General AppearanceSize, Proportion, Substance
Head
Neck, Topline, and Body
Forequarters
Hindquarters
Coat
Color
Gait
Temperament
AKC Breed Standard for the
Bouvier des Flandres
General Appearance
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.
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.
top
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 21Ú2 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.
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.
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.
The Bouvier is an equable dog, steady, resolute and fearless. Viciousness or shyness is undesirable.
Approved January 10, 2000
Effective February 23, 2000
Incorporated in the state of California April 3, 1974 as a non-profit 501 (c) corporation.