Choosing a Breed Is the Bouvier for You?

Before deciding on any breed, make sure every member of your family wants a dog. Experience has shown that if one person (one spouse or partner, for example) wants a dog but another (the other spouse, partner, or children) does not, the dog will not be a part of that household for very long.

When all family members agree about getting a dog, the next step is finding out as much as possible about the breeds you are interested in, and about dogs in general. Spend some time going through the AKC's The Complete Dog Book, to see how a breed stacks up with your needs and desires.

In the process of choosing your breed, it is important to determine why you want that breed and not some other. The Bouvier has many endearing qualities - the shaggy, "bear-like" appearance, the habit of giving a friend a paw, the generally calm/stable demeanor. The Bouvier also has physical and temperamental characteristics that are not suitable for every living and family situation. Before you decide on a Bouvier, you should be sure these characteristics will fit into your personal lifestyle.

• Bouviers are very intelligent and learn quickly; but.... they also have an independent nature, tend to dominate, and can become stubborn. Good socialization and basic obedience training at an early age are needed to establish the Bouvier owner as pack leader to keep this trait in check.
• Adult Bouviers are generally quiet, stable dogs. Bouvier puppies, on the other hand, can be (and often are) very rambunctious. They need socialization and proper obedience training to reach their adult potential. If you don't have the time or interest to train the maturing Bouvier pup, then this is not the breed for you, nor are most other large breeds.
• Despite the adult's tendency towards being a quiet stable dog, the breed's history is as a working dog, and requires a fair amount of exercise. If you are not willing to put in the time to run/walk/play with your dog, this is probably not the breed for you. Likewise, the Bouvier's intelligence creates a strong bond between the owner and the Bouv.... it needs some quality time from you.
• The Bouvier is a large dog; therefore, it eats more, leaves more waste to be picked up, and takes up more room in a house than a smaller breed. This basic fact is often overlooked.
• Bouviers are very loyal to their family and property, and thus are also protective. They will display these protective instincts by barking or growling when they perceive a threat. Not everyone can deal with a this behavior appropriately.
• The shaggy Bouvier coat requires a fair amount of maintenance. lt needs regular combing and brushing (at least once a week) or it will mat. Although the Bouvier doesn't shed in the classical sense, there will be hair to remove from clothes and furniture, even with regular brushing. Some trimming is needed at least every 6-7 weeks to keep the Bouvier neat. (If you are not good at trimming, then this means the expense of professional grooming.) If regular grooming is not your cup of tea, you should consider a shorter-coated breed than a Bouvier.
• The heavy moustache and beard of the Bouvier provide the facial expression so characteristic of the breed. That same beard is often wet from panting or a drinking of water, and drips on clothes, windows, and furniture. The beard also tends to retain food, and will smell if not kept scrupulously clean. Cutting off the beard ruins the look of the Bouvier! If you can't live with this beard, then the Bouvier is not the breed for you.

After reading about the Bouvier, you should try to acquaint yourself with as many Bouviers as you can before deciding to buy one. Ask for names of local Bouvier owners from your veterinarian or local dog clubs and make an appointment to visit them. Also attend AKC dog shows, obedience trials, herding trials, or working trials, and talk to the exhibitors about the breed. You might also seek outside opinions on the temperament and health of the breed from veterinarians and dog trainers. While you will get some differing opinions on the breed, the point of this research is to evaluate carefully your personal reaction to the breed after meeting the "real thing." Is something as big and hairy as a Bouvier going to fit in comfortably with your lifestyle and pocketbook?

If you think you can offset the cost of owning a Bouvier by making money breeding and selling puppies, think again! The popularity of this breed has increased in recent years, but is not so great that the market is large. Recent rescues of Bouviers from Pounds have been puppies from litters bred by persons who expected to "make a killing", but found they could not sell their puppies at any price. Making money is really not a reasonable primary goal in the breeding of dogs, let alone Bouviers.

If the result of your research is that you have decided the Bouvier is indeed the breed for you, you should continue to explore this WebSite.

Back to Owning a Bouvier