Animal Planet

• Major concerns: CHD
• Minor concerns: gastric torsion
• Occasionally seen: entropion
• Suggested tests: hip
• Life span: 10 – 12 years

The bouvier des Flandres served farmers and cattle merchants in controlling cattle in the great farmlands of southwest Flanders and on the French northern plain. In fact, bouvier means "cowherd" or "oxherd" in French, although the dogs were formerly more often called vuilbaard (dirty beard) or koe hond (cow dog). Besides its main duty as a cattle drover, the bouvier was an all-around farm dog, functioning also as a livestock and farm guard and draft dog. As expected from a dog selected to perform a variety of tasks, these working dogs were of a variety of types, colors and even sizes. This wide variety also reflected the fact that this was a working dog, and breeding stock was chosen by ability, not pedigree or esthetics. The derivation of the breed is not documented but may have included mastiff, sheepdog and possibly even spaniel breeds. The first breed standard, drawn up in 1912, reflected this diversity of types and signaled a growing interest in the breed from dog fanciers. In the midst of the breed's rising popularity, most of the bouviers were lost in World War I — although some served as ambulance and messenger dogs during the war. One of the few survivors was of such superior quality that the breed was successfully revived through his progeny. This dog, Ch. Nic de Sottegem, can be found in virtually every modern bouvier pedigree. In 1922, a revised standard further defined the desirable bouvier type, and helped pave the way to a more homogeneous breed. When the first bouviers entered American show rings in the 1930s, they aroused much attention among dog fanciers. The breed has never become extremely popular, but it is well-known at dog shows and herding trials.