BOUVIERS ON A SMALL FARM
By BOB FAWKES
Having been involved in both small scale farming and dog training for the last ten years, I've come to a few conclusions regarding the Flemish farmers' dog. We raise poultry, rabbits, sheep, pigs and goats on a gulf island farm and market garden. I usually keep two or three Bouviers and have gradually evolved, by trial and error, various ways that my dogs can be of help on the farm.
I also handle security for many of the summer residences here, as for 9 months of each year these homes are empty. Thefts and vandalism has been a problem in the past, so local knowledge of "the guard dogs on Reid Island " plus visible signs on the properties have kept things more secure. What does the farmer need in a dog? I have never been to Flandres, but I think all farmers have some common requirements.
1. A TRUSTWORTHY STOCK DOG.
A good Bouvier, raised from puppyhood around animals and supervised properly during its first year is very tolerant of chickens, rabbits and other livestock. I would be very reluctant to bring in an adult dog not used to farm animals-they chase stock as quick as any stray would. I have found this out even with pups I have sold when they return for visits or training. If mink or raccoons are bothering the poultry, I place an adult dog in the barn with the chickens and I have yet to loose a bird this way, to predator or dog. In the morning, I let the dog out before feeding the hens. Dogs love layer pellets! Here is a little-known benefit of raising dogs and poultry -tired of scooping? Keep a few bantams in your dogs' yard. They scratch around and clean up so well that I never have to shovel or watch where I step. By the way, dogs will also clean up some poultry droppings. So why am I spending so much at the feed store?
Farm and herding skills are not learned overnight, just ask Pam Green or any shepherd: a working stock dog is a big investment in time and training. The more I learn about Bouviers, the more I find out about bloat, heart problems, hip dysplasia, entropion, flea allergies, etc, etc. On the farm, every animal has to earn its keep. If I spend a couple of years training a dog only to have it die prematurely, it can get discouraging, as well as heartbreaking and expensive.
I must love Bouvs for if not, I would have changed breeds long ago. It seems difficult to get genetically sound dogs these days, and even more difficult to find breeders who will admit this fact. I care for my dogs well and work them hard. I would like to see every one of them give me 10 good years, but it seems this is unrealistic. I would love to have other breeders comment on this!
Just by looking at the average Bouvier today, I can tell you right now, they are not being bred by farmers anymore! I herd in brushland, bramble, burrs, you name it- and spend too much time grooming! I doubt that your average Flemish farmer spent a lot of time with comb and scissors in hand, he was too busy with chores. Sure they look pretty nowadays, but I would take an old-fashioned short "Dutch-type" coat any day.
The old farm dogs were highly aggressive for good reason. Cattle and sheep can be very challenging towards a dog, or towards the farmer as well. I have a 250 pound Suffolk ram whom you are welcome to try out. Breing your ringsuit if you think it will help! I believe that aggression is every bit as necessary in stock work as it is in Schutzhund or Ring-if not more so. If a bull or ram is serious, you need a strong, self-confident and tough dog to control it and protect his handler.
Doing farmwork, part of ny predator problems is with other dogs. Come summer holidays, people from the city show up, along with their untrained "city dogs" which they promptly turn loose to "run"-through a fenced yard after my ducks, geese, chickens and kid goats. I allow my dogs to stop them as roughly as necessary. I have to! But, I am very interested in dog sports, Ring, and participating in various club functions. Of course there my dog is expected to behave itself, but it has not had the exposure to other "friendly" dogs or regular training with a dog club. Consequently, I have a problem with dog-aggressiveness. This is something I've not quite resolved yet, so at a recent Ring seminar I kept a tight rein on my old bitch. Rusty was quite suprised when he wandered over for a harmless sniff!
I'd like to have some other views or ideas for handling this.
I've never been to a proper herding trial so I can't speak with any expertise on this subject. I have read Pam Green's articles in NAWBA journal and Dog Sports Magazine, plus anything else on the subject that I can find. Here at home, I just try to do what works best. One thing I can testify to-goats are hard to work with a dog! They like to turn around and put their heads down when the dog crowds too close. My goats have their horns and are very good at using them. I've taught my dogs to hold the goat's tether rope and keep one close by while I milk one in the stanchion. Pups love this game and seem to pick up on it pretty quickly. At first they get dragged around a lot, but as they grow they get strong enough to hold an animal close by while my hands are full.
Sheep are quite different and I'm gradually learning what works best. My young male that I'm training now is a "header", that is, he will go the the opposite side of the flock and head them off, keeping them close to me. A good "down" on command is really helpful, plus an "easy" command to slow down a young, eager dog. The rest is mainly practice and being able to take advantage of your dog's natural instincts. Doing it every day sure helps!
My young dog loves lambs and kid goats. When a goat is due to kid, I turn the goat loose in the bush, so she won't get tangled with her tether while birthing. Using my dog's natural drive to investigate it is easy to teach him what "go find" means. Two or three times a day, we go and locate all the newborns and check on their progress. I feel this will be a great help in Ring and search work, as the dog has learned what the command means. Changing over to human search doesn't seem to confuse them at all. I have also used my dogs to locate rabbits on occasion when an escape from my fryer pens has occurred. An old bitch of mine once found over thirty small bunnies in far less time than I ever could have done-with no injuries to the rabbits. This same bitch would quietly wait while I killed and cleaned a rabbit, cleaning up the blood when given the okay, waiting for a tossed goodie (heart, liver, kidneys) and till her dying day was safe with all livestock. So much for "bloodlust". People have trouble believing this, but stop and think: Did the Flemish farmer lock his dogs up everytime he slaughtered for the table? On a farm with no electricity or refrigeration, few days go by when a chicken or rabbit isn't prepared for food. By the way, this same bitch did protection (security work) and was quite a tough, aggressive girl. I see no contradiction really between say, a farm dog and a Ring or Schutzhund dog-other than the dog fight problem. In fact, Ring seems to fit in nicely with the way I train for farm work, as I like fairly soft training methods on fairly hard dogs. An uncontrollable dog would be as much a problem on the farm as on the trial field. The main advantage of farming is having my dog with me constantly, as my "job" is on home turf. This enables a strong bond to be formed with my dogs and teamwork to develop.
Socialization is a problem on many isolated country farms, so starting as a pup, each of my dogs accompanies me by small boat and then a larger public ferry to the nearest small town, Chemainus. This gets them exposed to children and traffic-two things we don't have around here. Behavior must be learned, so I take my dogs in the bank, post office, non-food stores. The local people all get to know you and like Bouviers from the start. We are working on the "guard the article" as in Ringsport so, at lunchtime in town, "Mac" sits out front of the restaurant with a foot on my pack. This probably will get comments from Ring trainers, but I teach a dog to accept petting while "on guard" and only to bite when the "article" is grabbed. On a public street with pedestrian traffic, this is an absolute necessity. Since we live without a car, the dog can help carry home supplies in his packsack, which always attracts attention and curiosity about the breed.
So, all in all, the Bouvier can be a big help with day-to-day farm life and fulfill many functions: stockdog, guard and help with the chores. Plus of course, companionship and the enjoyment of training and working with a dog at the job he was bred to do.
If anyone has any comments or helpful hints I sure would like to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Bob Fawkes
Bouviers de Trincomali
Reid Island, British Colombia
Mailing address:
Box 1225, Chemainus, BC Canada VOR IKO.