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Bouvier Des Flandres

A rugged, powerful dog,orginally used for herdingand protecting cattle in Belgium and in France, he has found his way into the towns where he can adapt to family life. His impressive head accentuted by eyebrows, beard and moustache give him a formidable appearance which belies his stable temperament, and amiable disposition. However, he can and will protect home and family> he is good with the children, quiet in the house, but ever vigilant. His rough, dry coat is easy to care for and, although large. he requires omly a medium amount of exercise, is not a clumsy dog, but is very social and happy to live in country or city, mansion or flat

General Appearance *** Compact body, short-coupled, powerfully built, well boned, strongly muscled limbs, giving impression of great power but without clumsiness in general deporment.

Characteristics *** Lively appearance revealing intelligence, energy and audacity. Its harch beard is very characteritic giving forbidding expression.

Temperament *** Calm and sensible.

Head and Skull *** In proportion to build and stature general impression is of massiveness, accentuated by beard and moustache. Head clean cut. Skull well developed, flat, somewhat longer than wide. Proportions of skull to muzzle are 3:2. Stop shallow, but appears deep due to upstanding eyebrows. Muzzle broad, powerful, well boned, straight in upperline, sloping slightly toward nose which should never become pointed. Circumference measured just in front of eyes approximately equal to length of head. Nose should be very well developed, thus extending the foreface in a slightly convex line towards its tip, rounded at edges, always black. Nostrils wide. Cheeks flat and clean.

Eyes *** Alert in expression. Neither prodruding nor sunken. Slightly oval in shape and horizontally placed but not to close together. AS dark a possible in relation to coat colour. Light or wild-looking eyes highly undesirable. Eyes always black. lack of pigmentation undesirable. Haw never visible.

Ears *** Set on high, very flexible, triangular and in proportion to head.

Mouth *** Jaws very strong. Teeth strong and white with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck *** Strong. well muscled and thickening slightly towards shoulders. A little shorter than length of head, nape strong and slightly arched. Without dewlap.

ForeQuarters *** Forelegs very strong and absolutely straight. Shoulders relatively long, muscular without heaviness, obliquely placed. Shoulder blade and upper arm of equal length. Elbows well set into the body and parallel, turning neither in nor out. Forearms, seen from front or side, straight, parallel to each other, perpendicukar to ground. Well muscled, heavy boned, Pasterns strong, fairly short, sloping very slightly.

Body *** Short, strong, deep, broad, compact with very little tuckup. Length from point of shoulder to point of buttock about equal to height at withers. Chest descends to level of ellbows and is not cylindrical, although ribs well sprung. Croup extends horizontal line of back, blends impetceptbly with curve og rump; broad but not excessively so in dogs, broader in bitches. A rising croup, or one which fall away, very defiitely undesirable.

HindQuarters *** Moderate angulation, firm and well muscled, with large, powerful things. Legs strong and sturdy with hocks well let down and perfectly perpendicular when viewed from rear. No dewclows.

Feet *** Short, round and compact. Toes tight and well arched. Nails black and strong. Pads thick and hard.

Tail *** Customarily docked to 2-3 vertebrae. Continuing normal line of vertebral column and carried gaily when moving. Dogs born tailless permissible.

Gait and movement * * * Powerful, driving, free and easy ; ambling permitted but not desirable.

Coat *** Abundant, so thick that when separated by hand and skin barely visible. Hair coarse to touch,dry and matt. Neither too long nor too short, about 6 cms ( 2 ins ). Unkempt - looking but never woolly nor curly, granually becoming shorter as it comes down the legs, always harch. Flat coat denoting lack of undercoat highly undesirable.Undercoat dense and closegrained. On head shorter, outside of ears very short. Upper lip well moustached, lower carrying a full harce beard giving forbidding expression so characteristicm of breed. Eyebrows formed of backward-sweeping hairs accentuating shape of eyebrowsbut never veiling eyes.

Colour *** From fawn to black including brindle. White star on chest permissible. White predominating or chocolate brown highly undessirable. Light washed-out shades undesirable.

Size *** Height: dogs 62-68 cms ( 25-27 ins ); bitches: 59-65 cms 9 23-25 ins ) . weight approx: dogs: 35-40 kgs ( 77-88Ibs ): Bitches : 27-35 Kgs ( 59-77 Ibs ).

Faults ** Any departure from the foregoing points should be concidered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Note ** Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.