AKC Breed Standard
The Bouvier des Flandres is a powerfully built, compact, short-coupled, rough-coated dog of notably rugged appearance. He gives the impression of great strength without any sign of heaviness or clumsiness in his overall makeup. He is agile, spirited and bold, yet his serene, well-behaved disposition denotes his steady, resolute and fearless character. His gaze is alert and brilliant, depicting his steady, resolute and fearless character. His gaze is alert and brilliant, depicting his intelligence, vigor and daring. By nature he is an equable dog. His origin is that of a cattle herder and general farmer's helper, including cart pulling. He is an ideal farm dog. His harsh coat protects him in all weather, enabling him to perform the most arduous tasks. The coat may be trimmed slightly only to accent the body line. Over-trimming which alters the natural rugged appearance is to be avoided. He has been used as an ambulance and messenger dog. Modern times find him as a watch and guard dog as well as a family friend, guardian and protector. His physical and mental characteristics and deportment, coupled with his olfactory abilities, his intelligence and initiative enable him to also perform as a tracking dog and a guide dog for the blind.
HEAD--The head is impressive in scale, accentuated by beard and mustache. It is in proportion to body and build.
SKULL--Well developed and flat, slightly less wide than long. When viewed from the side, the top lines of the skull and the muzzle are parallel. It is wide between the ears, with the frontal groove barely marked. The stop is more apparent than real due to upstanding eyebrows. Proportions of length of skull to length of muzzle are 3 to 2.
EYES--The expression is bold and alert. They neither protrude nor are sunken in the sockets. Their shape is oval with the axis on a horizontal plane when viewed from the front. Their color is a dark nut brown. The eye rims are black without lack of pigment and the haw is barely visible. Yellow or light eyes are to be strongly penalized, along with a walleyed or staring expression.
EARS--Placed high and alert. They are rough-coated. If cropped, they are to be a triangular contour and in proportion to the size of the head. The inner corner of the ear should be in line with the outer corner of the eye. Ears that are too low or too closely set are serious faults.
MUZZLE--Broad, strong, well filled out, tapering gradually toward the nose without ever becoming snippy or pointed. The cheeks are flat and lean, with the lips being dry and tight fitting. A narrow, snippy muzzle is faulty.
NOSE--Large, black, well-developed, round at the edges, with flared nostrils. A brown, pink or spotted nose is a serious fault.
JAWS AND TEETH--The jaws are powerful and or equal length. The teeth are strong, white and healthy, with the incisors meeting in a scissors bite. Overshot or undershot bites are to be severely penalized.
NECK--The neck is strong and muscular, widening gradually into the shoulders. When viewed from the side, it is gracefully arched with upright carriage. A short, squatty neck is faulty. No dewlap.
BODY OR TRUNK--Powerful, broad and short. The length from the point of the shoulder to the tip of the buttocks is equal to the height from the ground to the highest point of the withers. The chest is broad, with the brisket extending to the elbow in depth. A long lined, rangy dog should be faulted.
RIBS--The ribs are deep and well sprung. The first ribs are slightly curved, the others well sprung and very sell sloped nearing the rear, giving proper depth to the chest. Flat ribs or slab sidedness is to be strongly penalized.
BACK-- Short, broad, well muscled with firm level topline. It is supple and flexible with no sign of weakness.
FLANKS AND LOINS--Short, wide and well muscled, without weakness. The abdomen is only slightly tucked up.
CROUP OR RUMP--The horizontal line of the back should mold unnoticeably into the curve of the rump, which is characteristically wide. A sunken or slanted croup is a serious fault. TAIL--Tail is to be docked, leaving 2 or 3 vertebrae. It must be set high and align normally with the spinal column. Preferably carried upright in motion. Dogs born tailless should not be penalized.
FORE QUARTERS--Strong, boned, well muscled and straight.
SHOULDERS AND UPPER ARMS--The shoulders are relatively long, muscular but not loaded, with good layback. The shoulder blade and humerus are approximately the same length, forming an angle slightly greater than 90 degrees when standing. Straight shoulders are faulty.
ELBOWS--Close to the body and parallel. Elbows which are too far out or in are faults.
FOREARMS--Viewed either in profile or from the front are perfectly straight, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. They are well muscled and strong boned.
WRISTS--Exactly in line with the forearms. Strong boned.
PASTERNS--Quite short, slightly sloped forward. Dewclaws may be removed.
FEET--Both forefeet and hind feet are rounded and compact turning neither in nor out; the toes close and well arched; strong black nails, thick tough pads.
HINDQUARTERS--Firm, well muscled with large powerful hams. They should be parallel with the front legs when viewed from either front or rear.
THIGHS--Wide and muscular. The upper thigh must be neither too straight nor too sloping. There is moderate angulation at the stifle.
LEGS--Moderately long, well muscled, neither too straight nor too inclined.
HOCKS--Strong, rather close to the ground. When standing and seen from the rear, they will be straight and perfectly parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. In motion, they must turn neither in nor out. There is a slight angulation at the hock joint. Sickle or cow hocks are serious faults.
METATARSI--Hardy and lean, rather cylindrical and perpendicular to the ground when standing. If born with dewclaws, they are to be removed.
COAT--A tousled, double coat capable of withstanding the hardest work in the most inclement weather. The outer hairs are rough and harsh, with the undercoat being fine, soft and dense.
TOPCOAT--Must be harsh to the touch, dry, trimmed, if necessary, to a length of approximately 2-1/2 inches. A coat too long or too short is a fault, as is a silky or woolly coat. It is tousled without being curly. On the skull, it is short, and on the upper part of the back, it is particularly close and harsh always, however, remaining rough.
UNDERCOAT--A dense mass of fine, close hair, thicker in winter. Together with the topcoat, it will form a water-resistant covering. A flat coat, denoting lack of undercoat is a serious fault.
MUSTACHE AND BEARD--Very thick, with the hair being shorter and rougher on the upper side of the muzzle. The upper lip, with its heavy mustache and the chin with its heavy and rough beard gives that gruff expression so characteristic of the breed.
EYEBROWS--Erect hairs accentuating the shape of the eyes without ever veiling them.
COLOR--From fawn to black, passing through salt and pepper, gray and brindle. A small white star on the chest is allowed. Other than chocolate brown, white or parti-color, which are to be severely penalized, no one color is to be favored.
HEIGHT--The height as measured at the withers -- dogs, from 24-1/2 to 27-1/2 inches; bitches, from 23-1/2 to 26-1/2 inches. In each sex, the ideal height is the median of the two limits, i.e., 26 inches for a dog and 25 inches for a bitch. Any dog or bitch deviating from the minimum or maximum limits mentioned shall be severely penalized.
GAIT--The whole of the Bouvier des Flandres must be harmoniously proportioned to allow for a free, bold and proud gait. The reach of the front must be in balance with the driving power of the hindquarters. The back, which moving in a trot will remain firm and flat. In general, the gait is the logical demonstration of the structure and build of the dog. It is to be noted that while moving at a fast trot, the properly built Bouvier will tend to single-track.
TEMPERAMENT--As mentioned under general description and characteristics, the Bouvier is an equable dog, steady, resolute and fearless. Viciousness or shyness is undesirable.
FAULTS--The foregoing description is that of the ideal Bouvier des Flandres. Any deviation from this is to be penalized to the extent of the deviation.