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The Belgian Sheepdogs©1998 by Bonnie Dalzell
The Schipperke has a common origin with the larger Belgian breeds but owes its existence in part to laws passed in the 14th century by the French ruling class that restricted the owning of large dogs to the aristocrats. However ordinary people still needed dogs for protection and livestock work. Two small working shepherd types were developed. the Leuvernaar and Schipperke (meaning little shepherd in Flemish), the Schipperke being the smaller of the two. After the Spanish displaced the French as rulers of Belgium in the 15th century the Schipperke type dog was found in town as a ratter and mouser and watch dog, they were quite popular especially with skilled artisans such as cobblers and metalsmiths. The dogs were short tailed by nature or by active docking. A standard for the breed was established in 1882 with the foundation of the Royal Belgian Cynological Club St.Hubert. They were listed as the worlds smallest breed of sheepdog and are included in the FCI herding dog group. A misunderstanding on the part of a prominent English dog writer in 1894 has led to a misunderstanding of the breed's origin in the English speaking dog world. A fuller discussion of the breed is found it its own NetPets article. Follow this link to get there. Today in Belgium the larger Belgian sheepdogs come in four varieties; Groenendael, Laekenois, Mechelaar (Malinois) and Tervueren. They are similar in build, overall size and behavior to the working type of German Shepherd dog and doubtless share a common ancestry. These represent a refinement of the large number of local varieties of chiens de berger (dogs of sheep) developed in Europe during the 1800's. Originally selected for working ability, size and physical characteristics were stabilized late in the 19th century accompanying the development of dog shows. Herding dogs (drovers dogs) have been in Europe for a long time. Belgian records of farmer's "rekels" - (translated as "rascals" go back to 1404. Belgium has unfortunately stood at the crossroads of many wars (it is termed "the Battlefield of Europe") and the native farmer's dogs have been a possible source for the foundation of many of the drover's dogs of neighboring countries - the various bouviers (cattle dogs) of France and the German Shepherd Dog being examples. However the physical standardization of these herding breeds is a phenomenon of the late 19th century. Prior to the appearance of dog exhibitions most decisions on breeding matters were made by people utilizing the dogs as as stock dogs. A good drover's dog is limited to a 30 to 60 pound size range by the need for both speed, agility and the size of the livestock being worked. While the coat must be of a durable and easily cared for type, other matters of physical appearance are not particularly important. Working sheep dogs are usually not noted for uniformity of appearance. As with a suprising number of breeds, the formulation of the Belgian sheepdogs as a physically uniform type was a development of the mid to late 1800's. Dog shows came into existance at that time and fanciers began to pay attention to the concept of uniformity of appearance (breed type). In 1880 an exhibition of dogs in Brussels drew the attention of a Belgian academic, Professor Reul, of the Veterinarian College at Cureghem (Brussels). In September 29, 1891, Profesor Reul organized, in Brussels, the "Club du Chien de Berger Belge". This kennel club promoted the first exhibition of Belgian herding dogs on November 15, 1891, which had an entry of 117 dogs. These dogs displayed a lack of consistant physical type and Reul and his associates Louis Huyghebaert and Van Der Snickt formed a committee to catagorize the dogs, form standards and promote the creation of consistant breeding strains. The main catogorization of these dogs was along the lines of coat type and color. There was some range in size with dogs similar to breed we now recognize as the Schipperke marking the smaller end of the range. The breed standards for the larger breeds were issued by the committee April 2, 1892
By 1900 two breeds were recognized. The black long coated Groenendaeler (Belgian Sheepdog in the US), and the short coated Mechelaar which varied in color.
The black Groenendaeler was the first of the Belgian breeds to arrive in the United States in 1907, the Belgian Sheepdog Club of America was formed in 1919. Although the first Malinois came to the US in 1948 it was registered as a Belgian Sheepdog. In 1959 Malinois were recognized in the US as a distinct breed which takes its name from the city of Malines in Belgium. The light colored, short coated Tervuren was first imported in 1954 and received separate registration with the AKC in 1959. Although treated as different varieties of the same breed in the Belgian home land, as of 1997 the strains are not allowed to be interbred except by special permission of the Belgian commission overseeing the welfare of the breed. Thus the establishment of them as separate breeds outside their native country is inline with the treatment in Belgium. The recessive lighter colors may occasionally appear in the black Groenendaeler and the recessive long coat may appear occasionally in the short coated Tervuren. The Malinois (Mecheler) should be expected to always breed true for its lighter coat color and long coat length. In England and Europe one of the many devastating consequences of the Second World War was a dangerous decline in the numbers of many breeds of dogs. In the case of the Tervueren in Belgium pale short coated pups from black parented Groenendael litters were used to restore the variety after WW II. In the US the breed standards are almost identical except for coat and color. Certain traits are disqualifications in all three standards:
The allowed size range varies somewhat between the breeds in the US.
For all types the size range in the modern Belgian standards are: males ideal 24.5 inches (23.75 in. to 25.5 in.) females ideal 23 inches (22.25 in. to24 in.) In the US the Tervuren standard disqualifies black dogs while the Belgian Sheepdog (Groenendael) disqualifies any color other than black. Tervuren and Malinois disqualify an undershot bite in which two or more of the upper incisors lose contact with two or more of the lower incisors. Pluses. Highly active, quick to learn high energy dogs. Sensitive but fair minded, that is accepting of necessary corrections during training. Strong drive to work. They were bred to grab livestock when needed as part of the herding activities and they enjoy grabbing so they can be excellent candidates for protection work. Moderate size, relatively healthy breeds. Minuses. Highly active, quick to learn high energy dogs that must have some work to do and an owner who has the time to train them in youth. The owner later needs to have time to work the dog at some task. Not "a put in the back yard and forget" dog. Strong drive to work. They were bred to grab livestock when needed as part of the herding activities and they enjoy grabbing so they can be quick to nip or bite and they have strong jaws. They are a breed in which one should not encourage games that involved nipping and biting at humans. Who should own a Belgian sheep herding dog. To repeat: These dogs share a number of personality traits with other drover's dogs such as the German Shepherd Dog and the Border Collie. They are high energy, alert herding dogs (drover's dogs) with a strong need to have work to do. They are territorial and fine watch dogs. They are good family dogs for the owner who has time to train them. Upon maturity the unneutered males may become intolerant of other male dogs unless carefully trained and socialized. Although hip dysplasia and seizures do occur in these breeds, in the United States they appear to be genetically healthier than German Shepherd Dogs. One advantage is that they have not been bred to excessively large size nor do they exhibit the extreme posture seen in German Shepherd Dogs. One of my sources, who has owned Tervurens and well as non-herding breeds, sums them up as "They are very like an extremely talented, gifted child. Sometimes intelligence is difficult to live with but it can have great rewards if you have the energy and time." Who should not own a Belgian sheep herding dog? As with the other drover's dogs this is not a breed for a person who wants a dog that requires little time with the owner. These dogs need time and attention. They must be trained and then they must have regular work to keep them from becoming bored. These dogs, especially the males, are NOT a first breed for anyone. Competitive events for these breeds: Obedience, herding, agility, flyball, tracking, frisbee work, Schutzhund. These are superb candidates for almost all of the interactive dog-human sports.
Breed club contacts.Belgian Sheepdog (Groenendael) - USA
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