Activities For A Bouvier Des Flandres

Dogs that are classified as a herding breed, like the Bouvier Des Flanders, are expected to be natural-born herders. However, some dogs simply do not have a strong herding instinct and will need to work hard to be able to effective when moving stock. The Bouvier Des Flanders is a large dog able to move stock of all sizes. They are intelligent and easy to train. If you are not accustomed to training a dog to herd, find a local dog club that offers either classes or mentors to help you. Herding trials are done in any weather, but sunny weather is always ideal. You will need a flat buckle collar, a leash, training whistle, and a five foot bamboo pole; a PVC pole can also be used but an actual shepherd’s hook is not a good idea because of their weight. A 15-20 foot training line can also be used when you become a little more comfortable with training your dog to herd.

This is the canine variation of hide and seek and your Bouvier Des Flanders will absolutely love searching for treats or toys. You can play search and find inside your home, in the backyard, or even in the park. Weather is not a factor when playing inside, however, when playing outside the best weather is either sunny or cloudy with no rain. When hiding objects, pick items that have a stronger scent so they can differentiate scents and find the object. The Bouvier Des Flanders is not a scent hound, but like all dogs, they can use their nose to sniff out good smelling things. You can also hide and make your dog find you. Plan on spending about 30 minutes playing search and find with your dog. 

This is a canine game that is sweeping the nation. This game was developed in Germany and is played in 15-minute increments. There are several European countries that have formed leagues and dogs compete for titles. North America has also formed the American Treibball Association and it is becoming very popular in Maryland, California and Florida. Sometimes treibball is referred to as drive ball and is similar to soccer. Dogs will drive the ball across the field; balls are large inflated balls. In treibball, dogs work as a team to drive the ball across the field and into a goal. There are eight of these large, inflated balls in play on the field at the same time, creating total chaos while the dogs use their heads and muzzles to move the balls.