Common features of the Ardennes Bouviers, territory and period of origin, its purpose and name, development of the species at home, the influence of world events, revival. The Ardennes Bouvier or Bouvier des Ardennes is a medium-sized, rustic-looking pet that does not pretend to be elegant. He is rather short, with heavier bone than his body volume suggests and a powerful head. Short, compact, muscular are the adjectives best suited to describe it.
Its coat is coarse and tousled (except for the part of the skull where it is shorter and flatter). The mustache and beard give the dog a sullen look. At exhibitions, the Bouviers of Ardennes will be judged in their natural, natural form. The head is massive, rather short, with a wide, flat skull. The eyes are dark. The ears should preferably be straight (pointed). The breed representatives have a short or long tail, which the owners prefer to dock.
The Bouvier des Ardennes is a country animal, accustomed to outdoor life and the hard work of guarding and grazing herds. The pace of the dog is fast, and it almost always makes circles around the cattle and its owner. He has a sullen appearance, and he is not inclined to contact with strangers, but, the dog is submissive and affectionate to its owner. Intelligence shines in his eyes.
This variety is suitable for living in rural areas, outside the home. Bouvier des Ardennes has good abilities as a watchdog in addition to his shepherd role in which he is more virtuoso. He is always very attentive and alert. The dog is always suspicious of strangers, even at a time when it allegedly does not pay attention to them.
The Bouvier Ardennes is an animal that demonstrates endurance and high energy. The dog is playful, curious, lively and sociable. Its first quality is good adaptability, so that it feels comfortable in all situations. He is tenacious and fearless, and can protect not only his territory, but the owner and his property.
Territory and period of origin of the Bouvier Ardennes
The history of the origin of the Bouvier Ardennes is steeped in obscurity, mystery and speculation. Few known factors are available that support the emergence of this canine species. This situation regarding breed information is due to the fact that the Bouvier de Ardennes were probably bred even before the time when the first written notes regarding breeding in canine breeding began. Despite this, in any case, it is safe to say that the dogs were developed by farmers. People of agricultural labor, cared exclusively about the working ability of these dogs, and not about their pedigree or history.
For the first time, written records of the Ardennes Bouviers were discovered in the 1800s. Referring to them, it can be noted that it looks like this breed at that time was already well developed and quite common over the vast territory of its homeland. Therefore, it can be concluded that the variety was bred somewhat earlier. Perhaps this was the period between the 17th and 18th centuries. But of course, until new additional proofs appear about such statements, nothing can be said for certain with certainty.
It is almost probably known that the representatives of Bouvier de Ardennes were bred in the territory located in the Ardennes. It is a mountainous region located in the south of the Belgian state with abundant forests. The first written records of this dog come from the Ardennes. Referring to them, it seems that until the beginning of the 20th century, this species existed only in this area, and not anywhere else.
The purpose and meaning of the name of the Ardennes Bouviers
The Bouvier des Ardennes was originally used almost exclusively for grazing and escorting cattle herds. The name of this breed originally sounded like this in English: Cattle Dog of the Ardennes or Droving dog of the Ardennes. Literally it can be translated as "Ardennes cattle dog" or "Ardennes guide dog". The breed ruled the cattle, guiding and moving the herd from one place to another. This work of these dogs was necessary for several reasons.
This allowed farmers to move their cattle to different pastures in order to provide the animals with constant fresh grazing. Bouviers also brought the farm herds entrusted to them back to the barn at any time of the day, especially at night or during the cold season - in winter. Perhaps most importantly, the help the rural workers needed was that the Bouviers of Ardenne helped bring their livestock to market for sale. In an era when there was no motorized transport and a trading market could be a few miles from the farm, the use of guide dogs was an absolute must.
History and breeds for breeding Bouvier Ardennes
It cannot be said with absolute certainty which breeds were used for the development of the Bouvier de Ardennes. But, many experts argue that they were bred exclusively using indigenous canines, which over time developed into a separate local species. Other researchers base their findings on the opinion that the breed was bred by crossing Picardy Shepherd with Belgian Cattle Dog. According to other connoisseurs, the Bouviers of Ardennes are most likely the result of crossing Schnauzer and Dutch Shepherd with local Belgian canines.
The breed clearly shares many traits with other Belgian Bouviers and is native to the same country. The coat and general appearance of many breed representatives is very similar to the coat and appearance of the Schnauzer character, which was used to work with cattle in nearby Germany. The Bouvier Ardennes coat color in the breed is very similar to the coat color common among the Dutch Shepherd Dogs that were once found in the Belgian province of Brabant.
What types of work did the Bouviers of Ardennes
Belgian farmers were extremely selective about the dogs they used in their cattle herds. Only the best, most capable and hardy dogs were allowed to perform this type of activity. This selection created a surplus of Bouviers des Ardennes. Some of the supposedly unusable individuals were almost certainly killed (euthanized), but some of them were acquired by local hunters.
Unlike most herding dogs, the Bouviers of Ardennes have proven to be extremely capable of performing the hunting activity. Representatives of the breed had an extremely keen sense of smell, which made them excellent search dogs for tracking down large prey. Their inclinations allowed them to become energetic hunters with great intelligence.
Hunters noted that members of this species followed commands unquestioningly when dealing with dangerous beasts. This made it possible not only to get large prey on the hunt, but also to keep a valuable, trained dog safe and sound. By the end of the 19th century, Bouvier des Ardennes were already known throughout southern Belgium as excellent hunting dogs that were used for hunting deer and wild boar.
The development of the Ardennes Bouviers at home
Over the years, Belgian farmers have bred their Bouviers solely for their ability to work. At first breeding of these canines, people of agricultural labor devoted very little time to participation of pets in dog shows or standardization of breeds. As a result, many different localized strains of this type of dog have emerged. At some point, Belgium, which is the size of a major port city in Maryland, became home to at least five different varieties of Bouvier. Namely: Bouvier des Flandr, Bouvier des Ardennes, Bouvier des Roulers, Bouvier des Moermon and Bouvier des Paret.
Eventually, the popularity of show dogs and the activities of various breed kennels reached the territory of Belgium. As a result of this positive example, large-scale national efforts have been made to organize the standardization and recognition of the country's native breeds. Especially for herding dogs, separate classes have been created at Belgian dog shows. This was done in order to attract as many breeds of this type as possible to participate in such events.
On April 23, 1903, at a dog show in the Belgian province of Liege, Professor Reul discovered a representative of the Ardennes Bouvier breed named "Tom". This dog was considered an ideal specimen of a herding dog and, possibly, later served as a reference, which was taken as a basis for creating an official breed standard. In 1913, a community was created in Liege to improve the breed characteristics of herding dogs. The club developed and proposed a standard for both Bouvier des Ardennes and Bouvier des Roulers. Unfortunately, less than a year later, the time has come that could not be worse for the Bouvier Ardennes population and for the whole nation of Belgium as a whole.
The influence of world events on the Bouviers of Ardennes
In 1914, World War I broke out and Germany invaded Belgium. The entire territory of the Ardennes province was occupied by the Germans. The German occupation and the Franco-British counterattacks to counter it completely devastated the country. Many of the most notorious and bloody battles in world history were fought in Belgium, and several of them in the Ardennes.
The Bouvier des Ardennes breed population has dropped sharply. Breeding has almost completely ceased, and many individual dogs have died in battle or due to lack of proper care. Probably, the Bouviers of Ardennes were saved from complete extinction by the excellent ability of the breed to hunt large game. During this difficult period, many Belgians turned to poaching simply to feed their families.
The First World War left Belgium devastated and poaching became more and more important in the following years. It was during this time that the Bouvier des Ardennes gained a solid reputation as a poaching dog similar to that of the Lurcher and Longdog breeds in England. In 1923, the Belgian Kennel Club officially recognized the Bouvier de Ardennes, but there were very few breed representatives.
In the 1920s and 1930s, only a few individual Bouviers of Ardennes were registered with the Belgian Club, and these years passed without any registrations. Many of the dogs in the National Kennel Club were owned by Captain G. Beanston, Victor Martiage and L. Colston. It is unclear whether any of the lineages developed by these people have survived in modern times. But, they were one of the most active breeders between the periods of the two World Wars, so it is very likely that the ancestors of these dogs live to this day.
Combat events again came to the territory of Belgium, but it was already the Second World War. Belgium, re-occupied by Germany, experienced even more grief and destruction. Barely recovering, the Belgian dog populations were devastated again. The consequences of this brutal war were even more devastating than after the First World War. Many Belgian farms were either abandoned or consolidated, which meant it was unlikely that Belgian bouviers would be revived again. Only Bouvier de Flandres survived and prevails in the modern world in significant numbers. This breed was widely used by both the French and Belgian armies.
The revival of bouvier de ardenne
In 1963, Bouvier des Ardennes was officially recognized by the Federation of Cynology International (FCI). But again, for many years, there was practically no registration of the breed. For decades, it was believed that four varieties of Belgian bouviers - the Ardennes, Roulers, Moermon, Paret - became extinct. In 1985, the future of Bouviere de Ardennes changed dramatically.
Animal researchers collecting colostrum (a form of milk rich in antibodies and nutrients) from pregnant female cattle in southern Belgium noticed that the canines belonging to local breeders were remarkably similar to the old Bouviers of Ardennes. This discovery shocked the imagination of Belgian dog specialists. By 1990, a group of dedicated breeders began intensified efforts to try and reorganize the variety. To do this, she resorted to for help from those few discovered individuals that were so similar to the Bouviers of Ardennes.
Their efforts have yielded good results, and another positive factor has been added to their work. In the north of Belgium, in 1996, the second generation of the Bouvier de Ardennes population was discovered. These dogs appear to have been acquired by local pastoralists around 1930. The pets proved to be so adept at herding that the farmers kept them for almost seventy years. This second breed line was added to the selection already carried out with canines from southern Belgium. Unfortunately, no surviving specimens of Bouvier de Ruler, Bouvier de Marmont and Bouvier de Paret have been found. Now, among researchers, it is widely believed that these dogs are completely extinct and cannot be revived in the modern world.
The current position of the Bouviers of Ardennes
Unlike most modern breeds, the Bouvier Ardennes remain primarily working dogs. This species is still kept mainly by Belgian herders as shepherds and guides to help them cope with the large herd, transferring animals from one place to another. In recent years, an increasing number of amateurs prefer to keep the breed mainly as a companion animal, but this number remains small.
Bouvier des Ardennes has been recovering slowly and steadily over the past three decades, but its main stock is still very small. This breed is known almost exclusively in Belgium, although several individuals have found their "way" to get to other countries.
It is unclear if any Bouviers of Ardennes were imported into the United States of America, but the variety was officially recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) in 2006. The breed is also recognized by the American Rare Breeds Association (ARBA).
Despite the fact that in recent years the situation with Bouvier de Ardennes has improved dramatically, the breed remains extremely vulnerable. If its main numbers do not increase significantly and are not firmly established outside their homeland, the situation will remain the same.
