The standard states, “Trimmed, if necessary, to a length of approximately 2½ inches. The coat may be trimmed slightly only to accentuate the body line. Overtrimming which alters the natural rugged appearance is to be avoided.” A properly stripped and prepared ‘jacket’ on a Bouvier should lay down, follow- ing the outline of the dog. It should be held a bit away from the body by a layer of undercoat. It will often present a wavy, almost marcelled look, giving the “touseled” appearance described in the standard. When moving the coat will stay in place—not flow like a Beardie. With all of this coat I have watched judges get lost in it or confused by it. You must look beyond the hair, imagin- ing the naked dog underneath. This is where you have to—must—trust your hands to tell you what your eyes may not see. You have to be able to find what is under the haircoat or you will never find the correct animal to reward. One of the biggest errors in judging our breed is to not find the actual dog, or not judging it as the true working animal that the standard describes. I ask you to help in assuring we do not fall prey to the generic dog show syndrome. Heads up, beards flying and feet flailing may catch your eye, but is not what our standard asks you to reward. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bouvier des Flandres Club having served in many capacities. Nancy is a founding member of the North- eastern Illinois Bouvier des Flandres Club, and had been a members of the Badger Kennel Club and the Wiscon- sin Schutzhund Association for many years, again serving in many capaci- ties. Nancy has bred or handled over 85 Bouvier Champions and multiple obedience titles. Nancy is a Breeder/ Owner/Handler and is now also an AKC judge and is active in UKC events, as both exhibitor and judge. Nancy has judged two Bouvier regional spe- cialty shows, and both futurity and breed classes at the National Specialty. Nancy Eilks, along with her husband, have bred Bouviers for over 35 years under the Black- stone prefix. Nancy is actively involved in the American
Cropped-Uncropped: Equally acceptable, ears can be either cropped or uncropped.
The herding instinct: Introduction to sheep, having fun.
smaller dog, mostly tawny, sorrel or gray in color with pricked ears and a long tail. The Bouvier des Flandres was the middle sized dog of the three, being a gray and brindle. As long as the individual dog meets the standards requirements for size, square and not too racy nor too bulky, each style is equally acceptable. A final important point is the coat. Bouvier coats are an important aspect of the breed and very subject to manip- ulation through grooming, manage- ment and climate making it difficult to judge well. Our current show Bou- vier seems to have gradually devel- oped into a breed where appearance of the dog and grooming of the coat seems to take precedence over other factors; the more coat the better. The coats are profuse, puffed and fluffed, blown dry and sculpted to perfection.
It sometimes appears that we have com- petition in Bouvier Topiary. We, as judg- es, seem to be losing sight of the proper texture and grooming. The standard describes a “rough- coated dog of notably rugged appear- ance”. You can only judge what is in front of you, but please look for the fol- lowing coat qualities: • Harsh texture to the outer coat (not soft, not hard, but harsh. Weather- proof. Raspy, like a Briard) • Presence of undercoat. There is usu- ally plenty, as groomers leave it in to add body and lift to the coat. But sometimes overzealous stripping may remove most of it. • No tendency to silkiness or wooli- ness, nor curliness. Some natural wave in the coat is quite acceptable, but not curly like a Poodle, which only adds to wooliness.
256 • S how S ight M agazine , J anuary 2018
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