Bouvier des Flandres puppies

About the Bouvier des Flandres

The Bouvier des Flandres was bred by farmers on the plains of Flanders and northern France to drive cattle, pull carts and guard the farm, and they later carried messages and pulled ambulances in the first world war. This is a big, square, powerfully built dog under a rough double coat, with the beard and eyebrows that give them such a stern face. The character underneath is steady and level headed, devoted to their family and naturally suspicious of people they do not know.

A Bouvier needs work as much as exercise and suits someone who hikes, jogs or cycles, with a large secure area to romp in. Bored, they become destructive on a scale that matches their size. The coat wants brushing once or twice a week with a slicker or pin brush, and the beard needs cleaning after meals. Hard exercise should be kept light while the dog is still growing. Start training early, well before the dog is big enough to make their own decisions.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Bouvier des Flandres puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming needs are high. Start daily brushing and short, positive handling sessions at eight weeks, well before the adult coat arrives, or the first professional groom will be traumatic. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Hip and elbow dysplasia, screened by radiographic evaluation of breeding stock
• Bouvier des Flandres myopathy, a muscle disease of young dogs, diagnosed on muscle enzyme tests and biopsy
• Glaucoma and cataracts, screened by an ophthalmologist evaluation
• Hereditary deafness, detectable by BAER testing
• Hypothyroidism, screened by a thyroid blood panel
• Laryngeal paralysis and megaoesophagus, diagnosed by veterinary examination and imaging
• Gastric dilatation and bloat, a surgical emergency in deep chested dogs

Your Bouvier des Flandres puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Bouvier des Flandres.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 31.8 to 49.9 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 48 inch (48 x 30 x 32 in, 122 x 76 x 81 cm) for an adult of up to 49.9 kg; chew toys made for large breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Do slow feeder bowls work? Choosing one for a puppy that gulps
• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other large breeds

Previous: Bouvier des Ardennes · Next: Boxador

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Bouvier des Flandres breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/bouvier-des-flandres/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Yorick39, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.