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Buying a Working Bouvier for the Novice Working Bouvier Buff

by Chris Redenbach

Buying a working prospect Bouvier des Flandres is a substantially different process from buying a pet or a conformation show dog. It has a different culture, a different process and different goals. The breeders are usually different and have very different expectations of your own level of responsibility.

If you have become interested in owning a working Bouvier des Flandres, the first step is to decide whether you want a pet from working lines or whether you plan to actually work your dog in:

 
Protection Dog Sports

Schutzhund, IPO


French Ring Sport


Mondio Ring Sport


North American Protection Dog Sport


KNPV (not available in North America)

 

 
Real Life Work

Police suspect apprehension


Police narcotics or explosives


Search and Rescue
(wilderness, disaster, cadaver)


Personal protection


Ranch dog

 

 
Herding Dog

Trial dog


Ranch dog
Cattle, sheep, goats, fowl

 

 
Generalized All Breed Sports

Obedience


Agility


Tracking

In order to determine this, it is realistic and will save you lots of trouble if you do some preparatory footwork before even contacting any breeders.

Find out what clubs are locally available to you and visit them. (You can find local clubs by searching web sites of their national parent organizations.) Do several repeat visits to the clubs who are nice to you and seem like basically good people with whom you would like to spend time. Decide whether you like the sport they do and get a feel for the time commitment involved. They will like you better if you act like you are preparing yourself well. Find out how many club dogs have earned titles having been trained there since pups. Some clubs are great for working with titled imports for competition, but don't have the training expertise to work from the ground up. You will need this information. Don't put anyone on the defensive finding it out. Just ask lots of friendly questions and observe. The better you prepare yourself with advance research about the sport, the better the questions and answers will be.

Find a breeder who has titled dogs in the sport you are interested in. If there are none, then find a breeder whose dogs have titled in a closely related sport.

Research the breeder as much as possible before emailing or calling them. Buying a working potential or already titled working Bouvier is a two way street which requires a working relationship between the breeder and you. While you should be treated respectfully, expect not to be taken very seriously if you have never titled a dog in work before. If you have titled a dog, then be ready and proud to discuss it and why you are interested in this breeder's dogs. Let the breeder know about the research you have done and what, if any, experience you have. Most breeders of proven working dogs are reluctant to put their best dogs into a totally unproven amateur's hands. This is because most amateurs never end up completing a title. They get discouraged with the amount of work and quit. So be prepared to give the breeder information about the quality of the training club you will join and show that you have an understanding of the amount of work.

Discuss with the breeder whether it is better for you to buy a dog who is a baby pup, an adolescent already started in some work, or an older perhaps titled dog (remember that buying a titled working Bouvier is like amputating the breeder's arm). The right answer for you will depend up on the experience in your club, your experience and many other factors. If you get a pup, then you are taking a bigger risk about whether, between the pup's potential and the training competence of you and your club, the pup will grow up and title. If you get an adolescent, it may already be started with training methods that would get you through the foundation work. With either an adolescent or an adult, you will want to know why exactly the breeder is selling the dog. A breeder who is quite advanced in their training skills and level of competition may sell a wonderful dog for a beginner trainer that would not meet the criteria for top competition, but may be ideal for a beginner who needs to learn to drive a Toyota before a Ferrari.

Once you and the breeders you have contacted have determined if and when there would be a suitable dog for you, find out how much the breeder will be available for questions and support. Ask what guarantees the breeder will give for either health or suitability for your sport. Make sure you get any guarantees in writing. North American breeders are accustomed to being asked for health guarantees on hips, elbows, heart, eyes. It is not so customary in Bouviers to give guarantees about work because the breeder knows that many people ruin a perfectly good dog. Some European breeders are not accustomed to giving any guarantees and may be insulted or reluctant. Others will guarantee work, because they are in an environment where there is ready access to competent training, but they may not guarantee health...or they may. If buying a dog from a great distance, remember also that any replacement will require transportation expenses. If you are an experienced buyer who has titled working dogs, you have a better chance of getting all you want from a breeder because they will have faith that you will honor the good dog they sell you. One working dog breeder in Belgium offered for years that he would give a second dog to any buyer who took his first dog to the top level title of their sport. There is at least one breeder in the United States who will also do this.

A concern if you are buying from a very popular working breeder is how your pup will be selected. What breeding will your dog come from? Research the pedigree and ask why the breeder recommends this breeding for you and the sport you wish to do. Has the breeding or a similar breeding been done before? What has happened to the dogs from that breeding? Are they titled? Are they healthy? How will your dog be selected? Is it first come, first serve? Do you pick the pup? Does the breeder pick the pup? How many reservations are there ahead of yours for the better pups from a litter? If you are at the tail end of reservations, you may want to reserve a pup from a breeding where you get an earlier pick. Some more salesman like breeders will promise you a good working dog even if you only have 5th pick in the litter. This sort of promise must be regarded with some caution. If you think work is agility then perhaps the 5th pick pup would be a shining star, but for Schutzhund or ring, it may be lacking. How will the breeder deal with the situation if a more experienced and reliable buyer comes along? Will you get bumped down the list? Will they tell you?

Understand that the concept of a pick puppy is a misleading concept. The pick puppy for you is the best match for what you want to do and what your level of experience is. A buyer who has titled a dog to the top in a sport may be able to handle the Ferrari dog that would be above your beginner's abilities.

Also realize that some show breeders are more concerned with structure and looks than they are particular working traits when they select dogs for a breeding. Many of these people sincerely wish to breed dogs with good temperaments and aptitudes, but if they have not concentrated on developing proven working stock, then they also will may not be as knowledgeable about what it takes to develop a working dog. It is not that they are intentionally misleading you, but rather that they themselves are a bit in the dark.

Try to personally go to visit the breeder and the breeder's training club. You should see the dog's relatives work. You may not be able to see the dam work if the pups are already on the ground, but try to see the sire and/or related dogs. See if you like the personality type of the dogs. See if there is any chemistry. What kind of feel do you get for the breeder? You should be looking forward to an ongoing relationship.

If you will be buying an older dog, make sure to meet it and see if you get along and can handle it. If you plan to breed working Bouviers, then buying an older dog may be very desirable. If you want one because you are afraid that you or your club has too little experience to successfully train one from puppy hood, then that is important information for the breeder.

If all you really want is a pet from working lines, then be truthful about this. A competition dog may be unhappy and unsuitable for the lifestyle you plan to give it. In this case, you would be better off frankly discussing your lifestyle with the breeder and relying on the breeder's judgment about whether one of the lower drive dogs would be suitable for you or whether you would be better off with a dog from another source.