Belgian shepherds/sheepdog?

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Laura2408

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Has anyone any experience of the Belgian shepherd?
What are they like temperament wise?

My sister (like me!) has always owned and love GSD however having lost her old lady GSD is looking for something a little different. She really wants to show and compete and hates the look of the sloping back GSD so wouldn't want a show line one.

She has spoken to some breeders of the long coat variety (groenendael and tervuren) and seeems sold but it's nice to have some opinions of someone unbiased. The breeders have told her they are nowhere near as driven as malinois.

We are a family of GSD owners so not shy of a challenge but I am wondering why BSD are so uncommon compared to GSD?
 
Would she not just get a middle of the road type GSD and do obedience or working trials instead? There are less extreme looking GSDs doing well at shows also ;)

Tervs and Groens and Lakenois are less popular I imagine because of coat type/maintenance althought do know of a couple of Groens doing KC working trials.

There's a lot of really poorly bred Malinois out there now because of a certain movie, plus macho idiots posting videos on social media....
 
She does not like malinois (sorry to owners of one!)

Where would we look for a middle of the road type show GSD? We both showed horses for a long time and and would like to get back into showing again if possible.
I imagine show GSD to look like the extreme slope type dogs!

I have an awful specimin of a GSD with every health and temperament issue under the sun so we are both wary of GSD now having experienced a really bad one. I love her to bits but she has scared both of us off the breed a bit.

We sort of 'share' the dogs- mine go to hers and hers mine and vice versa so it's nice to have something we both like :)
 
I have a couple of friends with BSDs. All do either obedience or agility with them although they are all show bred. The working mall is are very hard and full on. Coats on turv and grons are quite hard work and need thoroughly grooming every day.
 
As you probably know there are four varieties of Belgian Shepherd - Groenendael, Tervueren (both longcoated), Malinois (short coated) and the Laekenois (harsh, wiry coat). The four share the same physical attributes, bar the difference in coat and colour.

The show line Malinois is not nearly as driven and high energy as their working counterpart, but as you have already ruled the Mali out I won't go into detail. The Laekenois is rare in this country and so there could be a long wait for a puppy if you were interested in them. So that leaves the Groenendael and Tervueren - the Groenendael being black coated and the Tervueren being fawn, red or grey. They both require plenty of exercise and training and, as with any breed, search for a breeder who looks for temperament and health as well as conformation. The breed is said to be wary and, from my experience, can also be quite vocal.

When researching your puppy please ensure that both parents are hip-scored and eye tested. Hip status in the breed is less of a worry than in GSDs though, although there are some high scores so better to be sure. I believe epilepsy is a problem in the breed though - with reputable breeders working hard to reduce the incidence. Many of the breed clubs now compile databases showing affected dogs which can enable breeders to avoid using those lines, so well worth contacting the breed club of the variety you are interested in to get a list of their recommended breeders.

Good luck. They are beautiful dogs.
 
In my personal experience and opinion the Belgian breeds are better left as professional working dogs. Twice in his almost thirteen years my dog, a rather large castrated Golden retriever male, has been attacked unprovoked whilst on a leash and both times by a Tervueren who went in to kill. Why they are sold as family pets is beyond me. Any dog can do damage in the wrong hands but funnily some breeds do more than others.
 
Thank you to you all.

Cc will pass on the breeders mentioned.

Margot I'm surprised- I've never even seen one in the flesh so not sure what the temperament is like hence asking! I've met some awful GSD and some lovely ones and everything in between but the only Belgian experience I have is the malinois which does nothing for me. My sister likes her dogs fluffy hence not looking st those!
 
I've not found any of the malinois I've met 'hard' except for one, who is now dead through old age, the rest have all been nervy...it's what makes them look fast and flashy. Purely my own experience, I wouldn't have one but I can appreciate a good one.
 
MargotC said:
In my personal experience and opinion the Belgian breeds are better left as professional working dogs. Twice in his almost thirteen years my dog, a rather large castrated Golden retriever male, has been attacked unprovoked whilst on a leash and both times by a Tervueren who went in to kill. Why they are sold as family pets is beyond me. Any dog can do damage in the wrong hands but funnily some breeds do more than others.
Click to expand...

Only the Malinois out of the BSD types are used in any number as working dogs. You do sometimes get a Tervueren from Malinois parents - so with the harder Mali temperament. Unfortunately Malinois are becoming more popular as a pet dog and while the show lines are quite suited to an active pet role, the working lines are invariably not. I have known some hard Malinois (and German Shepherd) police dogs, but they are highly trained and kept under control at all times. A hard, fast and aggressive dog in the wrong hands is always a nightmare - no matter the breed.
 
In Belgium I understand they are regarded as the same breed separated by coat types. With some kennel clubs and registration bodies it is acceptable to interbreed them.
All four are represented at the FMBB, the world championships for Belgian Shepherds, in various disciplines.
 
Thank you to you all.

I already have a nervous aggressive GSD so don't want to touch anything with an unsound temperament with a barge pole. My sister has children as do I so temperament is number one priority.
I have contacted some breeders of terv and groenendael so I will see what they come back with...they are all very far away though so it would be hard to visit as I normally would like to!
 
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