The Bouvier Des Flandres: A Drover’s Dog

The Bouvier Des Flandres traditionally has been known as the “Drovers Dog”. Its original purpose was that of an all around working dog that would help to pull carts and also drive oxen to the market. In fact its name translates from the French as “driver of oxen”.

During World War I the breed suffered almost to the point of extinction and the Bouvier of today descends from the limited gene pool of the few who survived. This dog has become gradually more numerous in the United Sates. It was placed into the Herding Group in the American Kennel club registry, but its general purpose is that of a Working Dog and the characteristics of this dog’s temperament resemble more closely the working dog temperament than the characteristic temperament associated with the herding dogs. The breed exhibits a dependable disposition, loving the company of people and being very gentle with children. This is a dog that does well in a household despite his size, being serene and steady and also performs many jobs reliably and without any sign of poor temperament. The Bouvier Des Flandres is well suited to country life. It has a desire to work and does well as a general farm dog. This is a dog with high intelligence and can become bored and overly obese without activity and some sort of job to do.

The Bouvier’s large size has made him useful as a watch dog, a Guide Dog for the Blind, an Assistance Dog, a Messenger Dog and general Police work. The breed of course still retains some of the drovers tendencies and he has been used successfully as a draft dog and a herding dog. His appearance is more forbidding to strangers than his temperament and he makes a generally good watch dog. He should be 25 to 27 inches at the withers, with a harsh double coat which should appear “tousled” according to the standards of the A.K.C. The coat should be weather resistant and the muzzle should be bearded. There should be “eyebrows” similar to the Schnauzer in appearance but these should not be shaped or trimmed excessively as is done with the Schnauzer. Color can be anything from fawn to black with varying qualities of salt and pepper or brindle. There can be no markings of white except for a small star on the chest, which is the only acceptable amount of white.

This breed carries both of the inherited tendencies of hip dysplasia and gastric torsion which are common in large breeds. Buyers of Bouvier puppies should be sure that they purchase from a reputable breeder who has x-rayed for dysplasia. Gastric torsion may be avoided if the dog is fed separate meals morning and night or three times a day rather than allowing the food to be freely dispensed from a feeder. There are few other health problems.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Dogs