IconJPG

Elephaant Bouviers

Jim Engel 1997


In the August 1996 issue of the California Club bulletin, the Belgian judge Jean Du Mont made some general comments on the state of the breed, based in part on the dogs he had seen judging a specialty in California. In the words of Mr. du Mont:

"In the first place, one ascertainment is obvious - in the USA, Germany, the Scandinavian countries, and, for a great deal in Holland, the Bouviers are too big and too heavy. This is also partly in Belgium. The difference is that , in Belgium, and also in Holland the most experienced Bouvier judge-specialists insist that the original working type, fitting to the standard, will be observed and respected. In spite that the big, heavy type is predominant in most shows. This has the result that most, for not saying almost all of the younger judges, impressed by the number, the mass effect and the fact that some "elephants" are celebrated winners, are convinced that this is the true Bouvier."

As a student of the history of the Bouvier and as a trainer I have been well aware that correct, moderate size and structure lead directly to the correct gait, agility and stamina which are at the very core of the breed, define the working potential and type.

America is not alone in tending to accept bigger as better, and the Bouvier is not the only breed endangered by this tendency. Many of us can recall the German Shepherd being promoted on the basis of size, with breeders referring to 120 or 140 pound dogs as if it were some sort of achievement, when in fact the ideal weight of the male is not much more than 85 pounds.

When the Belgians and the French were working on a joint standard prior to the 1960s, there was heavy duty disagreement about size, with the French favoring what we would consider today a very small dog while the more experienced and senior Belgians did not want to be so restrictive, but rather had a tendency to look to the movement, agility and gait rather than just the size. To a certain extent the Belgians gave in, but they and the Dutch have always since been willing to accept larger dogs that retained agility and movement. (Unfortunately, some of the Dutch judges sometimes seem to forget about agility.)

As a specific example, consider my dog Gambit, as many of my readers will have seen him in person and his photo is in my book. Gambit was a big dog. In his prime he was well over twenty nine inches, and worked at about 120 pounds. (When he was retired we brought him down to about 110.) He was OFA Excellent, and remarkably athletic, powerful and agile for such a big dog.

Although he will always be my best loved dog, I believe that his working career could have well been a year or two longer and his performances in certain ways better had he been in the 90 to 98 pound working range, and in fact we have selected for such dogs subsequently. Nevertheless, in view of what we see in the ring today, he would not really stand out as such a big dog, which is probably not a good thing.

Over the years, many European judges, including Annie Verheyen, Justin Chastel, Henk Harmers, Joop Pater and Jean du Mont evaluated him, all rating him excellent, and none mentioning his size in a negative way. Frankly, I had expected comments on his size.

Finally, after he had seen him in the ring, I asked Mr. du Mont about this directly, and his reply was that it is not size in and of itself that is the fault, but rather clumsiness and lack of agility.

A Bouvier should not be judged too big relative to the meter stick, but be evaluated for strong, free gait and agility, should be given a lower rating for ponderousness rather than simple size. Justin Chastel makes basically the same comment in his book.

Mr. duMont refers to "elephant Bouviers" to emphasize a point. In a similar vein, I like to point out that being a cattle drover's dog means that the Bouvier should be quick, agile and strong, not move like a cow as do so many famous American champions.

This is not an endorsement of bigger dogs, far from it; for in our own program we are striving toward the powerful, quick and agile medium sized dog, that is 90 to 95 pounds in the male.

On the subject of color, in the above mentioned article, Mr. du Mont said:

"As everybody knows, the worst enemy of any breed, is named: Fashion. What happened with our Bouvier ? At a certain moment, some breeders advertised: - "Something special, rare and unique!!! .. Blonde, white or Havanna colored Bouviers!

What is special always attracts some people. The less they know about the breed, the better it is. In the Standard, it is clearly written: - no faded or washed out colors. This is not a pure accident. The first breeders discovered that those colored Bouviers transmitted unwanted faults and were in fact degenerated specimens. That is a very severe ordeal, that the judges of the breed have to sanction severely. That is what I did for two such Bouviers at the Pomona show."

One of course is led to speculate that perhaps the owners of these dogs had something to do with the fact that Mr. du Mont's comments were not published, as is the normal procedure. What is the point of bringing over a European judge if his work is to be hidden under a rug ? The whole point of the European method of exhibition is to provide a written commentary so that fanciers can refer to it in the future, and so that the comments of one judge can be compared to another, thus putting a spot light on the inconsistent judge.


Jim Engel, Marengo    © Copyright 1997