Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

The Bouvier des Flandres

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History and origin of The Bouvier des Flandres:

The Bouvier des Flandres was developed in Belgium in the 19th century.  This working breed was used for herding, herd-guarding, and cart pulling.  He has also been used for tracking by the police and military.

Description:
The Bouvier des Flandres stands 23.5 to 27.5 inches at the shoulder and weighs between 65 and 95 pounds.  His body is large, powerful, and thick-boned.  The tail is docked.  The shedding coat is weather-resistant, shaggy, and somewhat harsh, with a soft undercoat.  The dog has a beard, a mustache, and bushy eyebrows.  He needs daily brushing to prevent matting, and should be clipped every three or four months.  Show dogs must be hand-stripped to preserve the texture and luster of the coat.  However, the coat can be kept in a shorter clip to reduce maintenance.  The color may be black, salt-and-pepper, gray, brindle, or fawn.

About The Bouvier des Flandres:

This Belgian cattle dog is strong, alert, trustworthy, easygoing but aloof, and tends to be moody and serious.  Though affectionate with his owners, the Bouvier is very suspicious of strangers and will serve well as a watchdog for your home and property.  Training can be difficult due to his stubborn, dominant nature.  Passive resistance is common, and aggression is possible when the dog is annoyed or threatened.  Training should be patient and firm but not overbearing.  The Bouvier learns slowly and can be defiant.  The “Down” and the “Come” can be the hardest commands to teach this controlling breed.   The Bouvier has a high prey drive and may be very dog-aggressive.  He may want to chase cars, joggers, and bikes.  Though good with his own family’s children, he may be intolerant of visiting children, especially if they are running around.  No roughhousing or chasing should be tolerated.  Spoiling can encourage dominant, controlling, nippy behavior in this breed and may promote timidity.  Overbearing training techniques may elicit fear-biting.  Confident, firm leadership and early socialization are crucial to successfully owning a Bouvier.  He needs daily exercise and tends to bark and may be destructive and noisy if left alone too long.  He is susceptible to hip dysplasia and bloat.

Feeding:
Recommended feeding for this breed is 1 ½ – 2 ½ cans (13.3oz) of a high-quality meaty product with biscuit added or 5 cupfuls of a complete, dry dog food.

Ideal home:
A house with a fenced yard is important.  The owner of a Bouvier des Flandres should be a firm, strong, active leader who desires a reserved, protective dog.  Mild or nervous owners as well as the elderly and the disabled may have trouble establishing dominance over this breed.  The Bouvier needs daily exercise, but should not be jogged with over long distances because of his heavy structure and predisposition to hip problems.  Time to train, socialize, exercise, and groom the Bouvier des Flandres must be made available.

The Airedale

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Airedale History and origin:

Developed by crossing old English black and tan terrier with Otterhound bloodlines, the Airedale was first used in 19th century England for big game hunting, vermin killing, and police and military work. The breed is named after the valley of Aire in Yorkshire.

Description:

The tallest of the terriers, the Airedale stands 22 to 23 inches at the shoulder and weighing between 50 and 60 pounds. He has a strong, muscular, sturdy body and a wiry, non-shedding coat that requires daily grooming with a stiff brush and periodic clipping. Show dogs, however, need hand-stripping, a process that involves pulling dead hair out by hand to preserve the luster and hard texture of the coat. Color is normally black-and-tan, with some red and, less often, white markings.

About the Airedale:

This beautiful, strong, athletic breed exhibits all the tenacity and determination of a terrier, only in a larger package. The Airedale is stubborn and is often difficult to train. He learns slowly, so do not expect one to pick up on things as quickly as a German Shepherd or a Border Collie. The Airedale is active, sometimes flighty, and often sensitive to the demands of training. If an Airedale resists learning a certain command, the last thing you should do is get firmer with the dog. His resistance will only increase and could accelerate into panic. He should not be spoiled, either; a concise, incremental training technique needs to be implemented from puppy hood. Though affectionate with his owners, the Airedale tends to be suspicious of strangers and can show aggression toward people and dogs. He makes a great watchdog because of his territorial instinct. The Airedale cannot always discriminate between a friend and a stranger, however, and he may give your friends and your children’s friends a hard time. This breed is not recommended for families with young children. Early obedience training and lots of socialization with people and other dogs from an early age is mandatory.

Feeding Your Airedale

Recommended feeding for the Airedale is at least 1-1 ½ cans (13.3oz) of high-quality dog food or the fresh meat equivalent everyday with biscuit added.

Ideal home:

A house with a fenced yard is essential for this breed. The owner of an Airedale should be a strong, confident leader who combines firm discipline with patience and precision. Persons considering this breed should desire a dog that has an active, tenacious temperament and is reserved with strangers. Nervous persons will create a pushy, obnoxious dog that lacks confidence. Overbearing types may bring out fear-aggressive behavior. The Airedale needs daily exercise and makes a good jogging partner because of his athletic physique. If left alone for long periods, he might become destructive and noisy. This breed has a high prey drive, so be careful around small animals. He may not tolerate the hectic, unpredictable behavior of young children. Older children are okay, provided they can gain the animal’s respect by working him in obedience. The elderly and the disabled may have trouble controlling this energetic, driven Airedale.

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