Belgian shepherd

Four types of a dog breed that originated in Belgium in the 19th century are referred to as Belgian Shepherd Dogs. The breed is listed by the FCI with the standard number 15 in Group 1, Section 1.

Before the end of the 19th century, Belgian Shepherds were only known as working dogs for shepherds and farmers and were not a breed in their own right.

The Club du Chien de Berger Belge was founded on September 29, 1891 in Brussels by Prof. Dr. founded. On May 8th, 1892 the first special breed show for Belgian shepherds took place in Cureghem. The first standard was written in the same year. In it, three hair varieties were described: longhair, roughhair and shorthair. This standard has been amended several times to become the current four-varietal standard. In 1898 L. Huyghebaert and Dr. G. Geudens founded another club, the Berger Belge Club based in Malines (Mechelen).

The various disputes about color, coat and other important characteristics of the breed survived only the last founded club. This was recognized by the Societè Royal Canine St. Hubert (Belgian umbrella organization). A few years later the Royal Groendendael Club was recognized. On March 30, 1990, these two clubs finally merged to form the Royal Union of Belgian Shepherd Clubs.

In 1901 the first Belgians were entered in the stud book. The first officially registered dog was the Malinois Vos de Polders.

The Belgian has a light bone structure and an elegant overall appearance. Carrying his head quite high (an angle of nearly 90 degrees from neck to back line compared to about 45 degrees in today's German shepherd), this dog appears very noble and proud without exaggeration. His head should be dry (skin tight) and not coarse. Stop (forehead) and bridge of nose should be almost parallel. In contrast to the German shepherd, which is rectangular, i. H. longer than it is tall, the Belgian shepherd is ideally built square and not very angled. Its shoulder is sloping and the hindquarters are very slightly angulated, i. i.e. it is rather under the body. As a result, the Belgian Shepherd's gait is less "expansive". The steep rear angulation also explains the dog's speed and agility as well as its excellent jumping ability and shows the suitability of its build for the intended purposes. These differences to the well-known DSH in the Malinois are best seen.

The same type of dog also exists in the neighboring country, the Netherlands: the Hollandse Herdershond. Physique and appearance are almost identical. The Belgians, unlike the Hollandse Herderhond, have named their coat varieties differently. What is striking about the Dutch is that brindle dogs are bred here. Belgians and Dutch come from roughly the same area. The lines were not separated until Belgium separated from the Netherlands and became independent.

The Belgian shepherd dog is largely spared from most of the typical diseases of medium and large dogs, such as HD and ED, spondylosis or heart problems because of their healthy, functional build.In most breed guidebooks you will find a line under the point of breed-typical diseases in Belgians. Only epilepsy occurs from time to time. In addition, most Belgians remain fit and agile well into old age (14 and over are not uncommon).