Vincent Valentine La Cense du Balmelok, "Ansem"

Bouvier Des Ardennes

This lesser-known Bouvier breed is a cattle drover from Belgium. In the US, the Ardennes is recognized by the United Kennel Club and American Kennel Club's FSS Program. They can compete in UKC/AKC conformation and performance sports. A hardy working dog, the Bouvier des Ardennes excels in moving livestock and various sports if motivated appropriately. These dogs can produce naturally long or natural bob tails in the same litter.

History

The Bouvier des Ardennes originated as a cattle drover in the Belgian Ardennes. Only the most hard and hardworking dogs from a very restricted population were retained and used to drive the herds, mostly cattle but also sometimes sheep, pigs and horses. They were also used to track deer and wild boar, and during the two World Wars they became poachers’ dogs. During the 20th Century, the disappearance of farms in the Ardennes and the reduction in the herds of milking cattle greatly diminished the number of working dogs, including the Bouvier des Ardennes.

Around 1985 a few survivors of this breed were discovered, and some breeders set out to produce dogs that adhered to the original standard of the breed which had been published in 1923. (United Kennel Club, 2009)

Spinocerebellar Ataxia in the Bouvier des Ardennes

The Bouvier des Ardennes breed was well established in Belgium in the 19th century. The breed almost became extinct at the beginning of the 20th century wherefore the current, limited Bouvier des Ardennes population (estimated to be only few hundreds individuals in the world [unpublished data, Club Belge du Bouvier des Flandres et des Ardennes]) originates from just a few individuals that were discovered in Belgian farms in 1985. Investigating the breeding schemes revealed that some Bouvier des Flandres and Belgian Malinois dogs were used to strengthen the Bouvier des Ardennes blood lines in the early 21th century, which explains why a variant reported in the Belgian Malinois dog breed was found in the Bouvier des Ardennes breed. This bottleneck effect has caused the current Belgian Bouvier des Ardennes population to be quite closely related, which probably accounts for the high allele frequency (around the 15%) of this KCNJ10 variant in the current study. This study is an interesting example of how a certain variant's presence in a particular breed can uncover some details about its ancestry. (J Vet Intern Med. Jan 2023. Spinocerebellar ataxia in the Bouvier des Ardennes breed is caused by a KCNJ10 missense variant. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9889618/)

Temperament

Extremely adaptable, the Bouvier des Ardennes is at ease in any situation. It is playful and curious, yet very obstinate and determined when defending its family, possessions or territory. (United Kennel Club, 2016)

All of our dogs are eat ease in a number of different situations, friendly towards new people, neutral with dogs, and eager to engage with their handler. When met with a matter that is of extreme interest to our individual dogs, they can easily become excitable—darting to and fro, barking, etc. In an active pet home, this can be a nuisance that requires training to control, but in a working home, it can be focused into an appropriate activity for a valuable purpose. The Ardennes is still used as a herder and all-purpose farm dog in some homes. In others, they are accomplished sport dogs - excelling in agility, bite sports, and obedience.

There is still much for us to learn about this breed and we invite rare breed preservationists to join us on this journey.

What I want interested buyers to Understand

This breed is very well loved and protected by their breeders in Belgium, France, and Germany. The decision to sell a dog to someone in the US is not one that is taken lightly - building and fostering a relationship based on consistent communication and trust is incredibly important. For me to acquire my first Ardennes, I spent two weeks in Belgium where their breeder welcomed me to their home so they could ensure they were making the right choice sending a puppy home with me. I am extremely driven to show them and other breeders that my home will bring out the best in their dogs. With that being said, I must also require the same level of commitment of those in the States who are interested in this breed. Unlike in heavily populated breeds across the US, one bad apple can absolutely cripple a breeding program and completely lose trust and confidence of any support we may have overseas. Preservationists that have experience in rare breeds are my primary target audience, show and sport enthusiasts with heavy internet presence and accomplishments are second, and active pet homes are last on my list of considered additions to our program's family.

I require for puppy buyers to have accessible social media presence, to maintain regular communication with me, and to observe discussion in the breed-centric Facebook groups. When we establish a stable breed club here in the States, buyers must hold membership.

The Bouvier des Ardennes has a harsh coat that is relatively wash and wear. A number of discussions with owners and breeders across Europe taught me that these dogs, unlike the Laekenois, are not handstripped. They are kept natural year-round. In the show ring, they are not to be fussed with. That means no trimming, stripping, copious amounts of grooming product, none of that. Even when stacking for the judge, they are examined natural so it is not necessary to hand stack and make them look flashy. The Ardennes is a rustic farm dog and they are to be judged as such.

If you are buying a puppy from me, I require that all my puppies title in both conformation and some sport (I do not dictate the sport). Because the gene pool in the US is overwhelmingly small, I want for each dog I produce to contribute to building a better program across the country. If your dog likes to swim and fetch, hit the dock five times and boom - dock diving title. If you and your dog have nice obedience, get in the rally ring three times with a passing score of 70 or above? Easy Rally Title. Your dog lights up when something zips around really fast - easy Fast Cat title. Agility? They can do it. Bite sports? Yep. Herding? Of course.