The Bouvier des Flandres is a powerfully built, compact, rough-coated and rugged-looking dog. He gives the impression of great strength, and is agile and spirited. He is, at the same time, serene and well-behaved. His gaze is alert, hinting at his intelligence and daring. He is an ideal farm dog. His double coat protects him in all weather, enabling him to perform the most arduous tasks. The ideal Bouvier des Flanders breed of dog is powerfully built, strong boned and muscular, with no sign of or clumsiness or bulkiness. His head is impressive, accentuated by a beard and mustache. The expression is bold and alert. Eyes neither protrude nor are sunken in the sockets. Their shape is oval, color dark brown. The eye rims are black, and the haw is barely visible. Yellow or light eyes are strongly penalized. Ears are placed high and alert. If cropped, they are to be a triangular contour and in proportion to the size of the head. The inner corner of the ear should be in line with the outer corner of the eye. Ears that are too low or too closely set are serious faults. Skull is flat, slightly less wide than long. When viewed from the side, the top lines of the skull and the muzzle are parallel. It is wide between the ears, with the frontal groove barely marked. The stop is more apparent than real, due to upstanding eyebrows. The proportions of length of skull to length of muzzle are 3 to 2. Muzzle is broad, strong, well filled out, tapering gradually toward the nose without ever becoming pointed. The Bouvier des Flanders breed of dog has a nose that is large, black and round at the edges, with flared nostrils. A brown, pink or spotted nose is a serious fault. The cheeks are flat and lean, with the lips being dry and tight fitting. The jaws are powerful and of equal length. The teeth are strong, white and healthy, with a scissors bite. The neck of the Bouvier des Flanders breed of dog is strong and muscular, widening gradually into the shoulders. When viewed from the side, it is gracefully arched with proud carriage. No dewlap. The back is short, broad and well muscled with firm level topline. It is supple and flexible. The chest is broad, with the brisket extending to the elbow in depth. The ribs are deep and well sprung. The first ribs are slightly curved, the others well sprung and very well sloped nearing the rear, giving proper depth to the chest. Flanks and loins short, wide and well muscled, without weakness. The abdomen is only slightly tucked up. The horizontal line of the back should mold unnoticeably into the curve of the rump, which is characteristically wide. The tail is to be docked, leaving 2 or 3 vertebrae. It must be set high and align normally with the spinal column. Preferably carried upright in motion. Dogs that are born tailless are not penalized. The Bouvier des Flanders' forequarters are strong boned, well muscled and straight. The shoulders are relatively long and muscular. The shoulder blade and humerus are approximately the same length, forming an angle slightly greater than 90 degrees when standing. Elbows are close to the body and parallel. Forearms viewed either in profile or from the front are perfectly straight, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. They are well muscled and strong boned. Carpus exactly in line with the forearms. Pasterns quite short, slightly sloped. Dewclaws may be removed. Both front and feet are rounded and compact and straight, and the toes are close and well arched; strong black nails; thick tough pads. The hindquarters of the Bouvier des Flanders are well muscled with large, powerful hams. They should be parallel with the front legs when viewed from either front or rear. Legs moderately long, well muscled, neither too straight nor too inclined. Thighs wide and muscular. The upper thigh must be neither too straight nor too sloping. There is moderate angulation at the stifle. Hocks strong, rather close to the ground. When standing and seen from the rear, they will be straight and perfectly parallel to each other. In motion, they must turn neither in nor out. There is a slight angulation at the hock joint. Metatarsi hardy and lean, rather cylindrical and perpendicular to the ground when standing. Rear dewclaws should be removed. The Bouvier des Flanders has a double coat capable of withstanding the hardest work in the most inclement weather. The outer hairs are rough and harsh, while the undercoat is soft and dense and grows thicker in winter. The coat may be trimmed slightly only to accent the body line (a length of approximately 2½ inches). It is tousled, but not curly. It is short on the skull and the upper part of the back. Ears are rough-coated. Together, the two coats form a water-resistant covering. The mustache and beard are very thick, with the hair being shorter and rougher on the upper side of the muzzle. The Bouvier des Flanders' eyebrows consist of erect hairs that accentuate the shape of the eyes. The color of the Bouvier des Flanders breed of dog ranges from fawn to black, including salt and pepper, gray and brindle. A small white star on the chest is allowed. Chocolate brown, white, and parti-color are penalized. Otherwise, no particular color is preferred. The Bouvier des Flanders has a free and bold gait. In a trot, the Bouvier's back should remain firm and flat.