German Shepherd vs. Bouvier Des Flandres. - Page 2

I switched from GSD to Rottweilers to Malinois....
I was not happy with either the direction of
the GSD or Rottweiler clubs or breeders were going,
but had very good dogs from both breeds.

I did get to see a very good BDF, he was not the norm though.
Very, very good dog.  He was a very tough dog.  With
extremely good bites.

Here is 
Jack vom Markgräflerland  a good rottweiler.
Most people don't know but the Rottweiler is a very good tracker
and as a breed has scores typically 100 or close in tracking.

many people in workingbouviers were looking for agression and sharpness , instead of courage and stabilitie ,  , therefore you wont find many strong couragious dogs with a hard , calm bite anymore
like max says , the good ones are exeptions , not the norm

Duke, it is a great thing when people can come together like this to exchange ideas and thoughts. Your last statement to my post really is thought provoking. When I look at my dogs and apply your statement I can see both in my dogs. I have eliminate one male and one female from thoughts of breeding becuase they both fall into this first catagory you speak of agressive and sharp behavior, and have to be watched carefully. They are not bad dogs, just more agressive then I would like to see in a dog. Bouvier's are big dogs, even the small ones and therefore care does have to be taken to ensure your passing on the right genes to the best of your ability. I have taken a long time to get to the point where I feel I have the right two dogs now to breed and pass on a litter that will be a benefit to the breed. Hopefully I have chosen the right track but only time will tell. I really appreciate your comments. Steve

of the bouv's i've seen, "stability" isn't really a term I'd use. 

Suprisingly athletic for their size, pretty fast, lots of drive, strong physically etc.  i liked all that stuff.

but when pressure was applied the nerves came out or lack of them, depending on how you want to look at it.  and it didn't take much pressure for things to turn south. 

i only have limited experience with the breed so i can't speak for all, but that is just what I experienced. 

Overall, i still liked them, but they weren't the type for me.

A sharp aggressive dog can also be a stable and couragous dog.


I would like them more if I saw some that looked like the pics from 80 years ago. If you have some websites that have some that look like that give us the links.

Sporty, Recently I read an article about Bouviers of 80 years ago and can not remember where I saw it. I will look for it again and if I can find it I will post it. What surprised me in the article was they were saying the dog back then was actually a larger dog then what you see today. They also had a much different coat then you see now. I have noticed that when you look at the odler photos the dogs are usually seen in a more natural state rather then how most of us keep our dogs now, groomed. lol But in Alaska where I live most of the time mine are pretty tossled since they have a lot of space to just be the dogs they were bred to be and of course can undo hrs of grooming faster then any breed alive in no time flat.. Its really hard to tell from old photos what the dogs really were like and how they would compare with todays Bouviers. Its always easy to say oh I wish they were what they were back when but I would bet they had all of the same problems we see today and probably a few we don't see.

I saw a video and a couple pics from way back and those dogs looked a little lighter build to me although they were still good sized. The only Bouvs I have seen in person have been 100+ lb lumbering giants.

Sporty, Look at this link and the photos of our girl Cassie, She is a very quick, well built girl. 24.5 inches and weighs 68 lbs. She is on the small end of the standard but can clear 6.6 inches, height of our chain link fence. We call her a reincarnated border collie. lol I think she is very representive of a Bouvier like you describe. There is absolutely nothing lumbering or giant about her. Just solid square power. :) Remember when you look though this is her in groomed state and not how you would see her in every day life. lol http://cassiopeiabouviers.com/the-show-dogs

I have seen a few good ones from Holland and Belgium I had 2 over the years that where from KNPV line both KNPV titled both where just wonderful dogs in every way. Both went to sport people and both of these to where great family dogs and loved children . I have seen some that where no so good. I think they might be like any other breed you have to look hard to find a good one. I would always get one from Holland or a place that works them and you can go test the dogs. The ones I see there are not quite as big as the ones in this country .. I also would have to have one without the tail. They just look terrible to me without the tails cut.