This Belgian Shepherd Dog Breed Guide was written by an experienced UK dog breeder. Prospective dog owners and breeders can use it to help decide whether the Belgian Shepherd Dog is the correct dog for them. Breed Description The Belgian Shepherd Dog is the only breed in the world that comes in 4 varieties: the long - haired fawn, red or grey 'Tervueren',  the long-haired black 'Groenendael',  the short-coated red, fawn or grey 'Malinois'  the rarer rough-coated reddish fawn 'Laekenois'.  Origin Originating as herding/watch dogs from Belgium, they are named after the areas in Belgium from which they came: Malines, Tervuren, Groenendael and Laeken. Size & Shape They are a medium sized dog (dogs 24" - 26", bitches 22" - 24"), square in outline, with arched neck, accentuated withers, graceful curved underline and legs long but in proportion. They are completely balanced without exaggerations. They have a long, finely chiseled head, with small to medium high set triangular ears, and dark, almondish shaped eyes, obliquely set so that they look straight forwards and at you. Although they are often confused with the 'long-haired GSD' by the general public, they are a much more elegant breed in all respects, squarer in profile, lighter in bone and more refined in head, with a light, brisk movement. Pet Suitability As pets they are devoted companions and do not make ideal kennel dogs becoming bored and destructive. They need plenty of exercise and mental stimulation and to this end they excel at agility and obedience. They will protect their home and family but it is not advisable to encourage their guarding instincts when young as they can get confused and start guarding you in inappropriate situations. Their natural guarding instincts will kick in, if and when necessary.  The long-haired varieties need a fair amount of grooming and shed their abundant undercoat twice a year in the case of bitches and in males,generally once a year. They are very active dogs and should not be considered as pets if they are to be left alone all day. At around 9 months of age they often enter a 'juvenile delinquent' stage and all your training will appear as though its gone 'out of the window'! Just go back to the beginning with basic training and by 18 months your little angel will reappear! They have a great sense of humor and learn very quickly - not many people have just 'one' Belgian which speaks volumes for the breed. They have beauty and brains, are very affectionate and totally devoted to their family. Not a breed for those wanting 'just a dog'. The Belgian wants to join in with everything including doing the washing up, digging the garden etc. Health Issues Anyone looking for a puppy should make sure that both parents are hip-scored and eyes are tested. Hip status in the breed is generally excellent but that's not to say that there haven't been the odd high scores and some Tervuerens and Groenendaels have been diagnosed with juvenile cataracts. Epilepsy has occurred (and still does occur) in the breed but breeders have worked hard to reduce the incidence to a minimum. Belgian Shepherd Dog Breed Guide written by : Marcelle King Comparisons to a Border Collie Belgians are often likened to a Borer Collie due to their intelligence, Agility and exercise requirements. The following are comments made by Belgian Owners to explain the differences Both have a strong desire to work and be with you and do things with you, and have a high energy level Both are alert, attentive, energetic and need daily exercise and stimulation.  Both very intelligent but require sensitivity in the training approach  Both as young dogs need a lot of exercise or they will be a bit crazy in the house. Belgians herd with their noses and bodies, BC's herd more with their eyes.  Distance work appears a more natural tendency of BCs. Belgians like their people and tend to work closer to their humans. Belgians are mighty loyal to their humans but are Aloof which means they have differing levels of tolerance for those they don't know. Aloof and shy are NOT the same thing. Aloof Belgians are confident dogs who truly don't care about people that aren't in their circle of friends. Aloof dogs will even solicit attention from people in their quest for cookies and pets - once they have "used" the person for what they need, that person ceases to exist. Aloof dogs will stand and let people approach them but don't really care. Shy dogs back up and don't want to be touched by people. Belgians are what some would term "sensitive," meaning that harsh corrections, aversive training methods and yelling can easily send them over the top and turn them into difficult dogs. Belgians are wonderfully suited for positive training methods, and respond well to love and attention. Belgians are very similar to BC's in activity level and trainability. Belgians are a snap to train, however they expect you to be very exact in your requirements. If you teach a Belgian to sit while scratching your left arm, don't expect it to understand that when you scratching your knee and telling it to sit is the same thing. Your Belgian is going to try figure out what the knee scratching variation of the sit command is. In training the BSD is less forgiving of poor training-- Border Collies are easier to re-train if the handler teaches something wrong. The Belgian learns almost instantly and has a harder time un-learning if it was done wrong. BCs generally can be more obsessive than Belgians. Belgians are larger and some people can be afraid of the BSD for no reason when they feel safe with  Border Collies. It could be the similar look to a GSD and the pricked ears and solid black coloring. BC's are pretty sensible, hair trigger, but never "on watch" they are not considered protective. The Belgian we love is a DEEP thinker. And he has a very warm direct gaze us. And he is very, very intelligent