DOG of FLANDERS the BOUVIER
by PainterArtist FIN
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$4,000
Dimensions
36.000 x 48.000 x 2.000 inches
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Title
DOG of FLANDERS the BOUVIER
Artist
PainterArtist FIN
Medium
Painting - Oil On Canvas
Description
DOG OF FLANDERS. The Bouvier des Flandres is a herding dog breed originating in Flanders.
They were originally used for general farm work including cattle droving,
sheep herding, and cart pulling, and nowadays as guard dogs and police
dogs, as well as being kept as pets. The French name of the breed
means, literally, "Cow Herder of Flanders", referring to the Flemish origin
of the breed. Other names for the breed are Toucheur de Boeuf (cattle
driver) and Vuilbaard (dirty beard).
Appearance
The Bouvier is a powerfully built compact rough coated dog of rugged
appearance. It gives the impression of size and strength without
clumsiness or heaviness. Perhaps its most notable feature is the
impressive head which is accentuated by a heavy beard and mustache.
The ears and tail of the Bouvier are traditionally cropped for cosmetic
reasons, even though the practice of cosmetic docking is currently
opposed by the American Veterinary Medical Association. In the area of
origin (Flanders, Belgium) cropping was made illegal in 2006. The weight
of males ranges from 80 to 120 pounds or 36 to 54 kilograms, slightly
smaller for females.They are powerfully built, with a thick double coat,
which can be fawn, black, grey brindle, or "pepper and salt" in color.
Bouviers are sometimes considered non-shedding, but in fact do lose
hair, like all dogs. Most of the hair that they lose is caught within the
double coat which results in matting. They require weekly brushing and
combing to maintain the coat. In addition to weekly brushing, the coat
should be trimmed approximately every 3-5 weeks if it is to be a show
dog. Trimming requires practice to achieve the proper look.
The monks at the Ter Duinen monastery in Flanders were among the
earliest known breeders of Flanders. The bouviers bred by them are
recorded as having been bred from imports such as Irish wolfhounds and
Scottish deerhounds with local farm dogs, until a breed considered to be
the predecessor of the modern Bouvier des Flandres was obtained. This
became a working dog able to perform tirelessly, herding and guarding
cattle and even pulling cargo carts, thanks to its strength and
temperament, and to withstand the local weather conditions due to its
thick coat.
Historically, the ear cropping and tail docking could have been done for
practical reasons, avoiding accidental amputations in the course of work,
or to indicate the dog was working stock and not a pet subject to
taxation.
Up until the early 20th century, the breed was not completely defined,
with three variants: Paret, Moerman or Roeselare, and Briard. Conflict
between the proponents of these three variants held the breed's
development back. In 1912 and 1913, several local kennel clubs
recognized standards for Bouviers; however they usually had different
standards for the Roeselare and other variants.
World War I nearly caused the breed to completely disappear, due to the
devastation that came over its region of origin and the fact that the dogs
were used for military purposes. Indeed, Nic, a male trained as a trench
dog who served during the war and was a perennial winner at dog shows
after the war, is considered to be the founder of the early Bouvier des
Flandres breed.
A unified Bouvier des Flandres standard was created in 1936 by a joint
French-Belgian committee. However, World War II again endangered the
breed's existence. Due to these setbacks, progress was slowed, and it
was not until 1965 that the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI)
breed standard, as agreed to by several minor kennel clubs, was adopted.
This painting of "THE DOG OF FLANDERS", the BOUVIER, was painted by
PainterArtistFIN.
This painting was featured in "PORTRAIT ART" on 3/19/2013
FIN herself was born and raised in West Flanders
Belgium and currently lives in Nebraska, USA. To see more of her
Galleries, please visit wholisticartsschool.com. Please take time to
"VOTE" for and to comment underneath this painting. Thank you.
Uploaded
November 16th, 2012
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