Appearance

This is a powerfully built, compact, short-couple, rough-coated dog. They are notably rugged appearance, which gives them the impression of great strength without any sign of heaviness or clumsiness in his overall makeup. The color of their coats could range from fawn to black, passing through salt and pepper, gray rand brindle.

History

Most of the early breeders of the Bouvier des Flandres were monks at the Ter Duinen monastery in Flanders. The monks bred the bouviers with imported Irish Wolfhounds and Scottish Deerhounds with local form dogs until a breed considered to be the predecessor of the moder Bouvier des Flandres was obtained. They became working dogs, herding and guarding cattle, and even pulling cargo carts due to their strength and their thick coats that could withstand local weather conditions. This wonderful breed was almost wiped out during World War I due to the devastation that came over the region, and adding to the fact that the dog was also used for military purposes. It was in this time that a trained trench dog of this breed was a perennial winner during dog shows was considered to be the founder of the early Bouvier des Flandres breed. In 1929, the American Kennel Club officially recognized the breed, and admitted to the Stud Book in 1931. American breeders regularly import dogs from Europe until World War II. At the end of WWII, the American Bouvier des Flandres Club was established in 1963.