The All-Round Bouv
by Sandy Brock

A question............How much does owner-inclination become a factor in the perpetuation of the working/conformation split?

I wanted my pup Quincy because he came out of strong protection lines and I want to work and trial him. Had I wanted a conformation dog, my inclination would have been to check out the breeders whose dogs had succeeded in this area.

Because my desire to trial increases the chances that I WILL trial which increases the chances that Quincy will be titled, my inclination might well add to the reputation of the lines from which he came.

What would happen if a young breeder decided to merge lines with a desire to work (which includes herding, as well) with lines known for conformation winning and to do this consistently? Would this produce the perfect, all-round Bouvier, as I and others have suggested in the past?

In thinking this over my opinion would be that this isn't possible...on a competition level. My thinking is that those who are serious about their determination to win would continue to buy from breeders whose dogs have reputations in their respective fields. They wouldn't want to take a chance on an experimental puppy. The only way my hypothetical breeder could succeed would be to show intensively in both areas for many years and build his/her dogs' reputations by him/herself. Another possibility might be to
sell puppies at low prices to people who were serious about showing in both areas.

Where does this lead? Well, as in many breeds, I see the two lines diverging forever...but not because working dogs are ugly and pretty dogs can't work. I see the divergence because those who want more than a pet will maximize their chances by sticking to lines with a reputation in that chosen area.

I've done my fair share of sneering about "stupid conformation dogs who can't smell their way to a slaughterhouse". Sylvi's comment that this is like racial or religious prejudice really struck a chord in me. I like to think myself free of such and, suddenly, a woman I've never met brings me face-to-face with my own narrow-mindedness.

Where does this leave us? In drawing a parallel to humans, if you are artistic and your SO is athletic, do you despise your SO for liking to do something you don't like to do? What if you have children? If one child is artistic and one is athletic do you despise the one who is opposite to your own tastes? Of course not. What if one child has work in a major gallery or plays for a major orchestra and the other makes the cut for the Olympics?
Do you look at the Olympian with disdain? Do you say "S/he's untalented so his/her only option is to run (or skate, or whatever)." and wish you had bred some other kind of child? Of course not, you love them both.

Our participation in this list demonstrates that we are different from those who don't participate (given computer capability and interest). It shows that we are so devoted to our own dogs, and to the breed, that we will take time from other activities to read and respond to these posts.

As "Bouv people", then, rather than just "Bouv owners" why cannot we take the same attitude that we would toward different children? Why cannot we simply say "My Bouv is from protection/conformation/herding stock." without attaching any emotional content to such a statement? Why cannot we glory in the achievements of Bouviers, everywhere, rather than demeaning those who do different things than ours do.

In speaking of our children we would brag that "my daughter is an Olympic runner and my son plays 1st violin with the Philadelphia Philharmonic.". Maybe the time has come to have the same attitude toward the breed. Divergence WILL occur...nothing will stop it. Why not just recognize that there will be differences in the breed, recognize that Bouvier we most prefer and stop this everlasting harping on who is ruining what?

A Bouvier is a Bouvier is a Bouvier.