Difference between a Black Russian Terrier and a Bouvier des Flandres

As an owner of a Black Russian Terrier (BRT), how many times your BRT has been mistaken for a Bouvier des Flandres?

Yes, walking down the street, you can hear the whispers of a young person telling his mother or father, there’s a Bouvier, or even an adult stopping to complement you on you Bouvier. Yes, and then you have to explain to them that your Black Russian Terrier is not a Bouvier. They look at you at amazement and try to explain their mistake. Well you cannot really blame them, can you? If you do not know the breeds, they look alike, however, at first glance you can recognize that both dogs are completely different.

Black Russian Terrier courtesy Iz Teremka BRT Kennel

Bouvier des Flandres

All pure breed dogs throughout the world are classified into Groups. The Black Russian Terrier belongs to the Working Group in North America and is classified by the Federation Cynologique Internationale under Group 2. The Black Russian Terrier originates from Russia. The Bouvier des Flandres originated from Belgium and is classified in the Herding Group in North America and belongs to Group 1 of the Federation Cynologique Internationale.

The male Black Russian Terrier when fully mature can reach a weight of 150 lbs (68kgs). The females are much lighter and can reach a weight of approximately 105 lbs (48kgs). The Bouviers male and female can attain a weight of 60 lbs to 90 lbs (27kgs to 40kgs). Comparing a mature Black Russian Terrier male against a mature male Bouvier, the Black Russian Terrier is a much larger and heavier dog.

The Skull of the Black Russian Terrier is somewhat wide and round, but not too pronounced cheek bones. The ears are medium in size, triangularly shaped, set high, but not above the level of the skull. The ear leather is dense, rounded at the bottom, hanging with the front edge lying against the head and terminating at approximately mid - cheek  muzzle is broad with a slight tapering towards the nose. A moustache and beard emphasize volume and give the muzzle a square shape. Viewed in profile, the topline of the muzzle is parallel to the topline of the backskull. The nose is large and black.

The Skull of the Bouvier is well developed and 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 Ears placed high and alert.  If cropped, they are to be a triangular contour and in proportion to the size of the head. The stop is more apparent than real, due to upstanding eyebrow. The proportions of length of skull to length of muzzle are 3 to 2. The Muzzle broad, strong, well filled out, tapering gradually toward the nose without ever becoming snipy or pointed. The Nose is large, black, well developed, round at the edges, with flared nostrils. The jaws are powerful and of equal length. The teeth are strong, white and healthy, with the incisors meeting in a scissors bite.

The aforementioned are just examples of the differences between the Black Russian Terrier and the Bouvier des Flandres. For additional differences and information, the author suggest that you read the breed standards of both the Black Russian Terrier and the Bouvier des Flandres.

Make Your Own Home Made Organic Baits For Dogs.

The term bait or baiting is synonymous  with fishing, however in the doggy world, bait is used extensively for training dogs. Bait is usually a piece of food, usually biscuits and raw food that dogs like.

In the conformation ring where dogs are professionally shown by handlers, you will find that most of the handlers are using some type of bait to entice the dog in doing what the handler wants the dog to do. 

At Iz Teremka BRT Kennel we try our best to use organic raw food as bait whenever it is necessary and when time permits for our dogs. Now a raw dog food diet typically consists of: muscle meat, often still on the bone. Bones, either whole or ground. Organ meats such as livers and kidneys. The problem we have here is that on most occasions, if we are purchasing from a butcher or grocery, we are not sure if these foods contain any chemicals in the food. We have to take the word of the butcher or meat cutter from the grocery that the food does not contain any chemicals that has passed down the animal chain.

Chicken Hearts Bait 

In preparing our bait,  we purchased baby beef liver (if available), chicken liver (if available), chicken hearts (if available).
Once we make our purchase and take it home, the work starts on how you prepare your bait. The process that I am going to tell you about is the same process that is applied to the baby beef liver, chicken liver and chicken hearts.For the purpose of this writing I am going to use the chicken hearts. Once I get home, I am going to:

1. Remove the hearts from the grocery packaging and place it in a colander  and thoroughly wash the chicken hearts. After washing let the colander drain for about 15minutes to get all the water out. 
2. After the water is all drained, place contents in a large bowl to accommodate the hearts.
3. You are going to take about 3 to 4 garlic bulbs, separate them into cloves and remove the shells. Once all the shells are removed, crush the cloves in a mortar and pestle.  If you do not have a mortar and pestle, use a food processor or blender. Once it is crushed, let it stand for about 10 minutes. Why 10 minutes?, you want the allicin in the garlic to do it’s magic. This is applicable to all foods when garlic is used.
4. Add to the bowl of hearts about 3 tablespoons of soya sauce, 1 table spoon of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons of Hoisin Sauce, 2 tablespoon of salt and any other marinade that you want to use. I leave that up to your discretion. After the garlic has completed it’s 10 minutes rest, add the garlic to the bowl and mix all the  ingredients together.
5. Once it is all mixed, put all the ingredient including the “sauce” into a ziplock bag and let stand in the refrigerator overnight.
6. The next day, get a pot that will hold all the hearts, open the ziplock bag and pour all the contents into the pot. Fill the pot with water that will just cover the hearts, add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 1 hour. The smell will be nice. 
7. After 1 hour, remove and drain in a colander. Let all the water drain. Please do not do what I do. It smells so good that I start to eat the hearts. They taste good. Once the water has drained, spread the hearts out on a paper towel and pat them dry. This is important. It must be dried. If you are using baby liver, this is the time that you will cut up the liver into bait bite sizes. Again here, use your discretion.
8. Once the hearts are throughly dried, preheat your oven to 375F. You are going to take all the hearts and spread it on to a cookie sheet. Make sure that the hearts do not touch each other. One the oven has reach it’s temperature, place the cookie sheet into the oven and bake for 1 hour. I like my bait to be a little crispy, however some people like their bait to have a little moisture in it. With this said, you should check the bait in the oven to see if it is to your liking.

You may have to do this several times before you get the hang of it in making you very own bait. If you have make batches of bait, you can try freezing them.

If you get a chance, please visit our website at: https://www.izteremkabrtkennel.dog.

Happy Baiting.

Buying A Puppy

Buying a puppy is a very serious commitment that anyone can make. For some people it can be very stressful filled with anxiety and for some people it can be a very normal thing and for people who have never owned a pet it can be quite exhilarating experience. A new puppy introduced into a home where there are children, the experience could be from apprehensive to joys of exuberance and effervescence.

Before purchasing a puppy you have probably made up your mind on the breed of dog you are attracted to. Others may desire a dog but cannot decide on a breed and then there are others who will purchase a puppy spontaneously without any notion of the characteristics of the puppy. In 1997 there was a huge backlash to the Disney movies 101 Dalmatians whereby people seeing the movie when out and purchase Dalmatians for themselves or children. After the novelty had worn out, lots of Dalmatians were abandoned in dog pounds.

Here is a list of things that one must take into consideration before buying a puppy.

• Housing Requirements. Is the puppy when full grown would be able to be accommodated in your living abode?
• Food costs. Budget for a small breed or large breed and for premium dog food.
• Veterinarian bills for example yearly inoculation costs and other expenses. 
• Insurance costs (optional).
• Leashes, feeding bowl, water bowls, collars.
• Obedience classes.
• Dog Shows (optional).
• Bathing and Grooming.
• Do you have a backup person you will be able to take care of the puppy when you are not at home?

Mother and Puppies

Once you have passed the evaluation above and would like to continue, the next step involves the selecting the breed of dog that you are interested in. There are many websites on the internet that are breed specific, however, I will share with you some sites that will give you intimate details about all the dog breeds. You can visit the sites that are applicable to where you live. Here they are:

• American Kennel Club (USA)
• Canadian Kennel Club ( Canada)
• United Kennel Club (USA)
• The Kennel Club (England)
• Federation Cynologique Internationale (Europe and Worldwide)
• Australian National Kennel Council Limited (Australia)

The next step is to find a reputable breeder. A reputable breeder is a breeder who has the following qualities:

• Will have an updated website that will show a list of all litters whelped.
• Will allow to visit their kennel show you their breeding dogs.
• Will allow you to see medical records.
• Will allow you to see pedigrees and registration of dogs.
• Will allow you to see a contract or take home a contract for perusal.
• Will give a written guarantee with respect to purchase of puppy.
• Will give references, providing privacy laws have been approved by references.
• Will not calumniate other breeders.
• Observe the premises on how it is kept.
• Observe how the dogs interact with their owners.

Keep away from backyard breeders, puppy mills and pet stores that are selling puppies. Lately the authorities have been abrogating pet stores from selling puppies.
Do not buy from sites that shows you puppy photographs where the photos have been photoshopped. These photos have been enhanced and do not show the true photo of the puppy

Breeders on the other hand may want to find out more about you and will ask you questions that will enable them to also evaluate you because they do not want their puppies to go to a home where their puppies will not be taken care off.

There are some breeds of dogs that a breeder may not want to sell you and that is based on your experience with dogs. Black Russian Terriers for example is a breed that needs an experienced owner. The Black Russian Terrier is what is considered an alpha dog and working dog thats needs handling skills. So if a breeder rejects you, do not be surprised.

If you and the breeder can come to a mutual understanding of purchasing a puppy, the breeder will ask for a deposit, a contract will be signed and a delivery date (usually 12 weeks) the puppy will be released to you.

If you are interested in a Black Russian Terrier puppy, please contact lana@izteremkabrtkennel.dog or visit us at https://www.izteremkabrtkennel.dog/contact