Belgian Tervuren breed guide

Alert, intelligent and courageous, the Belgian Tervuren is a tireless do-all dog and one longtime owner warns that its intelligence and high activity level challenge the less creative individual who may not understand its need to work.

Socialization and obedience training are a must, since the breed's intelligence and independence can lead it into trouble if it is not taught to channel them.

The Belgian Tervuren lives 12 to 14 years. Breeders screen for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, epilepsy and progressive retinal atrophy, which causes vision loss and blindness.

The double-layer coat has a dense protective undercoat under a harsher outer coat. For most of the year a quick but thorough brushing once or twice a week with a pin brush and a slicker brush is all it needs, while shedding season, at least once a year, calls for more.

The breed standard describes a dog always in motion and seemingly never tiring, so it needs a lot of exercise daily. Hard work and challenging play are a Belgian Tervuren's idea of heaven.

The four Belgian herding breeds were once recognized as a single breed and coat type is the big difference: the Tervuren is longhaired in blackened fawn or red, the Belgian Sheepdog longhaired black, the Malinois shorthaired and the Laekenois wirehaired.

The English name comes from the village of Tervuren, home of master breeder M.F. Corbeel, who made judicious crosses between black and fawn dogs in the early twentieth century to standardize the modern Belgian Tervuren.