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Belgian Shepherd

If you need a versatile dog, well trained, with excellent working qualities, then the Belgian Shepherd is the most ideal option. Being a shepherd’s breed for a long time, the Belgian learned to be independent, collected and organized. A high intellect and ability to think helped her to become an excellent service dog, and then - an excellent companion.

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Breed origin

The first representative of the breed was the result of the breeding work of a Belgian veterinarian, it happened in 1891. He set himself a rather ambitious goal - to create a breed of excellent shepherd, which would become a national treasure. Belgian Shepherd Dog

As a result, 4 varieties of Belgian shepherds were bred, which, with relatively similar characteristics, differed only in length, quality and color of the coat.

As for the names, everything is simple - the names of the Belgian cities were taken as a basis. Tervurons were named in honor of the native city of the first breeder of this type, “Belgian”, malinois came from Mechelen or Malin.

Grunendal - named as the town of the same name, in which they were bred. And only laquenoy - small and unrecognized species, distinguished themselves. Their name is associated with the castle Laken, in which the breeders of one of the breeds lived, which was used in breeding work. In the early 20th century, standards for each species of breed appeared.

Description of breed Belgian Shepherd

Individuals of all species have the same build and size, so you can focus on the general description. These animals have a proportional build, a medium-sized body, powerful, but not without elegance, with well-developed, prominent musculature.

The growth of males varies from 60 to 66 cm, females - in the range of 56-62 cm, representatives of the breed weigh 25-30 kg. The standard offers the following appearance characteristics:

  1. Head held high, moderately elongated, dryish, clearly delineated. The skull and the muzzle are about the same length. The skull is of medium width, with a flat forehead, on which there is a weakly pronounced groove and a slightly developed occipital tubercle.
  2. The muzzle is wedge-shaped, gradually tapering, ending in a black lobe. The lips are intensely pigmented with black color, thin, tight-fitting.
  3. The jaws are strong, the dentition is full, without gaps (the absence of 2 premolars is allowed), consists of large, white teeth that create the correct bite of the “scissors” type. The standard allows for the presence of a direct bite.
  4. Cheekbones flattened, with dry muscles. The eyes are medium in size, slightly almond-shaped, slanted, with a brown iris - the darker the better. The dog looks straight, his eyes are intelligent, studying. Belgian Shepherd breed description
  5. The ears are triangular, rounded at the base, with pointed tips, set high.
  6. The neck is long, straight, well muscled, expands to the shoulder blades, has no dewlap.
  7. The body can be called powerful, but without gravity. The back and loin are straight, muscular, withers well expressed. The croup has a slight slope and a developed musculature.
  8. Thorax moderately broad, with good depth and volume. The stomach does not sag, moderately tucked up.
  9. The tail is well set, thick at the base. When the dog is calm, the tail hangs down, when excited, rises, taking the form of a curved curve, but not in the form of a hook and does not fall on its side.
  10. The limbs are strong, but without heavy bones, with strong and lean muscles, and the back and front are straight, set parallel to each other, with elongated shoulder blades and shoulders. Short pasterns, strong, rounded paws, cat-like, with arched toes.

The Belgian Shepherd is moving actively, not constrained, often calm trot.

Colors and coat

At home, 4 species of "Belgian" are representatives of the same breed, but in other states they are either shared or not recognized by all of them. As already noted, the sheep dog is distinguished by wool and its coloring:

  1. Gruenendali have a double, thick coat, having a dense texture and abundant undercoat. She is tough, long. Silky, curly or glossy guard hair is considered a blemish. Greunandals with monochromatic black color are more common, less often with white markings covering the region of the sternum and fingers. Belgian Shepherd Dog Grünendali
  2. Laquinoy is a type of Belgian that is unrecognized in some countries. Representatives of the breed are covered with coarse, rather stiff coat, with a reddish tinge and white patches. Laekenoos do not have a black mask, such as Malinois, but the standard allows for darker hair on the face and tail. Belgian Shepherd Laekenois
  3. Malinois - short-haired sheep-dog of a red shade with coal, a black mask covers the muzzle and the same edging is on the ears. Belgian Shepherd Malinois
  4. Tervuren - the color of wool is the same as in malinois - it is red with “coal”, but in length it is like that of the Grünendal. White markings on the sternum and fingers are permissible. Tervuren

Character

Even considering the similarity of the Belgian Shepherd breed dogs, each species still has its own characteristics:

  • gryunendali - sensitive, unpretentious pets, can perform almost any work - from cheerful relay races to emergency, emergency and rescue activities;
  • tervureny - beautiful watchdogs, very mature, never attack for no reason; if there is a threat, they behave very confidently and fearlessly;
  • Malinois - with strong guard and bodyguard instincts; very passionate, with a pronounced dominant character;
  • Laekenois - in comparison with the others, representatives of this species are distinguished by good nature, obedience and flexible temper.

Like all herding dogs, the “Belgian” are devoid of aggression, very energetic, balanced and active. The pet never loses its vigilance, protecting and protecting both the owner, family members, and property. Dogs of this breed showed themselves well in the guard service and protective service.

Familiar people are met favorably, outsiders - with restraint, without aggression and fussiness. Cowardly individuals are disqualified, timidity and excessive excitability are among the shortcomings.

Sheepdogs from Belgium are well trained, they are happy to carry out tasks, trying to please the owner. The dog finds a common language with all households, including small children. But he does not like to communicate with kids, although he will obey.

Belgian Shepherd Dogs are not loafers! It is impossible that the pet is bored, but it is also not suitable for him to run back and forth behind the toy. Such a pet can be charged with carrying a bag from the store, guarding the stroller at the entrance, a bicycle, and a dog with full responsibility will be able to carry out this work. Going for a walk by the company, the owner can be sure that not a single comrade will resist an improvised “flock” with such a “shepherd”.

Education and training

When purchasing a puppy of a given breed, a person lets in to his house a real clot of energy. Kids are active and very inquisitive. While he is not a little older, leave the pet alone is not worth it. And with any pampering, it should be distracted by toys. Gradually, he will understand what can be amused and what is not.

The dog is focused on his family, but an ill-bred animal can be a threat to strangers. Having sensed something was wrong, he can begin to act - in fact, when grazing livestock, this is what he expected. But today they demand something else from the shepherd dog - obedience and restraint, it is important that the dog protects the owner only after hearing the appropriate command.

The Belgian Shepherd needs constant contact with people, if this does not happen, it can become stubborn or wayward. When training, you can not use physical impact, rudeness, screams, as the "Belgian" is very sensitive. The maximum that is allowed is jerking over the leash. They also react to the atmosphere prevailing in the family, the mood of the owner. If the owner ignores the pet, the dog will suffer from such neglect. Belgian shepherd sit

The dogs of this breed have a very good memory, they quickly learn basic skills, and the owner will be able to avoid monotonous repetitions of the same. However, be sure to go beyond the main program. If the dog is not working, the owner is better to find her a lesson. For example, "Belgians" are successful in almost all sports.

In order for the dog to be cheerful and keep its physical form, it needs a daily 2-3-hour load. Socialization should be early, it should be dealt with after instilling a pet. The puppy should be in the city, communicate with strangers, animals, learn to behave in crowded places and transport.

If the dog does not master the rules of good tone, he can bark at cars, bite passers-by, or, conversely, cowardly hide. At the initial stage of upbringing, you can dress a too active pet in a muzzle.

Care

Belgian Shepherd dogs require regular, uncomplicated care, including regular inspection of the auricles, eyes, and mouth cavity. Ears are cleaned of dirt, eyes are washed with chamomile broth if necessary, teeth are cleaned a couple of times a week.

Dogs that are not engaged in vigorous activity must periodically claw their claws. But how to care for hair depends on the type of breed:

  1. Gruenendali and tervureny have a long, thick wool, which must be combed every 2-3 days. And during the link this procedure must be performed daily, especially if the pet lives in the apartment. Long-haired males change the fur coat 1 time per year, females - 2. Representatives of this breed are not sheared, it is enough to remove the growth between the fingers.
  2. Malinois - even less troublesome, it is enough to process their short wool with a special brush or mitten 2-3 times a month. When molting - 2-3 times a week.
  3. Laekenois - like most hard haired dogs, they need regular trimming - removal of dead hairs. And they do not need a haircut, as the hair grows very slowly.

With good care and proper nutrition, shepherd dogs live an average of 12.5 years, there is a registered long-liver in this breed - 18 years 3 months.

Diseases

"Belgiek" is considered a fairly healthy, strong breed, but they are not insured against the development of the following diseases:

  • epilepsy;
  • twisting intestines;
  • large-scale dysplasia;
  • cataracts;
  • stroke;
  • oncological diseases.

In addition, shepherd dogs often develop obesity without proper exercise. And if the owner does not follow the pet's diet, then he may suffer from food allergies.

Feeding

More often the Belgian shepherds are fed with natural food. In this case, the pet needs additional sources of vitamins and microelements. Puppies are given food 5 times a day. Gradually, approximately by half a year, they transfer to the adult 2-single feeding regime. Belgian Shepherd sitting

The owner must make a balanced diet, consisting primarily of meat and offal. Additional products are cereals, vegetables, herbs, fish, eggs, kefir, yogurt, fruit. It is recommended to boil porridges in water or broths, mix with meat, vegetables, and season with vegetable oil.

You should not give the following to the Belgian Shepherd:

  • flour and confectionery;
  • fat meat;
  • spicy dishes and seasonings;
  • salted, smoked products.

If the owner does not have the opportunity to prepare food for the pet, then you can transfer it to industrial rations. Only this should be a premium or super premium quality product. Regardless of the type of feeding, the dog should be provided with round-the-clock access to clean, drinking water.

Dog content

It is possible to wind up a similar four-legged friend for both apartment and street maintenance. "Belgian" unpretentious, bravely tolerate both high and low temperatures. Suitable for living in an open-air cage, but it is worth considering that such a dog can not be planted on a chain.

The Belgian Shepherd is not for the lazy - you will have to walk regularly with your pet regularly and for a long time, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a street dog or a home dog.

Photos of the Belgian Shepherd Belgian Shepherd RunBelgian Shepherd in natureBelgian Shepherd on a walkBelgian Shepherd on a beautiful backgroundBelgian Shepherd - beautiful dogCute Belgian Shepherd

Video about belgian shepherd

Where better to buy a puppy

Buy a quality puppy, with excellent data, stable psyche and pedigree can hardly be from random sellers or in the bird market. In this case, you will have to look for a nursery with a good reputation or an experienced breeder who cares about its reputation.

A puppy of a pet-class, not suitable for exhibitions and breeding, but otherwise healthy, cheerful baby costs about 30000-35000 rubles. Pet, admitted to mating, but not reaching out to champion titles, costs from 35,000 rubles, and for the handsome show class, which tipped a great show career, will have to pay 60,000 rubles and more.

In Moscow, there is only one kennel "From Solnik" http://solnik.ru/new/index.php, engaged in the breeding of this breed.

The Belgian Shepherd Dog is a rather rare breed in Russia, which is why its interest is growing. But before you buy a puppy, you should know in advance about all its forms, features and nuances, and only then go after the pet. This is not a sofa dog and will require time, attention and serious training.

The Belgian Shepherd is not a decorative pet, it needs a firm hand and obligatory training. If the plans of the future owner do not include regular classes with a four-legged friend, then you should look at the less demanding representatives.

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