A BOUVIER des FLANDRES WINS TITLE OF CHAMPION
OF
Condensed and translated from a Bulletin of the French Club du Bouvier des Flandres by Edmee F. Bowles.
A
Bouvier des Flandres wins title of "Champion of
France for Work". Ksar de la Thudinie
belonging to Dr. LeLann won a rating of Excellent
with 432 points out of 500 points.
It is
one of the most difficult and demanding contests of work in open country ;
only the best working dogs are eligible to compete, of which eight German
Shepherds, two Malinois, one Groenendael (Belgian Sheepdog), one Briard, and one Bouvier des Flandres,
were approved to compete for the title of "THE WORKING CHAMPION OF
FRANCE." ( This is Campagne JRE)
It was
held in
The contest is held in open country and woods in natural
surroundings. For instance, an unknown
person perched on a swing, suddenly jumps on the master who was walking
leisurely. The dog must defend his master
and prove himself in all circumstances.
HERE IS
THE TEXT OF THE TRIAL
1. Jumps
; on command of master the dog will clear over and back:
a Wall 6 ft. or
6'6" high 20
points
a natural hedge 4'
1" 20
paints
a trellis 3'3" 20
points
a wire railing
3'3" 10
points
a river or ditch 12'
5" to 13' 20
points
2.
Follow on leash, dog keeping close to master 4
points
3. Same,
but off leash 6
points
4. Sit,
down, stand ; on order of master standing
10'6" away.
Orders for exercises done twice 20
points
5. Stay
in place, sit or down, for two minutes
while master is
away 10
points
6.
Refusal of bait thrown by a stranger while
master is away ;
the dog will neither smell
nor lick it. 20
points
7.
Attack forward ; on order of master the dog will
go forward and
attack the man in special consume
who in one
exercise flees ; in the other will turn
around and face
the dog with revolver or club
In the
first about 250 ft. away 10
points
Then
closer by about 100 ft. 20
points
8. False
attack ; the master who will send his
dog forward as in
the first four attacks, but
at his command at a
time indicated by judge,
the dog will be
recalled without touching nor
biting the man at about 246ft. distance 20 points
Repeat second time at about 100 ft. 20 points
9.
Protection and defense of his master. The dog
should be vigilant
and should stop anyone who
would attack his
master. Nevertheless, he should
not be dangerous
for people conversing
with his master.
First on passerby (dog muzzled) 25 points
Second on evil doer (dog not muzzled) 40 points
10.
Guard of object. The dog will guard in absence
of master, said
object as closely as possible 30 points
11.
Exploration of terrain and finding the men
hidden. The dig
will be sent to find the man
(time allowed 3
or 4 minutes). If trained for
police will bark
and guard the man ; with
private owner
will bark and attack 25 points
Attitude On
Firearms ; ; When the man is found
the dog will hold
him steady until his master is
close by, the man
will then try to flee. If he is
bitten in any
case, the man while fleeing will
shoot several
times. The dog must show no fear. 10
points
Escort and attempt of flight ;
the man fleeing will
be bitten in
spite of firing. The dog should hold him
then the man
moving on will again attempt to flee 15
points
12. Tracking
; Unknown to the dog, a stranger will walk
on a track about
650 ft. and will drop and object
of about 3
1/2"
Only 5 minutes allowed to
find and bring back. 40
points
Finding a man ; Always
unknown to master and dog,
a person will
walk about 650 ft., make two turns, then
will hide from
view of master and dog. The dog on
leash will find
the man ; the Judge will determine
length of time
allowed 40
points
13.Water Work ; on master's command, the
dog will
go in the water
and swim. The recall will be
indicated by the
judge. 4 points
An object that will float, will be thrown in
sight of
the dog. On order
of the master, the dog will retrieve
and bring back the
object 8 points
Then an object not seen by the dog will be
thrown in
water. Master will
order fetch and bring back. 8
points
14.
General demeanor and behavior left to
judgment of
judges. 25
points
Total of points 500
points