The physique of the Belgian Sheepdog is able-bodied muscled, with bound derma and a absolutely ample body. The all-embracing admeasurement of the arch should be in admeasurement with the body. The top of the skull is bedfast rather than rounded. The cage is moderately acicular with a abstinent stop. The aperture should be tight. The dog's chaw should be either even or scissors. The average sized, almond-shaped eyes are brown. The arrect aerial are triangle in appearance and in admeasurement to the head. The legs are parallel, beeline and strong. The feathered appendage is able at the abject with the tailbone all-encompassing the hock. The dewclaws are usually removed. The anxiety are cat-like in shape. The weather-resistant covering is moderately long, with a ruff of fur about the close and added feathering on the legs, appendage and beneath the body. The covering blush is black, either solid or with a baby bulk of white on the chest, button or toes.
Temperament
The Belgian Shepherd/Groenendael is the a lot of accepted of the four Belgian sheepdogs. It is a actual ablaze and acquiescent dog, bent and advertent with able careful and territorial instincts. This brand needs all-encompassing socialization, finer from an aboriginal age, to anticipate it from acceptable shy or sensitive. Belgian Shepherds charge an accomplished adept who is firm, but not abundant handed. If you are acrid or ascendant they will become uncooperative. Owners charge to affectation a confident, acclimatized ascendancy over the dog. Consistent rules accept to be set and fabricated clear. This brand is aimlessly careful so it should be accomplished and socialized actual able-bodied from an aboriginal age. Puppies should be socialized appropriate from birth. Acceptable for alive and antagonism obedience. These dogs accomplish accomplished badge and bouncer dogs. This blazon of plan is currently their capital occupation. They do however, accomplish accomplished pets if they accept owners who can claiming their minds with an air of leadership. They are anytime watchful, alive and loyal. Belgian Sheepdogs are acceptable with accouchement if socialized able-bodied with them. This brand needs to be allotment of the ancestors and not bound up in a kennel. They charge leadership, circadian exercise forth with training and companionship, for afterwards it they may become annihilative and harder to handle. The Belgian Shepherd is top energy, with a top brainy capacity, and is quick to comprehend. They charge a job to do, abnormally if you are ambidextrous with alive lines. Take affliction if introducing this dog with baby non-canine pets. They can be rather ascendant against added dogs and charge an buyer who can acquaint to the dog that ascendancy is an exceptionable behavior. Provided they are accurately socialized with bodies and added pets, they should not present any problems. This Belgian Sheepdog may aimlessly affectation herding behavior such as block and circling, affective calmly for hours and bitter at people's heels. They accept to be accomplished not to do this to people. This is a actual ambitious dog that is acceptable added and added popular. It needs an accomplished buyer for it can calmly be difficult to ascendancy unless the buyer knows how to handle him. The way the buyer handles the dog can aftermath advanced differences in attitude and aggressiveness. Talk to anyone accomplished with the brand afore you buy your dog. These dogs are generally impressive; don't abject your acquirement alone on accomplishment annal and appearances. Only accept this blazon of dog if you absolutely accept what it agency to be alpha.
Height, Weight
Height: Males 24 - 26 inches (61 - 66 cm) Females 22 - 24 inches (56 - 61 cm)
Weight: Males 65 - 75 pounds (29 - 34 kg) Females 60 - 70 pounds (27 - 32 kg)
Health Problems
This hardy, advantageous brand has no above bloom concerns. Some accessory apropos that accept been apparent are epilepsy, derma allergies, eye problems, boundless shyness, boundless aggressiveness and occasionally hip dysplasia and bend dysplasia. Do not augment this breed, for it has a addiction to become adipose and lazy.
Living Conditions
The Belgian Shepherd/Groenendael will do accept in an accommodation if it is abundantly exercised. It is moderately alive central and will do best with at atomic an average-sized yard. The Groenendael can beddy-bye outdoors, although he prefers to be with his people.
Exercise
This is a alive dog that is acclimatized to an alive alfresco life. As such it needs a lot of exercise, including a continued circadian walk. In addition, it will abundantly account getting off the bridle as abundant as accessible in a safe area.
Life Expectancy
About 13-14 years
Litter Size
Average 6 - 10 puppies
Grooming
The Belgian Shepherd/Groenendael has a long, straight, average length, abundant alien covering and a close undercoat that requires circadian combing and brushing. Added affliction should be accustomed if the dog is shedding. Blow out mats that form, decidedly in the ruff and on the legs, and blow hair from amid the toes and on the alien ears. This brand is a melancholia abundant shedder, address alert a year with some added address throughout the year.
Origin
The Belgian Groenendael, as it is alleged worldwide, is artlessly alleged the Belgian Shepherd by the American Abode Club. It was alleged afterwards the apple of Groenendael in Belgium. It is one of the four varieties of the Belgian sheepdogs, the Belgian Groenendael, Belgian Malinois, Belgian Tervuren, and the beneath accepted Belgian Laekenois, that all allotment a accepted foundation. In a lot of countries and brand clubs all four dogs are advised the aforementioned brand with altered varieties in covering types. All four dogs allotment a brand accepted in all countries except for the AKC, which back 1959 recognizes them as abstracted breeds and does not admit one of the four (the Laekenois), admitting the UKC, which is aswell a U.S. registry, does admit all four varieties as one breed. Versatile and awful intelligent, all four varieties of the Belgian sheepdog excel at a array of talents, including but not bound to, badge plan such as, narcotics and bomb detection, aegis and Schutzhund, seek and rescue, aswell obedience, agility, tracking, herding, sled and barrow affairs and as a adviser for the dark and abettor to the disabled. These top energy, acutely able dogs charge leadership, to be challenged, and able-bodied acclimatized circadian and accordingly are not for everyone, but can accomplish an accomplished ancestors accompaniment with the appropriate owners. The Belgian Malinois was the aboriginal of the four sheepdogs to authorize type. Until the added four were accustomed in blazon they were alleged "Berger Belge a poil cloister autre que Malinois," which agency "Belgian short-coated Sheepdog who is not the Malinois." Today all four sheepdogs are accepted in Belgium, with the Laekenois and Malinois added generally acclimated as alive blazon dogs than the Belgian Groenendael and Tervuren but all types still authoritative accomplished workers.
