Is a Bouvier des Flandres right for my family?

[Carson]

I am inquiring as a potential family for a Bouvier des Flandres. My family is interested in having a dog and I have been doing a lot of research on dogs and breeds to determine the best fit for my family. I want to discuss a few things with Bouvier owners and see what they think. I am seriously interested in the Bouvier because in objective evaluations of breed types, it meets many of our criteria but I didn't start my search with a Bouvier in mind. I had never heard of them before and I never really imagined myself as an owner of any kind of shaggy dog.

We have a typical suburban lifestyle. I have a wife and two children (2 and 3) and I go to work 8 hours a day. Fortunately I live in a rural area and I commute a mile down a country road so I can come home for lunch every day. We have a four bedroom house on 0.2 acres. It's a tract house with Masonite siding and all my neighbors houses are jammed up together like barracks. It's 50' to our neighbors house at best. Nevertheless, we've got plenty of parks and open space, forest, mountains and desert all walking distance or no more than 10 miles down the road.

I've had some experience with dogs in the past. I grew up with a dalmatian and a border collie. Yeah I know they're said to be two of the worst dogs for kids but I didn't know better and it was in the 70's long before 101 Dalmatians and Babe. I've also lived with two great Pyrenees, and I've cared for a rottweiler, an OES, and a few mutts. Besides that I've had lifelong experience with just about every animal on old MacDonald's farm but right now our current house only has an ant farm and the rest of my family has never had a dog before.

We've determined that we know we don't want a lap dog or a toy dog. My wife wonders what a dog is good for if he can't protect you -- she wants a protection dog, but I didn't initially limit our search on that criteria alone. She also wants minimal shedding. So do I but we would be willing to accept some shedding as long as we didn't have to change our entire wardrobe into nylon suits only. We looked at the popular sporting dogs but since I've stopped hunting they've lost some of their appeal.

Personally, I'm not the defensive type or seeking a defensive weapon but I can appreciate a dog that has the desire and capability to protect. But I don't have any misconceptions about the real-world capability of a protection dog. We determined that we're not just looking for a companion or family dog. We want a working dog and we have a job for him to do. His job is to protect the family and our property, and to help us raise our boys (2 and 3 years old now) by demanding strong leadership, command and control from all his human masters. After a lot of consideration, my family has agreed and determined to that we'd like to bring a working dog into our house that is naturally protective and capable of being trained further in protection.

We know that all of the working/herding dogs present some common challenges. They're big, they can be willing to dominate, they need substantial training, they need assertive, confident leadership, they need a significant amount of exercise, they need to be integrated into the family (not stored in a kennel), they need a job to do, and they require a significant amount of socialization to balance their temperaments.

Everyone in my family is very gentle but we can be assertive when command and leadership are in demand. I want a dog that will challenge us if we fail to maintain command, control and leadership. I do not want a dog that will just acquiesce in submissiveness. To me, it is a positive quality when the dog works to ensure there is a strong leader in the family even if it means he makes some trouble for the weak-willed. Even though I'm looking for a dog that needs consistent leadership, there is nothing we would enjoy about a continual on-going power struggle. Provided we demonstrate leadership, we need the dog to submit and obey. To obtain that, training for this purpose would be one of the ongoing activities we do with our dog whom we expect to need mental stimulus anyway.

Because we want to continually make progress in training, we want a dog that is intelligent enough that training can be an ongoing thing where we are able to advance further and further without coming to the dog's limits of either will or understanding. We would enjoy a dog capable of advanced obedience, commands in multiple languages, reading hand and body signals, and performing well off-leash. I'm learning a lot about dog training now. We want to train the dog to an advanced level of obedience but we're realistic about what we can probably achieve with our first dog. For me, I see the value in a dog that demands authority and responds to it magnificently.

We want to accept the challenge of a larger working/herding dog and have considered the tradoffs of the several breeds. We evaluated the Bouvier against the Doberman, the German Shepherd, the Malinois, the Giant Schnauzer and several other dogs. German Shepherds shed a ton, Giant Schnauzers need massive amounts of exercise, and Malis can be hyperactive, but Bouviers, according to what I've read are the messiest, smelliest and demand the most attention to grooming. We read the article "Don't buy a Bouvier" and have taken those things into consideration.

Exercising the dog with a jog or a bike ride to the park and a runaround the park everyday is not a problem for us, but if the dog absolutely needed 2 hours or more a day of exercise away from the house just to get tired enough not to tear up our house, we probably couldn't work with that. We're a lot more active away from the house on weekends but the reality during the week is I go to work, and my wife and kids have a lot of other things to do -- mostly at home. Our backyard is based on a 0.2 acre lot so the dog can play but not really exercise out there. I would probably be walking and playing in the field with him two or three times a day, morning, noon and night for a total of one hour a day but other than that he would have to get along with us in our activities around the house at least until the weekend came and we all got out for the day.

I know some dogs are the other half of their owner's life but we can't offer that. The dog has to fit into the whole family. I can't be coming back from the park at my kids bedtime because I needed to be out all evening exercising the dog just to keep him from bouncing off the walls. That's a tough fit for some of the highest energy, most active dogs but I think the Bouvier can work with it.

On the other hand, I can see that the Bouvier is going to take a lot more time to keep clean and groomed and he'll add to our time spent cleaning the house. We think we can work with that. Clipping, brushing, raking... that's something I can do. Our dog will probably get a good brushing every day whether he needs it or not because I would enjoy the time with my dog and with my family (as opposed to endless excercise away from the house). I know that brushing isn't just caressing flowing locks but it usually means sorting out tangled hair and stuff stuck to the coat. Even if we do brush and groom a lot, I realize that won't stop all the crud, and mud and swampy stuff from coming in our house and I'll be picking weeds and ticks and whatnot from the dog but we're ready for that. Our house is all one stone floor and there's no upholstered furniture. I fixed it up to be proof for active kids and for my wife and my own practical lifestyle. Our yard is all landscaped so there's no open areas of dirt for mudholes or anything, but I can definitely see some pond mess coming from just down the road. The cab in our pickup is already full so he'll have to ride in back -- probably in a kennel. I might get a truck cap but I'm not sure that is safe enough by itself.

We're thinking the Bouvier might fit our situation best because we would rather deal with cleanup and grooming than with extra hours of exercise everyday, or massive shedding. We think the Bouvier's indoor activity level would suit our house best. The dog that matches us next best is the Doberman who is comparatively a far neater dog. The Doberman matched many of the things we are looking for but I have a serious concern about how he might connect with my 2 year old son. My major concern with the doberman is that his personality might be inclined to being obsessed with one person and he may not bond as well with our children as a herding dog might. Although I believe some Dobermans can be very good with children, we're hoping a Bouvier will have the best chance of becoming their best friend.

Both my boys are very gentle, peaceful and sensitive. A lot of breed profiles rank compatibility with children based on boisterous, rowdy and abusive kids but mine are far from that. I am more concerned about how well a Doberman or any dog would really connect with my gentlest and affectionate son. My 2 year old will especially enjoy a dog. He's been showing a lot of interest in them for over a year now. When we go to the dog park or we meet one on the street, he's always very reserved but the dogs can sense his attentiveness and he's always the one that gets licked. He's definitely into dogs but while dogs elicit his admiring thoughtfulness, sincere affection, and care, he's not likely to just tackle them with an embrace, but instead his thoughts will dwell on them long afterward. I am sure that he would ultimately prefer to have a great friend in a dog and not just a servant or even an opponent in a competition of wills. I would give up a lot of what we hope for from a dog to make sure my little boy gets a friend.

I realize the Bouvier's affection has been described as more reserved and he is not as playful or puppy-like as other dogs but I believe my son is sensitive enough to perceive the Bouvier's affection, loyalty and devotion if it is there and if it includes him and isn't more exclusively toward another member of the family. I can see how it would be counter intuitive for some dogs to form a strong bond with anyone besides the one it has learned to trust for the things it depends on but I'm hoping the a Bouvier will relate to my family beyond the bond of dependency. As an experienced Bouvier owner, what do you think?

I'm mostly interested in verifying my logic and reasoning about the Bouvier's fit for my family. I would love to hear what you think. I know if we determine to get one, we'll get a puppy rather than an adult or a rescue dog because my kids are not older and Bouviers are not popular enough that it's likely we would find a perfect match in a shelter. I know we should go to a responsible breeder -- but that's easier said than done. I really need names and contact information because looking around I have mostly found breeders that don't qualify any better one than the other, or they haven't any available or planned litters announced.