Latest Belgian Tervuren Frequently Asked Questions:
She goes everywhere with us and meets alot of people, but she is shy and scared around new people like if she hasn't met them before, then she warms up to them a bit. But i was planning to do agility with her and I am worried that she may not be able to handle the enviroment. Is it just a herding dog instinct not to mingle to much with strangers?
Answer:I have had multiple Belgian Malinois (like a short haired tervuren, but they actually are the same dog) that I have raised from puppies and they all have been the same way at that age (they all seem to go through a shyness phase a 6-9 months and then just snap out of it). I think that it is just the breed. I have done agility, obedience, and herding trials with my dogs and have had no problems with their shyness continuing later in life, especially when they are doing something that they love to do. The Belgian Breeds do tend to be a little more reserved than other hearding breeds (which is partial why police departments use them so much). They are not usually scared though, so I would try enrolling her in a training class (belgians usually excel in obedience and it would just work as a confidence booster) or do things such as tug games (which I usually don't recommend for Belgians, but in your case it is okay, just let her win) to build her confidence. You are actually pretty lucky, it is much easier to train a shy dog than it is to tame a very dominate dog (which I have had to do with many Belgians). It takes time, but it is well worth it in the end. I would just keep socializing her. Good Luck! To WOOOH!: I have been involved in the Belgian Breeds for over 20 years now, and yes AKC considers them different breeds, but they are truly the same breed just different hair coats, in fact in Belgium all of the breeds can be crossed together and have registrable puppies (like breeding a yellow to a chocolate lab). A Tervuren can actually have Tervuren, Laekenois, Malinois, and Groenedael puppies and they are still purebred. Even AKC Terveruns can still have Tervuren and Groenedael puppies. Their are 4 types (the Tervuren, Malinois, Groenedael/Shepherd, and Laekenois). The Tevuren has a long mahogany coat, the Malinois a short fawn coat, the Groenedael a long black coat, and the Laekenois had a fawn curly coat and is not recognized by AKC. They are all bred for the same purpose and have similar attitudes (I have trained all four types and they defiantly have similar personalities). I have a very good friend of mine that is a AKC herding group judge and he said that the only difference is the coat (like collies) and the color (like labs). Just thought you should know.
I am truly interested in owning a dog of this breed. I am hoping to find someone, or a group, that can put me in touch with a breeder or information. Please send me a message if you can help me with this. Thank you.
Answer:Go to the American Belgian Tervuren Club website @ abtc.org Good luck, they are great dogs
Where can I find an all black groenendael Belgian shepherd PUPPY for sale? If not, I like Tervuren belgian shepherds as well. It can be anywhere in the US. Anything under $1000 would be good too.
Answer:Great dogs- pretty rare though! http://www.cadrenoir.com/ My family got ours from that kennel. They are show breeders though so they won't be super cheap. I highly recommend the cadre noir kennel though. The first one from them got her AKC championship easily, the second wasn't shown as much but he could've gotten his championship too. Our first dog lived to be 16 (very old for a Belgian... she actually didn't come from that kennel but she did come from that breeder) and they're just generally healthy, happy dogs. The other is 9 and he's still perfectly healthy. Both had the best temperaments you could ask for! ADD-- here's the link to their next litter... http://www.cadrenoir.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=74 The grandfather of that litter (Iceman de la grande lande) is my male's father... good dog! He was really awesome, I'm sure he's passed away by now but what a great dog. He was so showy and friendly.
Answer:Well since I've owned Belgians for 30 yrs here are a few things to look for. First of all both of the long coated Belgians (the Sheepdog and the Tervuren) are prone to seizures. Seizures in the other two Belgians are the Malinois which is smooth coated and the Laekenois which is wire coated are less common but not unheard of. In the majority of the world they are considered 1 breed with 4 varieties but the only country that freely allows interbreeding is Canada. Back in the 50's at the demand of the BSCA (the original parent club in the US) the AKC split them into 4 breeds based on coat type and color. Interbreeding is forbidden but you will occasionally get pups with the wrong coat type or color in litters. All Belgians are extremely active are require a lot of exercise. They are very devoted to their owners. In general they will shed very heavily twice a year in the spring and fall but it is not uncommon for intact female to shed right after a heat cycle also. Except for the seizures they are generally healthy but you still want to make sure that the parents of any pup you are considering is certified free of hip dysplasia, elbows dysplasia, thyroid disease and eye problems (CERF). You can check this out the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals website at http://www.offa.org . Then click the "search OFA records" button and select the breed, put in the first few letters of the dogs name, select the time period you want to look at and click "Begin Search". Reputable breeds will not breed either a male or female before 2 yrs of age and most will not breed until they are 3-4 in an attempt to screen out dogs with seizure issues. It is also important to make sure that the puppies are well socialized and that you keep the socialization up once your puppy comes or your pup may develop fear issues. It is also important that you take your pup to puppy classes as this will help with the socialization and get it started down the path of being a good canine citizen. The contact info for the National parent club is: American Belgian Tervuren Club, Inc. Corresponding Secretary : Helen Hittesdorf Address: 1769 E 114Th Pl, Northglenn, CO , 80233-3229 Website: www.abtc.org Email: abtcclub@msn.com If you have any more detailed questions that you would like answered let me know.
..than why not here??? I have heard that on a dog show once, but there was no explanation as to why the breed is split in three in North America. I heard that the Belgium Malinois is like the short haired version that is allowed to to breed with the long haired version in Belgium.
Answer:Actually they are all Belgian Shepherds but vary in variety. Only the AKC deems them as separate breeds and that, sadly is due to politics in the 1950s. Tervs and Sheepdogs were shown together but the Tervs were doing most of the winning in the show rings! Sad, but true. There are four varieties - - Tervuren - Groenendael (Sheepdog) - Malinois - Laekenois (wire hair) However, genetics being genetics, Sheepdogs can have Tervuren offspring and visa versa. Malinois can have Tervuren and so on. Some countries do allow intervariety breeding, the AKC will not register the products of intervariety breeding if the parents are AKC registered. However, if the pup is imported from parents that are not registered with the AKC? The AKC will recognize the variety of the dog as written on the export pedigree...therefore we have Tervs from Malinois, Tervs from Groenendael over here. Clear as mud, right?
