 |
 ARDENNES
CATTLE DOG |
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| GENERAL APPEARANCE | - It is a hardy strong dog of medium size which makes no concessions to elegance. It is short and thick-set with a bone structure heavier thant its size would suggest and a powerful head.The adjectives short, compact and well-muscled describe it best. Its harsch tousled coat (except on the head where it is shorter and flat), its moustache and little beard all give a forbidding appearance. The Bouvier des Ardennes is to be judged in its natural stance, without physical contact with the handler and without stacking. | |
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| PROPORTIONS | The
length of the point of shoulder to the point of buttock is about equal to
the height at withers. The depth of the chest is about half the height at withers. The head is relatively short and the muzzle is definitely shorter than the skull which is itself a little longer than broad. |
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| SIZE | -
Height at the withers: 56 - 62 cm for males. 52 - 56 cm for females. With a tolerance of plus or minus one centimetre. |
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length: (standard
does not comment).
- weight: 28 - 35 kg for males. 22 - 28 kg for females. |
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| TEMPERAMENT | - The Bouvier des Ardennes is a dog which shows much endurance and energy. It is playful, curious, agile and sociable and its main quality is its adaptability, so that it feels at ease in every situation. It is obstinate and extremely courageous when it comes to defending its people, its belongings and its territory. | |
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| SKIN | - Tight fitting, without wrinkles, but supple. The edges of eyelids and lips are always well-pigmented. | |
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| COAT | - The
coat must allow the dog to live outside, to guard and drive herds, however
extreme its local atmospheric conditions may be. The topcoat must be dry, coarse and tousled, about 6 cm long over all the body but shorter and flatter on the skull, even with the presence of eyebrows. The hair must form a moustache and a little beard about 5-6 cm long and hide the internal corner of eye. The forearms are covered by shorter dry hair, a little shaggy, giving them a somewhat cylindrical aspect with the addition of short fringes on the back of the limbs. The back of the thighs has longer hair making the breeches. The outer side of the ears is covered with soft straight short hair with occasional longer hairs. The auditory canal is protected by longer hairs which blend with those from the collar effect of backward sloping hairs around the neck. The spaces between the pads are filled with very short hairs. The undercoat is very dense whatever the season and even more abundant in winter, protecting the dog from extremes of weather. It is also present on the limbs. Its length is about half that of the top coat. |
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| COLOUR | - All colours are acceptable except white and the colour of the undercoat varies according to the shade of the top coat. A white mark on the chest or the tips of the toes is acceptable without being sought after. The coat is often formed from a mixture of grey, black and fawn hairs; a grey coat going from pale grey to dark grey; a brownish, red or straw coloured coat. | |
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| HEAD |
 - Strong,
rather short. |
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| - | Skull | - Broad and flat, with an upper line parallel with that of the muzzle. Frontal groove and occipital crest are practically invisible. Superciliary ridges are emphasised by bushy eyebrows. Cheek bones are neither prominent nor too arched. |
| - | Stop | - Pronounced but not excessive. |
| - | Muzzle | - Broad, thick and well-filled-in under the eyes clearly shorter than skull. Furnished with upstanding hairs masking the internal angle of the eye. The sides of the muzzle and the cheeks form a continuous line. |
| - | Nose | - Broad, always black. |
| - | Lips | - Thin, close-fitting, always with black edges. The corner of the mouth must not be slack. Top and bottom lips, lower jaw and chin are all furnished with hairs about 5-6 cm long forming a moustache and little beard. Cheeks flat but well-muscled. |
| - | Jaw/Teeth | - The jaws are powerful. Dentition should be complete according to the dental formula. The absence of 2 premolars 1 (2 PM1) is acceptable and the molars 3 (M3) are not taken into consideration. The incisors in a scissor bite are set regularly in a open arc. The pincer bite with no lack of contact is accepted without being favoured. The mouth cavity must be as pigmented as possible. |
| - | Eyes | - Medium size, not too wide apart, slightly oval, neither round nor protruding, as dark as possible. The lids are edged with black and no haw should be visible. |
| - | Ears | - Un-cropped. Set high, triangular, rather small. When flattened, the tip should not reach further than the outer corner of the eye. Erect, straight pointed ears are preferred. Straight ears with tips falling forward or half-pricked ears, folded outwards are equally acceptable. |
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| NECK | - Strong, well-muscled, with good reach, reasonably cylindrical, slightly arched, carried sufficiently high, without dewlap. | |
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| BODY | - Powerful but not heavy, ribs rounded rather than flat. Length from point of shoulder to point of buttock is about the same distance as height at withers. Short-coupled. | |
| - | Top Line | - Horizontal, broad, powerful and tight. |
| - | Withers | - Slightly pronounced. |
| - | Back | - Well-muscled and well-supported. Supple without appearing weak. |
| - | Chest | - Broad, descending to elbows. The underside of the chest should have a certain roundness transversally. Seen from the front of the chest is quite broad. |
| - | Ribs | - ribs well-sprung especially in top third. |
| - | Belly | - quite full with little tuck-up. |
| - | Loins | - Short, broad, well-muscled, transversally quite flat. |
| - | Under Line | - Belly quite full with little tuck-up. |
| - | Croup | - Broad, slightly sloping but preferably horizontal. |
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| LIMBS | ||
| Forequarters - Powerful bone. The well-muscled front legs are upright viewed from all angles and parallel seen from the front. | ||
| - | Shoulder | - Reasonably long and oblique with thick muscle. Shoulder blade and upper arm form angle of about 110 degrees. |
| - | Upperarms | - (standard does not comment). |
| - | Elbows | - Firm, neither set in nor out. |
| - | Forearms | - Straight and strong. |
| - | Carpus | - Firm and clearly defined, near the ground. |
| - | Pasterns | - Strong, short and very slightly sloping. |
| - | Forefeet | - Round, tight, arched toes, dark, thick elastic pads, strong dark nails. |
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| Hindquarters - Powerful, well-muscled, with reasonable angulation, seen from rear parallel. Standing in profile the foot must be placed just behind the vertical line of the end of the ischium (point of buttock). | ||
| - | Thighs | - Very well-muscled and with prominent muscles. |
| - | Stifles | - (standard does not comment). |
| - | Lowerthighs | - Reasonably long, very well-muscled. |
| - | Metatarsus | - Seen in profile, slightly sloping. No dew claws. |
| - | Hocks | - Near the ground, broad and sinewy. |
| - | Hindfeet | - Like front feet. |
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| Tail | - The
majority are short-tailed with a good number born tailless. The tail is
thick and set high. Short tail : Follows the topline. In countries where docking is prohibited, the tail should be left natural. |
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| Gait/Movement | - The limbs move in parallel lines, remaining in line with the body and do not crab. A fast free walk and a lively trot are the usual gaits. The Bouvier des Ardennes is not usually a galloper but it can spin round instantly, whatever its speed or gait. The trot covers the ground well with a regular gait and an excellent rear thrust, with the topline retained well on the move. The dog should not amble. Because it is an active dog, the Bouvier des Ardennes rarely remains still. When off the lead, its ability to drive herds means that it often follows its owner, making sweeping semi-circles. | |
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| Faults | -
should be regarded in exact proportion to its degree. General appearance : Too heavy, too elegant, too high off the ground. Head : Poor proportions, lack of parallel lines, too slight a muzzle, too little or too much furnishing, Roman nose or convex nose, stop too pronounced or too slight, skull too rounded. Teeth : Badly placed incisors. Missing one incisor (1I), one premolar 2 (1 PM2) or one premolar 3 (1 PM3). Eyes : Light, round, protuberant or sunken. Ears : Too broad at the base, set low, rounded tips; diverging or converging if carried erect. Neck : Slender, long, stuffy. Topline : Weak, long or narrow back and/or loin; sway or roach backed. Chest : Not deep enough, underline without transversal rounding, too narrow. Tail : Set too low, carried too high, tucked under, hooked or to the side. Movement : Narrow movement, not enough drive, mincing gait, hackney action. Coat : Not harsh enough, lying flat, head furnishing too short or too full, hair too long on skull, limbs with too much or too little furnishing, fringes on a long tail. Undercoat not dense enough, too short or too long. Colour : Too much white on chest or feet. Temperament : timid, sluggish. |
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| Serious Faults | - (standard does not comment). | |
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| DISQUALIFYING
FAULTS - all general
faults. General appearance : Too heavy, too elegant, too high off the ground. Head : Poor proportions, lack of parallel lines, too slight a muzzle, too little or too much furnishing, Roman nose or convex nose, stop too pronounced or too slight, skull too rounded. Teeth : Badly placed incisors. Missing one incisor (1I), one premolar 2 (1 PM2) or one premolar 3 (1 PM3). Eyes : Light, round, protuberant or sunken. Ears : Too broad at the base, set low, rounded tips; diverging or converging if carried erect. Neck : Slender, long, stuffy. Topline : Weak, long or narrow back and/or loin; sway or roach backed. Chest : Not deep enough, underline without transversal rounding, too narrow. Tail : Set too low, carried too high, tucked under, hooked or to the side. Movement : Narrow movement, not enough drive, mincing gait, hackney action. Coat : Not harsh enough, lying flat, head furnishing too short or too full, hair too long on skull, limbs with too much or too little furnishing, fringes on a long tail. Undercoat not dense enough, too short or too long. Colour : Too much white on chest or feet. Temperament : timid, sluggish. |
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| NOTE: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. | ||