A Bouvier is simply a bovine herder or a dog that is used to
work or herd cattle. All Bouvier breeds are also given the name of the region
they hail from as a way to distinguish them from other Bouviers. Therefore, the
Bouvier des Ardennes was bred in the Adrenne region of Belgium.
It is believed that he is a very old breed and dates back to before written
breeding records were kept, possibly the 1600s. The Bouvier des Ardennes
was developed to withstand harsh terrain and climate while working with cattle.
They were used to move herds to grazing grounds and then to market when it was
time to sell the cattle. The first document portraying the Bouvier des Ardennes
as a well established breed was written sometime in the 1800s. Researchers have
not been able to accurately determine what breeds were used to develop the
Bouvier des Ardennes. Some researchers and breed
enthusiasts believe that the Bouvier des Ardennes was
used not just for herding, but also for hunting purposes. Many speculate that
he was used to hunt wild boar and deer near the end of the 1800s. Near the end of the 19th century, dog shows
became increasingly popular and breeders in Belgium
began expressing an interest in standardizing dog breeds within the country and
giving them individual recognition. The Liege Society for the Improvement of
the Cattle Dog was founded in 1913 and shortly after the breed standard for the
Bouvier des Ardennes was proposed. Standardized dog
breeding in Belgium
came to a halt when World War I struck and German occupation of Belgium
caused the number of purebred dogs to plummet drastically. The Bouvier des Ardennes
did eventually earn recognition by the Belgian Kennel Club in 1923, but by this
time there were only a handful left from the war. World War II almost
completely wiped out the breed and it took many generations of devoted breeders
to bring the breed back to where it is today. In fact, people believed that the
breed had become extinct until the 1980s when researchers found a group of
purebred Bouvier des Ardennes owned by local farmers in
the southern region of Belgium.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, breeders began cultivating the breed and
breeding according to his standard. While he is still a very rare breed, the
Bouvier des Ardennes was accepted into the United Kennel
Club in 2006.