In a nutshell: This is the
start of the fun!
There are four distinct coat types and colour
patterns of BSD - Tervueren and Groenendael, Malinois, Laekenois - each named after the
town in Belgium where the variety originated.
Also
known as: Belgians, Terv, Groenie
Description:
An attractive robust large to medium-sized dog, square but elegant with a graceful head and
neck. Comes in shades of black, red, fawn or grey, smooth-coated, long haired or with a
harsh wiry coat depending upon the variety.
Temperament:
Alert, sociable. A high energy, active, working breed,
bred for herding and guarding, that requires lots of exercise and training. Belgians will
please you if it pleases them to, and as long as you make the training fun and rewarding,
they will give you 'some' of their attention.
They can be dominant. They are a herding dog and
like the family to be together. If Dad has them, they look for Mum. If Mum has them,
they look for Dad! This is the start of the fun!
Advantages
as an agility dog:
Disadvantages as
an agility dog:
-
They can be totally unpredictable
-
You need a sense of humour and the
patience of a saint!
-
You need to put a lot of time and effort into
training to get the best out of this breed
-
You may be disappointed if you don't
train sympathetically. They are definitely not collies!
Rating out of ten:
10/10. The breed is built for agility!
Examples
of dogs that have done well in Agility: Bruce Newman
(Tervueren), Hollis, Joanne Apostolou (Malinois), Louise & Anne Challis, Diane Griffin
(Tervueren) and Den Keeler.
What's it like to live with
as a pet: Good
family pets who like companionship. They can be very demanding, always looking for
attention. They love to play and want to work. They are big dogs who will hopefully live
for 15+ years so don't buy solely for agility.
Source: Joanne Apostolou, Louise Challis, Bruce
Newman
Photo credit: Action shots
