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Belgian Tervuren
This breed combines elegance and strength. It is square-proportioned and of medium bone. It is noteworthy for its exceedingly proud carriage. Its movement is lively, graceful and seemingly tireless, exhibiting an easy, effortless gait rather than a hard-driving action. It has a natural tendency to move in a circle rather than a straight line. It combines a dense undercoat with an outer coat consisting of abundant guard hairs that are long, well-fitting, straight and of medium harshness. Its expression is intelligent and questioning.
Alert, watchful and energetic, the Tervuren is an active and dependable companion that functions best when given daily mental and physical exercise. It enjoys playing and running outside, and can be a well-mannered companion inside as long as it is given sufficient exercise. It is smart and obedient, but independent. It is aloof with strangers and can be aggressive toward other dogs and animals. It may nip at the heels of children in an attempt to herd them.
The Belgian Tervuren is one of four Belgian shepherd breeds, all sharing the same origins but distinguished by different coat types and colors. They are the wire-haired Laekenois, the shorthaired Malinois, the long black-haired Groenendael and the long anything-but-black-haired Tervuren. All these herding โ guard breeds were interbred before and after their recognition as one breed (the Belgian, or Continental, shepherd) in 1891. The Tervuren was named after the village of Tervuren, where one of the breed's earliest proponents lived. The Tervuren lagged behind the other shepherd breeds in popularity, perhaps hindered by its less flashy color and disagreements over exactly what colors were desirable. The first Tervuren was registered in America in 1918, but the breed's numbers remained so low that these dogs died out by the Depression. The Tervuren had to be almost re-created after World War II from longhaired offspring of Malinois parents. In 1959 the Belgian shepherd was divided into three breeds, and the Tervuren was on its own. The Tervuren has since captured the eye of many fanciers because it is the most elegant of the three breeds. It now enjoys moderate popularity. The Belgian Tervuren is a versatile dog and is used less in guard work, but more in herding, than are its Belgian shepherd counterparts
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