Breed Standard
Head: Carried high, long without exaggeration, rectilinear, well chiselled and dry. Skull and muzzle are roughly equal in length, with at the most a very slight bias in favour of the muzzle which puts the finishing touch to the whole head.
Cranial Region: Of medium width, in proportion with the length of the head, with a forehead flat rather than round, frontal groove not very pronounced; in profile, parallel to imaginary line extending muzzle line; occipital crest little developed; brow ridges and zygomatic arches not prominent.
Stop: Moderate.
Nose: Black.
Muzzle: Medium length and well chiselled under the eyes; narrowing gradually toward the nose, like an elongated wedge; bridge of the nose straight and parallel to the continuation of the topline of the forehead; mouth well split, which means that when the mouth is open the commissures of the lips are pulled right back, the jaws being well apart.
Lips: Thin, tight and strongly pigmented.
Jaws/teeth: Strong, white teeth, regularly and strongly set in well-developed jaws.
Cheeks: dry and quite flat, although muscled.
Eyes: Medium size, neither protruding nor sunken, slightly almond-shaped, obliquely set, brownish color, preferably dark; black rimmed eyelids; direct, lively, intelligent and enquiring look.
Ears: Rather small, set high, distinctly triangular appearance, well-rounded outer ear, pointed tips, stiff, carried upright and vertical when dog is alert.
Neck: Well standing out, slightly elongated, rather upright, well-muscled, broadening gradually towards the shoulders, without dewlap, nape slightly arched.
Body: Powerful without being heavy; length from point of shoulder to point of buttock approximately equal to height at withers.
Topline: Upper line of back and loins is straight.
Withers: Pronounced.
Back: Firm, short and well-muscled.
Loins: Solid, short, sufficiently broad, well-muscled.
Croup: Well-muscled ; only very slightly sloping ; sufficiently broad but not excessively so.
Chest: Little broad, but well let down; upper part of ribs arched; seen from the front forechest little broad, but without being narrow.
Underline: Begins below the chest and rises gently in a harmonious curve towards the belly, which is neither drooping nor tucked up, but slightly raised and moderately developed.
Tail: Well set on, strong at the base, of medium length, reaching at least to hock, but preferably further; at rest carried down, with tip curved backwards at level of hock; more raised when moving, although without passing the horizontal, the curve towards the tip becoming more accentuated, without ever at any time forming a hook or deviation.
Forequarters: Bone solid but not heavy; muscle dry and strong; front legs upright from all sides and perfectly parallel when seen from the front.
Shoulder: Shoulder blade long and oblique, well attached, forming a sufficient angle with the humerus, ideally measuring 110-115 degrees.
Upper Arm: Long and sufficiently oblique.
Elbow: Firm, neither turning out nor tied in.
Forearm: Long and straight.
Wrist (carpus): Very firm and clean.
Front Pastern (metacarpus): Strong and short, as perpendicular to the ground as possible or only very slightly sloping forward.
Feet: Round, cat feet; toes arched and well closed; pads thick and springy; nails dark and strong.
Hindquarters: Powerful, but not heavy; in profile hindlegs are upright and seen from behind perfectly parallel.
Upper thigh: Medium length, broad and strongly muscled.
Stifle: Approximately on the plumb line from the hip; normal stifle angulation.
Lower Thigh: Medium length, broad and muscled.
Hock: Close to the ground, broad and muscled, moderate angulation.
Back pastern (metatarsus): Solid and short; dewclaws not desirable.
Feet: May be light oval; toes arched and well closed; pads thick and springy; nails dark and strong.
Gait/Movement: Lively and free movement at all gaits; the Belgian Shepherd is a good galloper but its normal gaits are the walk and especially the trot; limbs move parallel to the median plane of the body. At high speed the feet come nearer to the median plane; at the trot the reach is medium, the movement even and easy, with good rear drive, and the topline remains tight while the front legs are not lifted too high. Always on the move, the Belgian Shepherd seems tireless; its gait is fast, springy and lively. It is capable of suddenly changing direction at full speed. Due to its exuberant character and its desire to guard and protect, it has a definite tendency to move in circles.
Skin: Elastic but taut over all the body; edges of lips and eyelids strongly pigmented.
Coat: The hair is very short on the head, the outer sides of the ears and the lower part of the legs. It is short over the rest of the body and fuller at the tail and around the neck where it forms a collarette or ruff which begins at the base of the ear, stretching as far as the throat. As well, the back of the thighs is fringed with longer hair. The tail is ear of corn shaped, but does not form a plume.
Color: Only fawn with black overlay or grey with black overlay, with black mask; however, the fawn with black overlay is still preferred. The fawn must be rich, neither light nor washed-out. Any dog whose coat color is anything but fawn with black overlay or does not match the desired intensity of color cannot be considered an elite specimen.
Height at withers: The ideal weight at withers is on average - 62 cm for males - 58 cm for females.
Weight: Males about 25-30 kg. Females about 20-25 kg.
History
The Belgian Chien de Berger Belge Tervuren was named for the Belgian village of Chien de Berger Belge Tervuren. It is one of the four varieties of the Belgian sheepdogs, the Belgian Chien de Berger Belge Tervuren, Belgian Groenendael, Belgian Malinois and the less popular Belgian Laekenois, which all share a common foundation. In most countries and breed clubs all four dogs are considered the same breed with different varieties in coat types. All four dogs share a breed standard in all countries except for the AKC, which since 1959 recognizes them as separate breeds and does not recognize one of the four (the Laekenois), whereas the UKC, which is also a U.S. registry does recognize all four varieties as one breed. Versatile and highly intelligent, all four varieties of the Belgian sheepdog excel at a variety of talents, including but not limited to, police work such as narcotics and bomb detection, protection and Schutzhund, search and rescue, also obedience, agility, tracking, herding, sled and cart pulling and as a guide for the blind and assistant to the disabled. These high energy, extremely intelligent dogs need leadership, to be challenged, and well exercised daily and therefore are not for everyone, but can make an excellent family companion with the right owners. The Belgian Malinois was the first of the four sheepdogs to establish type. Until the other four were established in type they were called "Berger Belge a poil court autre que Malinois," which means "Belgian short-coated Sheepdog who is not the Malinois." Today all four sheepdogs are popular in Belgium, with the Laekenois and Malinois more often used as working type dogs than the Belgian Groenendael and Chien de Berger Belge Tervuren but all types still making excellent workers.
Behavior
Nervous, sensitive, and impulsive, this breed is extremely lively in his response to stimuli. Watchful, attentive, with a strong personality, he is remarkably devoted to his owner and occasionally aggressive toward strangers. He is very energetic, active, and dynamic and needs a lot of exercise. The Belgian Chien de Berger Belge Tervuren will not accept a leash. These very sensitive dogs cannot tolerate harsh treatment. Training must be firm, but gentle, and undertaken with the greatest patience.
Belgian Shepherds are known to be highly intelligent, alert and sensitive; they are typically highly trainable, vigilant and hard-working with a strong guarding instinct making them protective of property and family, and very well suited for service with security services. The Groenendael and Tervueren varieties have a reputation for occasionally being snappy, making them less suitable as companion dogs for children
This breed needs peaceful surroundings and regular exercise to blossom. Long-haired varieties require weekly brushing.
Function
Its quick intelligence, stamina, and agility ideally suit it to an extraordinary array of tasks. It is used as a guide for the blind and the deaf, as helper for the handicapped, as a search and rescue dog, including avalanche rescue work, as sentry and courier in wartime, and as a tracking dog. In lighter pursuits, it is of course a top obedience contender and has even proven to be an enthusiastic sled dog.
Health
Generally healthy, but Chien de Berger Belge Tervurens can have a susceptibility to hip dysplasia, epilepsy, gastric problems (including bloats and torsions) and some eye and skin problems.
