Puppy Dog Breed Belgian Tervuren
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Latest Belgian Tervuren Frequently Asked Questions:
I am a 22 year old college male about to graduate. I want to get a puppy sometime in the next few months to go with my new apartment. I will have the puppy for about 8-10 weeks 100% one on one to train and be around before I start a 5 day a week 8-3 job. The problem I feel is that I would like a herding dog as they suit my personality the best. They are high energy, on the go, and very friendly and loyal. I think a Belgian Tervuren or Belgian Sheepdog would be the perfect running partner and park dog. I run about 2-3 miles a day and would always get in quality time with the dog so exercise and space outside wouldn't be an issue for it. I am worried about how a dog would hold up for 7 hours a day 5 days a week by itself if allowed to roam the apartment (I wouldnt shut it in a room) Experts, please offer your advice on these breeds. Also open to recommendations on other breeds but keep in mind little toy lap dogs or small terrier dogs probably wont be the best for my interests
Answer:It can definitely be done, but are you sure you are up for it? You would have a 7 hour working day and then on top of that you'd have devote minimum of 2 hours activity (training, exercise, mental activity) solely to the dog. Running 2-3 miles alone is not going to tire out a Belgian Shepherd (don't run with it until it's at least 1 year old), neither is 30 minutes on the leash walks. While an adult Belgian Shepherd can stay alone for 7 hours a day and are fairly quiet indoors if properly activated, then 7 hours is the maximum. This means that you'll have to go home straight from work, you cannot meet your friends for a drink in the evening, go to the cinema, go out to eat, go to the gym for a workout etc. I don't use crate training and my pets have always been allowed to roam the house, but you need to have a safe area for it to be alone in, especially during puppy and teen phase - and a bored teen Belgian Shepherd can rip your home to shreds in no time. Also, you need to be mentally alert with this kind of dog. It's intelligent, reads you like an open book and you have to be one step ahead of it at all times. A Belgian Shepherd is not a Border Collie or a Golden Retriever, it is sharper and a breed typical Belgian Shepherd will most likely test you and try to outwit you. Belgian Shepherds tend to mature slower and go through a more difficult teenage phase than more breeds. They need an experienced handler and intensive socialization. Be too hard and it will ignore you, be too soft and it will walk all over you. You will need to work with the dog's guard and protection instinct, which will surface when it's about 2 years old. The dog needs to respect you and look to you before it makes any decisions (such as deciding the new neigbour is a threat and going to do something about it). Many experienced dog owners with more time on their hands and live-in family back-up have found that the Belgian Shepherd was too much for them to handle. So I would urge you to seriously take some time, study up on the breed some more and then some. Don't let yourself be enarmoured by looks alone (Tervueren and Groenendaels are beautiful dogs) or intelligence, speed or grace (these traits come at a price: easily bored, frustrated, understimulated = intolerable dog). Also, if you are a first time dog owner, I would suggest you reconsider and perhaps look at some other breeds that are similar to the Belgian Shepherd, but easier to handle. Labradors for example are also high energy, on the go, very friendly and loyal. Belgian Shepherds are loving with their family, but much more reserved and aloof than Golden Retrievers or a Labradors, so if you're looking for the Lab and Golden's affection and love of all people, do not take a Belgian Shepherd. Australian Shepherds are also high energy dogs, but more low key than Belgian Shepherds, especially when it comes to sharpness. No matter what breed you choose, you need to be aware that whatever free-time you have needs to go to the dog.
I have a Belgian Tervuren named Prince that has Thryoid Problems. He has always had problems gaining weight. We have had him on Pedigree, Iams, and Kibbles and Bits and he has not eaten any of them. He is currently on Pedigree and only eats about every 2 days. He ate yesterday, so he probably won't eat until tommorow or the day after. His weight is very low and my daughter wants to show him in 4H. He already knows the basics(Heel, sit, down, and stay) and is very willing to learn more. He just needs to gain weight, I don't want the advisor or judges looking down on her for having him so skinny. He could also run into future health issues. We have talked with vets and they did not reccomend any medication. One vet even said not to feed him for a week and then he will learn that every time he does not eat like he's asked, then he cannot change his mind later and he has to have food taken away for a week. We did NOT do that, should we have? It sounded crazy to us. PLEASE help, for Prince's sake. He's so charming and loveable with a thick, healthy coat. He's just so skinnnnyy..
Answer:
Answer:I would say both make excellent companion and protection dogs. Whether to take a Tervueren or a German Shepherd, male or female really depends on your personality. Tervuerens can be harder to train than German Shepherds for the inexperienced dog owner. They also have a higher activity drive and they take longer to mature, with a teenage phase that will test the patience of a saint. A German Shepherd, while going through teenage phases of their own are generally easier to handle, and you can usually get a reasonable, sensible dog out them by the time they're 1-2 years old. A Tervueren on the other hand will usually take min. 2 years to fully mature mentally, and you'll need a solid sense of humour dealing with them. On the other hand they learn lightning quick and once they are over the worst fluffy-head phases you can some amazing results with them. And then there are the health issues to watch out for, German Shepherds can have problems with HD and allergies. The incidence of HD amongst Tervueren is lower, but you'll have to watch out of nervous/anxious temperament and some lines have problems with epilepsy. With both breeds, it's important to find a breeder that produces healthy, breed typical dogs. Male or female? Depending on whether you spay/neuter them, a females heat is limited to 3-4 weeks every 6-12 months. Being in heat might not affect her at all, but some dogs develop mood swings during the heat and/or false pregnancies after. Also you need to watch her like a hawk and keep her away from intact males to avoid unwanted puppies. Intact male dogs, on the other hand, can be distracted any time by a female in heat and can be more inclined to stray. For spayed/neutered dogs, all of the above is irrelevant, of course. Other male-female characteristics. Many male dogs have a tendency to huff and puff, and show off to other males. Females are usually more laid back, but once they get into a fight they tend to mean serious business. All generalizations of course, much depends on you, how you train your dog and the character of your dog. I'm a Belgian Shepherd person myself, but I have met much scoff and scorn from German Shepherd owners - especially when my dog was young and all over the place, unlike their more wellbehaved pups. While I work well with male dogs, I prefer female dogs, but in all honesty, there isn't that much of a difference.
I have always been a fan of the Tervurens but I am more partial to the darker dogs. Is there a way to tell what there final coat color will be? It is my understanding it changes a lot over time.
Answer:
Answer:It's not about the dog breeds or ages, but about what measures you, as the owner, put in place to enable them to get along. You can't just expect them to. Introduce them to each other in neutral ground such as a dog park. Let each dog sniff something the other has been wrapped on or stroked with so they can get used to each others scents before they actually meet. A blanket they each sleep with would be ideal. Keep them separate rooms to start with, with a baby gate between the two so they can see and sniff each other before they're actually allowed contact. Get them both fixed, especially if they're both boys, because un-nuetered males are prone to fighting. If one is a girl and one is a boy, get them both fixed for obvious reasons! Obviously if there is a chance of fighting, they MUST be kept seperate.
