
Metatarsus: strong, dry, cylindrical in a naturally upright position, perpendicular to the ground. Without dewclaws. Hind legs: rounded in shape, strong, with well-compressed well-arched toes. The nails are strong, black. The paw pads are thick and hard.
MOVEMENTS: The Flanders Bouvier with the harmonious and proportional body is characterized by free, confident, proud movements. The characteristic types of movement for the Flanders Bouvier are considered to be a calm step and a lynx. On the added lynx, the Bouvier traces a trail, the trail of the hind legs completely gets the trail of the forepaws.
SKIN: tightly stretched; without folds; the edges of the eyelids and lips are always very dark.
COAT: The coat is very thick. The dense, thick coat form a protective layer that perfectly protects the dog from sudden weather changes. The coat should be hard to the touch, dry and matte, at the same time neither too long nor too short (about 6 cm), slightly tousled, but neither shaggy-shaggy nor curly.
On the head, the hairline is shorter, on the outside of the ears it is very short. The inner side of the ear is protected by medium-long hair. There is a thick mustache above the upper lip, a heavy thick beard grows on the lower jaw, which gives the dog a formidable expression very characteristic of this breed. Eyebrows emphasize the shape of the eyes without closing them. In the upper part of the back, the coat is particularly stiff and rough, slightly shortened in the limbs, but remains still hard to the touch. Representatives of this breed should not have a smooth coat, as this indicates a lack of undercoat.
COLOR: usually fawn, black, grey brindled. A completely black color is acceptable but not preferable. Light and so-called blurry colors are not allowed. The dog is allowed to have a white star on his chest.
GROWTH AND WEIGHT of the Flanders Bouvier: Height at the withers: for males: 62 - 68 cm, for females: 59 - 65 cm. Permissible: plus / minus 1 cm. The ideal height of a male: 65 cm, females: 62 cm. Weight: approximately 35 - 40 kg. males, 27 - 35 kg, females.
DISADVANTAGES: Any deviation from the above points is considered a disadvantage, the degree of which is determined by how much it differs from the standard.
SERIOUS DISADVANTAGES (FAULTS): A timid dog. The dog is too heavy. The body is too long or too light. The head is too massive, the transition from the forehead to the muzzle is too big, the frontal groove is pronounced. A domed skull, a narrow skull, a pronounced occipital protuberance, lack of parallelism between the lines of the skull and muzzle. Too long muzzle, pointed nose. Leaky, thick lips, moist lips.
bouvier puppies from bouvier-from-kitsis-kennel
Curved jaw, malocclusion. Small, diseased or improperly set teeth. Bright, bulging eyes, with an uncharacteristic expression. Uncropped ears with folds or twisting. Cylindrical neck, suspension. Too sagging or arched back. Not parallel to limb setting, hock joints in the shape of a sickle. Silky coat, lack of undercoat, reared coat, glossy, overly well-groomed coat. Lack of necessary hair on the head. Multiple pigmentation defects (simultaneously in the nose, on the lips and eyelids).
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