Belgian Shepherd

Very energetic and quick to learn; wary of strangers.
A Belgian Shepherd
Photo: Bílá Orchidej
Adult male
25–30 kg
55–66 lb
Adult female
20–25 kg
44–55 lb
Lifespan
12–13.8 yrs
Class · Sport
also Working, Watchdog

What it's like

Belgian Shepherds are alert, very energetic, quick to learn and wary of strangers, and they bond closely with their handlers. The Malinois is now used widely by police and military units around the world, while the Laekenois remains uncommon.

Day to day
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Needs daily brain work
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Keen to work with you
Around the home
Sensitivity
Needs a calm, predictable home
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
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Size and growth

A Belgian Shepherd is a medium dog, heavier than a Border Collie and lighter than a Golden Retriever. Males end up clearly heavier than females. It is one of the heaviest medium breeds.

All are square, medium-sized and elegant, with a proud head carriage and erect triangular ears. The Groenendael has a long black coat. The Tervueren is also long-coated, in fawn to mahogany with black tips and a black mask. The Malinois has a short fawn coat, also with a black mask. The Laekenois has a rough, tousled fawn coat.

The Belgian Shepherd's 4 varieties

Groenendael

the AKC's Belgian Sheepdog and the KC's Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael)

Laekenois

the AKC's Belgian Laekenois and the KC's Belgian Shepherd Dog (Laekenois)

Malinois

the AKC's Belgian Malinois and the KC's Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois)
The Malinois keeps a page of its own. It is the variety sought after as a police and military dog5, and in the UK a VetCompass study measures it apart from the other varieties6.

Tervueren

the AKC's Belgian Tervuren and the KC's Belgian Shepherd Dog (Tervueren)

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Belgian Shepherd puppy is already as heavy as a grown Staffordshire Bull Terrier. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
11 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight8
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
01020302m4m6m9m12m18m
01020302m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
5.4–6.5 kg 11.9–14.3 lb
4.8–6.0 kg 10.6–13.2 lb
3 months
8.0–9.6 kg 17.6–21.2 lb
6.8–8.5 kg 15.0–18.7 lb
4 months
11.6–14.0 kg 25.6–30.9 lb
9.7–12.2 kg 21.4–26.9 lb
5 months
14.9–17.9 kg 32.8–39.5 lb
12.3–15.4 kg 27.1–34.0 lb
6 months
17.8–21.4 kg 39.2–47.2 lb
14.4–18.1 kg 31.7–39.9 lb
7 months
20.0–24.0 kg 44.1–52.9 lb
16.0–20.0 kg 35.3–44.1 lb
8 months
21.6–25.9 kg 47.6–57.1 lb
17.1–21.4 kg 37.7–47.2 lb
9 months
22.7–27.2 kg 50.0–60.0 lb
17.9–22.4 kg 39.5–49.4 lb
10 months
23.4–28.0 kg 51.6–61.7 lb
18.5–23.1 kg 40.8–50.9 lb
11 months
23.9–28.6 kg 52.7–63.1 lb
18.9–23.6 kg 41.7–52.0 lb
12 months
24.2–29.1 kg 53.4–64.2 lb
19.1–23.9 kg 42.1–52.7 lb
15 months
24.8–29.8 kg 54.7–65.7 lb
19.7–24.7 kg 43.4–54.5 lb

Lifespan

A vet study measured some of the Belgian Shepherd's varieties on their own, never the breed as a whole, so each measured variety has its own figure.

Where it comes from

The Belgian Shepherd was formed in the 1890s from Belgium's herding dogs, whose type and coat varied widely: a breed club was founded in Brussels in 1891, and that year Professor A. Reul of the Cureghem veterinary school gathered dogs to choose breeding stock from. Its coat varieties were named after places around Brussels, and which of them belong has long been disputed4,9.

The Belgian Shepherd is a family of closely related dogs that share one build and differ mainly in coat. Its varieties are the Groenendael, Tervueren, Malinois and Laekenois, the Malinois taking its name from Mechelen, known in French as Malines. Around the turn of the twentieth century the dogs moved from farm work into police and army service, and during the First World War they served as messenger and ambulance dogs. Registries disagree on how to classify them. The FCI treats them as one breed with several varieties, while the American Kennel Club lists each variety as a separate breed. They were bred to herd and guard sheep.

Breed standard

The Belgian Shepherd is judged against standard no. 15, in group 1, Sheepdogs and Cattledogs4.

The Belgian Shepherd's varieties

The FCI registers one breed, the Belgian Shepherd Dog, in four varieties told apart by coat: the Groenendael, the Laekenois, the Malinois and the Tervueren. The Kennel Club and the AKC register the four as separate breeds4,10,11. The Groenendael is the AKC's Belgian Sheepdog and the KC's Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael); the FCI standard describes its coat as "long hair"4. The Laekenois is the AKC's Belgian Laekenois and the KC's Belgian Shepherd Dog (Laekenois); the FCI standard describes its coat as "rough hair"4. The Malinois keeps a page of its own. It is the variety sought after as a police and military dog5, and in the UK a VetCompass study measures it apart from the other varieties6. The Malinois is the AKC's Belgian Malinois and the KC's Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois); the FCI standard describes its coat as "short hair"4. The Tervueren is the AKC's Belgian Tervuren and the KC's Belgian Shepherd Dog (Tervueren); the FCI standard describes its coat as "long hair"4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Belgian Shepherd figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a medium-sized breed is most likely somewhere in the middle.

Compare with related

Belgian Malinois
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium
Australian Shepherd
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium
Dutch Shepherd
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium
Rough Collie
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium
Or compare the Belgian Shepherd with any breed you choose
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Sources

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