Belgian shepherd dog

As already noted, there are 4 varieties of Belgian Shepherd:

• Groenendael (longhair black)
• Lakenua ( wire -haired)
• Malinois (Shorthair)
• Tervuren (long-haired in a color other than black)

All of them differ only in texture and coat length and color .

In the USA, under the name of the Belgian Shepherd, only Groenendael is known; Malinois and Tervuren are registered as separate breeds - "Belgian Malinois" and "Belgian Tervuren", and Lakenua - the rarest of the four varieties - is not recognized at all.

In 1891, a Belgian veterinarian, Professor Adolf Riyul, tried to breed a national shepherd breed. He took medium-sized dogs of the same type with ears standing, but differing in color and coat - short-haired, medium-haired and long-haired. Although Professor Riyul recommended breeding by type of coat, color was still preferred.

Later, in 1907, the following standard was established: half-long-haired shepherds should be black (groenendael), short-haired - tan or charcoal (malinois), and long-haired - ashen-gray (lakenua).

Groenendael was bred by dog ​​breeder Nicholas Rose , who lived in the city of Groenendael .

Malinois is also named after the small town of Mechelen or Malin, in French.

Lakenua received the name from the royal castle of Laeken, in the vicinity of which there lived shepherds who bred dogs with coarse and stiff hair. This is the smallest variety of "Belgians".

Tervuren also received its name from the city where their first breeder lived.

General view

A dog with moderate lines, harmoniously proportional, intelligent, unpretentious, adapted for keeping outdoors, resistant to seasonal changes in weather and various atmospheric phenomena characteristic of the Belgian climate . With its harmonious forms, proud landing of the head, the Belgian shepherd should give the impression of an elegant fortress, which became the property of the selection of this working dog breed

Head

The head is good sculpting, long, but not too dry. The length of the cranial part and muzzle is approximately the same, the muzzle is slightly longer than the skull , which gives the head a finished shape. The nose is black, the nostrils are well opened. The muzzle is of medium length, gradually tapering to the nose. The back of the nose is straight, when viewed in profile, it is parallel to the imaginary line of continuation of the forehead. The mouth is well opened.

The lips are thin, dense, heavily pigmented, without pink patches of the mucosa. The cheekbones are dry, almost flat, at the same time with good muscles. The jaws are equipped with strong and white teeth, correctly located, firmly recessed in well-developed jaws. The scissor bite , that is, the incisors of the upper jaw slightly cover the incisors of the lower jaw while touching each other. The transition from the forehead to the muzzle (feet) is moderate, but noticeable. The superciliary arches are not protruding, the muzzle under the eyes is well filled.

Eyes

Eyes of medium size, not convex and not recessed, are close to almond-shaped, brown in color, preferably more saturated, eyelids are black. The look is direct, lively, smart and inquisitive.

Ears

The ears are almost triangular in shape, straight and erect; set high, in proportion to size, auricles well rounded at the base.

Neck

The neck is well defined, slightly elongated, well muscled, without suspension, gradually expanding towards the shoulders.

Forelimbs

Forelegs with strong bones, dry and stylish muscles. The shoulder blades are long and obliquely set, tight-fitting, forming a delivery angle with the humerus for the free movement of the elbows. The elbows should move strictly parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body. The forearms are long and well muscled. Metacarpus strong and short, clean, without any signs of rickets. Paws are almost rounded; fingers curved and tightly compressed; the pads are thick and elastic, the nails are dark and durable.

Torso

The body is powerful, but not heavy. In males, the length of the body from the shoulder to the back of the thigh is approximately equal to the height at the withers. In bitches, the length of the body may be slightly greater than the height at the withers. The chest is moderately wide, but quite deep and voluminous, as in all animals with great endurance. The ribs are curved at the top. Withers expressed. The top line (back and lower back) is straight, wide, with strong muscles. The abdomen is moderately developed, neither voluminous nor tightened, like a greyhound , continues a harmonious curved line of the bottom of the chest. The croup is slightly inclined, wide enough.

Hind limbs

The hind limbs are powerful, without congestion, move in the same plane as the forelimbs. Set perpendicular to the ground. Hips are broad and muscular. Maclocs are located approximately on the same vertical line with the knee joint. The legs are long, wide, muscular, fairly curved towards the hocks, but not excessively. Metatarsus strong and short. Dewclaws are undesirable.

The paws are almost oval in shape, the fingers are bent and tightly compressed, the pads are thick and elastic, the nails are dark and thick.

Tail

The tail is well set, strong at the base, of medium length. In a calm state, the dog keeps it lowered down, while the end is slightly pulled up at the level of the hock; in motion, the tail rises in the form of a curved curve, but at the same time it should not be bent by a hook or bent to the side. In males, the tail is slightly wider and longer than in females.

Color

Tervuren

The color is red-red with "coal" (black), the more natural the color, the better. The red color should be warm, neither light nor blurry. All dogs with insufficiently bright colors can not qualify for a rating of "excellent", especially to receive the title of CAC, CACIB or reserve CAC, CACIB.

Malinois

Color uniform red with "charcoal" and a black mask.

Groenendael

Homogeneous pure black color. Allowed a white "tie" and a little white hair on the toes of the hind legs.

Lakenua

Redhead with traces of blackening, mainly on the muzzle and tail. A little white is acceptable on the chest and on the toes of the hind legs.

Wool

The length of the coat and its structure are different for Belgian shepherds; these differences formed the basis for the division of the breed into varieties. In all cases, the coat should be thick, dense, of good structure, with a silky undercoat to provide excellent protection against adverse weather conditions.

Leather

The skin is elastic but firmly attached to the body. The mucous membranes are highly pigmented.

Growth

Desirable average height for males is 62 cm at the withers, bitches - 58 cm. It is allowed to grow 2 cm less than average and 4 cm more than average.

Allure

In movement, the dog is active, captures a large space, not constrained. With its excitable temperament, the Belgian shepherd prefers to move in circles than to adhere to a strictly direct direction.

Weaknesses

• aggressive or cowardly character;
• nose, lips, eyelids, with traces of pigmentation;
• slight overshot;
• light eyes;
• too straight shoulders;
• weak, straightened hocks;
• open legs;
• too high a raised tail in the form of a hook deviating from the midline of the trunk;
• lack of undercoat;
• gray color, shades not warm enough or blurry;
• uneven mask.

Disqualifying Vices

• severe overshot or undershot.
• the absence of some premolars: the absence of one small premolar (PMI) located immediately behind the canine is allowed without a decrease in score; the absence of two PMIs or one of the subsequent premolars reduces the dog’s score; the absence of three premolars disqualifies the dog;
• hanging or artificially set ears;
• short tail from birth or cropped tail, or amputated;
• white spots in places other than on the chest or on the fingers;
• lack of a mask in tervuren or malinois;
• uncontrollable or overly aggressive, or overly nervous and cowardly in nature: during the examination, the dog should behave calmly and confidently;
• the absence of one or two testes in males.

Varieties

Groenendael and Tervuren

Wool

The coat is short on the head, on the back of the ears and on the lower part of the limbs, with the exception of the back of the front legs, which have tows from the elbows to the metacarpals. On the remaining parts of the body, the hair is long and adjacent, longer and more plentiful around the neck and below the chest, where it forms a frill collar. The auricles on the inside are protected by thick hair, at the base of the ears the hair is raised and frames the head. The hips are covered with very long and thick wool, forming a "pants". The tail is decorated with long and thick hair in the form of a sultan.

Color

Grunenndahl - homogeneous black. Tervuren - red with "coal". Auburn should be warm, not bleached, and not washed out. The mask covers an area of ​​8% exactly of the total skin area; the mask covers two ears, upper eyelids, upper and lower lips, which should be black.

Weaknesses

• silky hair, wavy or curly, not long enough;
• for Groenendael - a reddish coat of wool, gray "pants";
• for tervuren it is undesirable - gray, the shades are rather warm or blurry, the lack of blackness of “coal”, or the uneven distribution of blackening over the body, a weak or uneven mask, excessive blackening over the body;
• short hair - very short on the head, on the back of the ears and on the lower part of the limbs. Short on the rest of the body. More abundant on the tail and around the neck, where it forms a collar, starting from the base of the ears and continuing to the throat.

Malinois

Color

Redhead with “charcoal” and a black mask. The black mask occupies the same 8% of the skin surface as the tervuren. For the shorthair variety no other color other than red with “charcoal” is recognized.

Weaknesses

• semi-long hair in those areas where it should be short, the inclusion of hard wool in areas with short hair, wavy hair;
• the complete absence of "coal", or vice versa, its presence in the form of spots;
• insufficiently expressed mask or uneven mask;
• excess "coal" on the body is undesirable.

Lakenua

Wool

The coat is coarse and dry red color with traces of “coal”, mainly on the muzzle and tail, which looks tousled. The length of the coat is approximately the same on different parts of the body, about 6 cm. The hair around the eyes and on the muzzle is not so developed that the head resembles the head of a beret or briar . At the same time, the presence of clumping on the face is mandatory. The tail should not be in the form of a sultan.

Weaknesses

• the coat is too long, soft, curly, wavy or short;
• the inclusion of soft wool in the form of bunches in hard wool;
• too long hair around the eyes or below the head;
• shaggy tail.

By nature, representatives of this breed are endowed with intelligence and good memory. They are obedient, brave and understanding, and very smart.

Belgian shepherd dogs are well trained , in the hands of an experienced trainer the dog quickly learns to do everything that is required of it. On the contrary, rough treatment will not benefit either the owner or the dog, and over time can turn the restless puppy into a neurasthenic.

• D. Patrushev. Amstaff // My friend is a dog: magazine. - M .: LLC "Publishing House Animal Press", 2013. - No. 5 . - S. 47-50 .
• O. Shilova. Belgian Shepherd Dog Malinois // Friend. Magazine for those who love dogs: Magazine. - M .: LLC Premiere Media, 2009. - No. 1 (180) . - S. 20-37 . - ISSN 1609-052-7 .
• O. Shilova. Belgian Shepherd Dogs (Groenendael, Tervuren, Lacnua) // Friend. Magazine for those who love dogs: Magazine. - M .: LLC Premiere Media, 2009. - No. 1 (180) . - S. 41 . - ISSN 1609-052-7 .