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| Breed: Belgian Tervuren |
| Also Called: Tervuren, Chien de Berger Belge |
| Height: The Belgian Tervuren is about 22-26 inches tall. |
| Weight: The Belgian Tervuren weighs between 60-62 lbs. |
| Colors: The Belgian Tervuren can be all shades of red, fawn, gray, with a black overlap. |
| General Appearance: The Belgian Tervuren is a well balanced medium size dog, elegant in appearance, standing squarely on all fours, with proud carriage of head and neck. He is strong, agile, well muscled, alert and full of life. He gives the impression of depth and solidity without bulkiness. The male should appear unquestionably masculine; the female should have a distinctly feminine look and be judged equally with the male. |
| Temperment: The Belgian Tervuren is observant and vigilant with strangers, but not apprehensive. He does not show fear or shyness. He does not show viciousness by unwarranted or unprovoked attack. He must be approachable, standing his ground and showing confidence to meet overtures without himself making them. With those he knows well, he is most affectionate and friendly, zealous for their attention and very possessive. |
| Care: The Belgian Tervuren's most identifiable feature is his long coat. The coat requires weekly brushing to remove excess hair. Heavy shedding in the Spring and Autumn. |
| Health Concerns: |
| Training: The Belgian Tervuren puppies need early socialization. He does well in obedience training or herding. He should not be allowed to chase cars, bikes, joggers, or children. This will only encourage his natural inclination to do so. Overbearing training techniques may encourage fear-biting in this breed. |
| Activity: The Belgian Tervuren is an active dog who needs vigorous daily exercise, preferably in an open run. |
| Life Span: The Belgian Tervuren lives an average life of 12-14 years. |
| Litter Size: The Belgian Tervuren has an average litter of 6-10 puppies. |
| Country of Origin: The Belgian Tervuren originated in Belgium. |
| Brief History: Developed in Belgium for guarding and herding of sheep. He was formally recognized as the Belgian Shepherd Dog in 1891. Present in the gene pool of these dogs there were dogs with long coats, short coats, rough or wired coats and a variance of colors. Making the Belgian Shepherd Dog with four varieties. The Groenendalel (known simple as the Belgium Sheepdog), with a solid long black coat, the Laekenois, a rough or wire-coat in fawn, red or brown, the Malinois, a short coated in fawn, red or brown and the Tervueren, a long coated fawn or dark red dog. The American Kennel Club has recognized three of these four varieties. The British Kennel Club regards him as a single breed and the Federation Cynologique states one breed with four varieties. Because of this, the dogs are always registered on their coat type and color, not of their parents. |
| Registries: AKC, ANKC, CKC, FCI (Group 1), KC(GB), UKC |