All canids and felids worldwide
Planethoster

Flanders Cattle Dog

Flanders Cattle Dog

FCI standard Nº 191
Origin
 Belgium - France
Group
 Group 1 Sheep and cattle dogs (except Swiss cattle dogs)
Section
 Section 2 Cattle dogs (except Swiss cattle dogs)
Working
 With working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI
 Tuesday 01 November 1955
Publication of the official valid standard
 Wednesday 25 October 2000
Last update
 Friday 27 September 2002
En français, cette race se dit
 Bouvier des Flandres
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar
 Flandrische Treibhund
En español, esta raza se dice
 Boyero de Flandes
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd
 Vlaamse Koehond

Usage
Originally the Bouvier des Flandres was used as a herding dog, as a draught dog and as churning dog. The modernisation of farm equipment has affected these first tasks and nowadays the Bouvier des Flandres is above all used as a guard dog for the estate and the farm, as a defence and police dog. Its physical and behavioural aptitudes, its great qualities of scent, initiative and intelligence warrant its use as a tracking dog, a messenger dog and a gamekeeper’s dog.

Brief historical summary
As its name indicates, the Bouvier des Flandres (Flanders Cattle Dog) is native to Flanders, to both Belgian and French regions of that name, since they are not divided by any natural frontiers. The cowmen and drovers of stock in Flanders needing good dogs to drive their herds, only selected from the local dogs available those specimens which possessed the required physical and behavioural qualities. The present day Bouvier des Flandres has inherited these qualities.

General appearance
Sub-brachymorphic. Short and compact body, strong and well-muscled limbs. The Bouvier des Flandres gives the impression of power, but without clumsiness. The Bouvier des Flandres is to be judged in its natural stance, without physical contact with the handler.

Important proportions
• Length of body from point of shoulder to point of buttock should be approximately equal to height at withers.
• Proportions of length of skull to length of muzzle are 3 to 2.

Behaviour / temperament
The Bouvier des Flandres has the calm, thoughtful character of a sensible, but fearless dog. Its lively look indicates intelligence, energy and audacity. It is essential that the Bouvier des Flandres should retain its aptitude for work. Any change which could harm this must be penalised.

Head

Cranial region
Head
 The head has a massive appearance, still more accentuated by the beard and moustache. It is in proportion to the body and stature. Its clean cut lines are obvious to the touch.
Skull
 Well-developed and flat, slightly less broad than long. Toplines of skull and muzzle are parallel. Frontal groove hardly denoted. 
Stop
 Only slightly pronounced; more apparent than real, due to upstanding eyebrows.

Facial region
Nose
 Nose continues the muzzle in a line which is slightly convex towards its end. It must be well-developed, rounded at the sides and always black in colour. Wide-open nostrils.
Muzzle
 Broad, powerful, well-boned, straight in its upper line, narrowing towards the nose, but never becoming pointed. Its length should be shorter than the skull by 2 : 3. Circumference measured just below the eyes should be approximately equal to length of head.
Lips
 Well-fitting and strongly pigmented.
Jaws and teeth
 Jaws must be powerful and of equal length. Teeth are strong, healthy, white and evenly set. Scissor or pincer bite. Dentition must be complete.
Cheeks
 Flat and clean, zygomatic arches are not very protruding.
Eyes
 Frank and energetic expression, neither protruding nor sunken. They should be slightly oval in shape, set horizontally. Colour should be as dark as possible in relation to coat. Light and wild-looking eyes should be strongly penalised. Lids black, without the slightest indication of unpigmented areas. Haw should never be visible.
Ears
 Cropped in triangle, carried upright, set high, very mobile; a crop proportioned to the head size is recommended.
Un-cropped ears:
Position: Set high, above eye level, flaps falling vertically. The fold must not stand higher than the top of the skull.
Shape and carriage: Half-long, forming an equilateral triangle, slightly rounded at tip, lying flat against cheeks, except the slight lift-up at top of ear set; neither folded nor curled, in proportion with head size; covered with very short hair.

Neck
Should spring cleanly from the shoulders and is carried sufficiently upright. Strong, well muscled, widening gradually towards the shoulders. Length slightly shorter than length of head. Nape powerful and slightly arched. No dewlap.

Body
Body
 Powerful, close-coupled and short.
Topline
 Upper line of back and loins horizontal, tight and firm.
Withers
 Slightly raised.
Back
 Short, broad, muscled and well-supported, with no sign of weakness, yet remaining flexible.
Loin
 Short, broad, well muscled; must be flexible, with no sign of weakness.
Croup
 Must follow as closely as possible the horizontal line of the back and blend imperceptibly into the curve of the buttocks. Broad but not excessively so in males, more developed in bitches. A croup which falls away or a goose rump is a serious fault.
Chest
 Broad and well let down as far as level of elbows, but not cylindrical. The first ribs are slightly arched, the others rounded and well-sloped to the rear, giving the desired length of chest. Flat ribs to be severely penalised. The distance from the point of the breast-bone (manubrium) to the last rib must be considerable, about 7/10 of the height at the withers.
Underline and belly
 The underside of the chest rises very slightly towards the belly, which is only slightly tucked up. Flanks must be short, especially in males.

Tail
Set relatively high, the tail must continue the line of the backbone. Some dogs are born tailless and must not be penalised for this. The tail should be docked in the first week of birth leaving 2 or 3 vertebrae. In countries where docking is banned, the whole tail is admitted.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality
 Front legs have strong bone and are well-muscled. Perfectly straight and parallel seen from the front.
Shoulders
 Relatively long, muscled, without being heavy, moderately oblique. Shoulder blade and humerus are approximately of the same length.
Upper arm
 Moderately oblique.
Elbows
 Close to body and parallel. Elbows turning in or out, in a natural stance or on the move, are considered a fault.
Forearm
 Whether seen in profile or from the front, they must be perfectly straight, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. They must be well-muscled and with good bone.
Carpal
 Exactly in line with forearm. Only the pisiform bone juts out at the back of the wrist. Strong bone.
Pastern
 Strong bone, quite short, sloping forward very slightly.
Forefeet
 Short, round, compact, neither toeing in nor toeing out. Toes should be tight and arched, with strong and dark nails. Thick and hard pads.

Hindquarters
Generality
 Strong, with pronounced muscle, upright and perfectly parallel seen from the rear. Must move in the same planes as the front legs.
Upper thigh
 Broad, well-muscled, parallel in direction to the median plane of the body. Femur must be neither too straight nor too sloping. Buttocks well let down, trousered and firm.
Lower thigh
 Moderately long, well-muscled, neither too straight nor too sloping.
Stifle
 Set approximately on an imaginary straight line from the highest point of the hip (iliac crest) perpendicular to the ground.
Metatarsus
 Strong and lean, rather cylindrical, perpendicular to the ground when the dog is in a natural standing position. No dewclaws.
Hock
 Rather close to the ground, broad, tight. Seen from behind they should be straight and perfectly parallel when standing. On the move they should turn neither in nor out.
Hind feet
 Round, solid, toes tight and arched, with strong black nails. Thick hard pads.

Gait and movement
The whole of the Bouvier des Flandres must be harmoniously proportioned to ensure free, true and proud movement. Walking and trotting are the normal gaits, although one does also encounter amblers. At a normal trot the Bouvier des Flandres covers its traces i.e. covers the front pad marks with the rear.

Skin
Tight fitting; no excessive slackness; the edges of the eyelids and lips are always very dark.

Coat
Hair
 The coat is very abundant, the outercoat forming with the dense undercoat a protective layer perfectly adapted to the sudden climatic changes in this breed’s native land. The hair must be coarse to the touch, dry and matt, neither too long nor too short (about 6 cm.), slightly tousled but never woolly or curly. Shorter on the head and very short on the outside of the ears. The inner part of the ear flap is protected by medium long hair. The upper lip carries a moustache and the chin a full beard, giving the forbidding expression so typical of this breed. The eyebrows consist of raised hairs, accentuating the shape of the superciliary ridges without ever veiling the eyes. The coat is particularly harsh and rasping on the upper part of the back. It shortens very slightly on the limbs but remains harsh. A flat coat should be avoided because it denotes a lack of undercoat. The undercoat is a padding made up of fine dense hair which grows beneath the outer coat and together with the topcoat it forms a waterproof covering.
Colour
 The Bouvier des Flandres coat is usually grey, brindle or overlaid with black. A completely uniform black is also accepted, without being favoured. Light-coloured, so-called washed-out coats are not acceptable. A white star on the chest is tolerated.

Size and weight
Height at withers
 62-68 cm for males, 59-65 cm for females, with a tolerance of plus or minus 1 cm.
For both sexes the ideal size is the middle range, i.e. 65 cm for males, 62 cm for females.
Weight
 approximately 35 - 40 kg for males, 27 – 35 kg for females.

Faults
• Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

Serious faults
 Timid dog.
 Molossoid appearance, too heavy a dog.
 Body obviously too long (slight tolerance for females) or too light.
 Too massive a head, marked stop, pronounced frontal groove, very prominent zygomatic arches.
 Domed skull, narrow skull, very prominent occipital crest, important lack of parallelism between the toplines of skull and muzzle.
 Muzzle too long, pinched nose.
 Loose, thick or overlapping lips.
 Wry jaw; malocclusion.
 Small, unhealthy or poorly set teeth.
 Light eyes, bulging eyes, untypical expression.
 Uncropped ears which are curled or folded.
 Cylindrical neck, dewlap.
 Back very sagging, very arched.
 Very faulty stance, obviously camped stance, sickle hocks.
 Silky coat, lack of undercoat, puffed up coat, shiny, over-groomed.
 Lack of head furnishings.
 Simultaneous faults in pigmentation (nose, lips, eyelids).

Disqualifying faults
 Aggresive or overly shy.
 Obvious lack of type.
 Unpigmented nose or of any colour other than black.
 Pointed muzzle.
 Pronounced over- or undershot bite.
 Any missing teeth other than one P1.
 Wall eyes or wild expression.
 Entropion, ectropion, unpigmented eyelids.
 Coat chocolate brown, white, pepper and salt, washed-out colour and any other pale fawn going from light to red, even with black overlay.
 Height at withers outside the range of the standard.

NB :
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography
http://www.fci.be/
Details
Also available: Français (France) Deutsch (Deutschland) Español (España) Nederlands (nl-NL)
Hits: 227

No comments

The latest updated breeds

Recognized cat breeds
  • Ojos azules

    Ojos azules

    Ojos azules Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Ojos azules is a breed of cat native to the United States. This cat is characterized by its blue or odd-colored eyes, regardless of coat color. A brief historical overview The history of the Ojos Azules began in the early 1980s with the discovery in New Mexico of Cornflower, a tortoiseshell...
  • Ocicat

    Ocicat

    Ocicat Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Ocicat is a breed of cat native to the United States. This medium-sized cat is characterized by its mottled fawn coat, reminiscent of the Ocelot. A brief historical overview The Ocicat was created in 1964 in the United States by a breeder, Mrs. Virginia Daly. She wanted to breed Siamese tabby...
  • Norvégien

    Norvégien

    Norvégien Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Norvégien, also known as the Norwegian Forest Cat or Norsk skogkatt, is a semi-long-haired cat breed from Norway. This large cat is characterized by its very thick semi-long-haired coat and its wild look. A brief historical overview Cats are thought to have arrived from southern Europe and were...
  • Nebelung

    Nebelung

    Nebelung Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Nebelung is a cat breed originally from Russia. This cat is the semi-long-haired variety of the Russian Blue, whose genetic characteristics it shares. A brief historical overview The instability of the early 20th century was very difficult for many breeds, some of which almost disappeared. Such is...
  • Munchkin

    Munchkin

    Munchkin Translation Francis Vandzersteen Origin This cat is characterized by its very short legs, hence its nickname of “basset cat”. This cat is characterized by its very short legs, hence its nickname of “basset cat”. Standard For a cat to be recognized as a Munchkin, it must conform to the breed standard. If certain criteria are not met, the...
  • Mau égyptien

    Mau égyptien

    Mau égyptien Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Egyptian Mau is a cat breed originally from Egypt. Developed from 1953 in Italy and then in the United States by a Russian princess. A brief historical overview Nathalie Troubetzkoï was a Russian princess exiled in the palace of the Egyptian ambassador to Italy during the Second World War. A...
  • Mau arabe

    Mau arabe

    Mau arabe Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Mau arabe is a cat breed from the Arabian Peninsula. This medium-sized cat is characterized by its ancestral origins. A brief historical overview The Mau arabe is a natural breed, but was only recognized in 2009. These cats have occupied the Arabian Peninsula for thousands of years, living in...
  • Manx

    Manx

    Manx Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Manx is a breed of cat originating from the Isle of Man (British Isles). This cat is characterized by its lack of tail. A brief historical overview The Manx cat (kayt Manninagh or stubbin in Manx), also known as the Isle of Man cat, originated, as its name suggests, on the British Isle of Man.The...
  • Mandarin

    Mandarin

    Mandarin Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Mandarin, also known as the Oriental longhair and Javanese, is a breed of cat native to the United States. This cat is the semi-longhair variety of the Oriental. A brief historical overview The history of the Mandarin begins with that of the Oriental. In fact, the Mandarin is a semi-long-haired...
  • Maine coon

    Maine coon

    Maine coon Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Maine coon is a longhaired cat breed from the state of Maine in the United States. This rustic-looking cat is characterized by its large size, plumed tail, square muzzle, plumed ears and long coat. A brief historical overview The Maine Coon is probably one of North America's oldest natural...
  • LaPerm

    LaPerm

    LaPerm Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The LaPerm is a cat breed originally from the United States. This medium-sized cat is characterized by its curly coat. A brief historical overview The breed was created in 1982 in the U.S. state of Oregon by a woman named Linda Koehl. The curly hair is due to a natural mutation in the genes of one of...
  • Korat

    Korat

    Korat Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Korat is a breed of cat native to Thailand. This small cat is characterized by its blue coat and green eyes. A brief historical overview The Tamra Meow, or Book of Cat Poems, is a richly illustrated Thai collection of verses written between 1350 and 1767, describing seventeen different cats, some...
  • Khao Manee

    Khao Manee

    Khao Manee Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Khao Manee is a breed of cat native to Thailand. This cat is characterized by its white shorthair coat. Its eyes can be yellow, blue or mint. Standard Official recognition of the Khao Manee is underway, notably through TICA and GCCF. It has been possible to register adult and juvenile Khao...
  • Himalayen

    Himalayen

    Himalayen Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Himalayen, also known as the colorpoint or colorpoint (US), is a cat breed originating in the United States. In some European countries, this breed does not exist and is considered a coat of the Persian. A brief historical overview The Himalayen is a colorpoint Persian. These Persians are...
  • Highland Fold

    Highland Fold

    Highland Fold Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Highland Fold is a breed of cat originally from Scotland. The name Highland Fold is given to the shorthair variety. A brief historical overview The first known specimen of a cat with folded ears is Susie, a cat living on a farm north of Dundee in Scotland. She was discovered in 1961 by...
  • Scottish Fold

    Scottish Fold

    Scottish Fold Translation Francis Vandersteen Origin The Scottish Fold is a breed of cat originally from Scotland. The name Scottish Fold is given to the shorthair variety. A brief historical overview The first known specimen of a cat with folded ears is Susie, a cat living on a farm north of Dundee in Scotland. She was discovered in 1961 by...