My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

The doghouse

Bouvier Des Flanders? Or another breed?

8 replies

User1297663357 · 12/06/2020 10:33

Hi, does anyone have this breed of dog? The breed has been recommended via an online quiz. We’re experienced owners with both young DC and a teen. We also have a rescue dog who is small and very very docile.
The breed needs to be:

Good with young children
Doesn’t shed too much
Not too energetic, can be content with an hour walk a day (we had a boxer who was very, very high energy and would like a more subdued character!)
Protective instincts but not aggressive (We live rurally and I’d like teen dd to be able to walk alone with the dog without worrying about her or anyone else)

OP posts:
Report
User1297663357 · 12/06/2020 10:54

Staffy?

OP posts:
Report
GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 12/06/2020 17:06

Is there a Bouvier FB page or similar where you might get an informed response? I don't know a thing about them other than 'not my type of dog' so I won't be much help...

Report
Lurchermom · 12/06/2020 22:14

My friend had these growing up. They can be really big dogs! (Not a bad thing but something to bear in mind).
They were always very gentle (in a big dog, clumsy way) around us as young children - roughly 6-12 we were aged.
As I didn't own them I can't comment more. But I think they need quite firm handling because of their size.

Report
frostedviolets · 12/06/2020 23:22

My opinion..

Good with young children
I don’t think there is such a thing as dogs are so individual and it’s largely dependant on training/experiences as well as genetics but I’d generally avoid dog breeds with a tendency to be high strung/noise and/or movement reactive like herding breeds for example and I’d maybe avoid breeds with a reputation for being ‘no nonsense’ like terriers.

Doesn’t shed too much
I imagine you’ll be looking for a single coated breed then, or one of the ‘wool’ type breeds like poodles or bichons.

Not too energetic, can be content with an hour walk a day (we had a boxer who was very, very high energy and would like a more subdued character!)
I personally think this is less down to breed and more a combination of parent temperament and training.
I have a working bred collie.
Her mum was placid and lazy and my collie also is placid and lazy (though both dogs are more than capable of going all day if required)

Protective instincts but not aggressive (We live rurally and I’d like teen dd to be able to walk alone with the dog without worrying about her or anyone else)
I think you have to very cautious about this.

Without specialist training the vast, vast majority of dogs, imo, will not defend you.
They will flee.

And in order for specialist training to be effective the dog has to have inherited the correct temperament/balance of drives.

The majority of dogs bred for the pet market, of all breeds, do not have the correct temperament for protection work and cannot be trained for it either, they don’t have the right temperament, they are too soft.

Dogs that have inherited the correct balance of drives/protective instincts don’t always make easy to handle pets.

The only breeds that I personally think naturally still have some protective ability left are the (good) working lines of German/Belgian/Dutch Shepherds and the livestock guardian breeds.
But I’d hesitate to recommend them.

Report
StillMedusa · 13/06/2020 01:00

We have a Eurasier. Loves kids, utterly bonded to us but disinterested in strangers.. trained very quickly in all areas... 13m now, good recall 90% of the time, can walk the streets not on a lead (tho I only do that in very quiet areas (for her safety) as a training exercise)
Protective of us in as much as she will bark if an unknown comes to the house until we tell her they are ok, but I doubt would ever do more..but she has a BIG woof so it sounds impressive. Double coated but only blows her coat a couple of times a year so doesn't shed constantly.

Pretty lazy Grin Loves one good off lead long walk a day but does an oscar winning performance to avoid going out for a last wee ! Loves other dogs and is always up for a chase and play.

Downside is she has quite a prey drive... great with our own cat once she'd had her nose slapped a couple of times (by the cat not us!), but would definitely chase a random one.. and squirrel chasing is her hobby!

Report
Louise24902 · 16/06/2020 22:29

Bouviers are nice dogs but have very thick coats and require a lot of grooming! It's worth working in to budget price of professional grooming every 6-8 weeks and also factoring in time for grooming in the house as they can Matt easy. They are nice dogs though in terms of temperament etc!

If you're considering other breeds, I would highly recommend a staffie! All the ones I've had/met have been great with children. Very few that I have owned/worked with have shed and they are very obedient dogs and pick training up easy! We walk ours both off the lead as they picked up recall very quick!
Ours are both very happy with an hours walk a day!

As with all dogs, how they are around children/behaviour on walks etc is all down to how they are trained, this is the same for all breeds whichever you decide to go for but I definitely think a staffie would mark off all the points on your list! 😁

Report
Ylvamoon · 17/06/2020 21:19

How about a Tibetan Terrier? They would tick most of your boxes. Obviously not as big as a Bouvier and therefore not as impressive (from a protective point of view).

Report
Bergerdog · 17/06/2020 22:23

Giant schnauzer?

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.