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Belgian Tervuren
Puppies for Sale
Belgian Tervuren
(Tervuren) (Chien de Berger Belge)

Riot, the Belgian Tervuren at 13
months old. He achieved his "Canadian Championship" so his new official
is; Can Ch. Ravenmasque Summer Riot CGN TT RNCL. He has achieved his
Temperament Test title (TT), as well as his Canine Good Neighbor title (CGN)
and his CARO Rally Obedience Novice title with a Cum Lade (second highest
scoring) (RNCL). This
picture was taken right after one of his CKC conformation show. He took
home 1st in his age group and Best Puppy of Breed.
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Pronunciation |
Belgian
Ter-VER-en |
Description |
The elegant Tervuren is slender, squarely
proportioned and solidly muscled, but not bulky, with proud carriage. The
hindquarters are muscular, without looking heavy. The small, dark,
almond-shaped eyes have an alert and questioning expression. The alert erect
ears should be equilateral triangles. They should be in good proportion to the
dog's head. The muzzle tapers, but is not excessively pointy. The skull is flat
and parallel to the plain of the muzzle. The nose is black and the lips
should be tight. The teeth should meet in a scissors bite. The topline is level
with a slight slope at the withers. The chest is neither broad nor narrow, but
is deep, reaching to the elbow. The hindquarters are muscular, without looking
heavy. The front legs are very straight and parallel to each other, with round
cat-feet. Dewclaws may be removed from the front legs and should be removed from
the back legs. The long, feathered tail reaches at least to the hock. The harsh
coat is medium to long, consisting of a dense under coat and a straight,
black-tipped, outer coat which produces the characteristic black overlay. There
is extra feathering on the rump and back of the legs as well as a ruff around
the neck, extending down the chest (this is more pronounced in males). Base
color may be fawn to mahogany with many registries accepting shades of gray.
Some white is acceptable on the chest, toes and chin. The hair on the head,
legs, and outer surface of the ears is short. The Belgian Tervuren generally
darkens as it gets older. It has a light, graceful, almost floating gait. |
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Temperament |
The Belgian Tervuren is one of four Belgian
Sheepdogs. A very smart and obedient dog, they are serious and
watchful with strong protective and territorial instincts. Socialize well to prevent them from becoming shy or
sensitive. This breed needs an experienced master who is firm,
but not harsh. If you are
harsh or overbearing they will become uncooperative. Owners need to display a confident, natural authority over the dog. Consistent rules must be set and made clear. This breed is instinctively
protective so it should be trained and socialized very well from an early age.
Breeders should socialize puppies right from birth. Good for working and
competition obedience. These dogs make excellent police and guard dogs. This
type of work is currently their main occupation. They do however, make excellent
pets if they have owners who can challenge their minds with an air of leadership. They are ever watchful, alert and loyal. Belgian Tervuren are good with children if socialized well with
them. This breed needs to be part of the family and not locked up in a kennel.
It does best when given leadership and daily exercise along with ample time, attention, training and companionship. If this
breed is ignored, it will find ways to entertain itself, often at the owner's
expense. The Belgian Tervuren has a lot of energy and needs a job to do. Working
lines can have particularly high drive. It tends to bond strongly with one or
two people. Take care when introducing this dog with small non-canine pets.
They can be rather
dominant toward other dogs and need an owner who can communicate to the dog that dominance is an unwanted behavior. Provided they are correctly socialized with cats and
other pets, they should not present any problems. Belgian Tervuren may
instinctively display herding behavior such as chasing and circling, moving
effortlessly for hours and nipping at people's heels. They must be taught not to do this to people. This is a very demanding
dog. It needs an experienced owner for it
can easily be difficult to control unless the owner knows how to handle him.
The way the owner handles the dog can produce wide differences in temperament and aggressiveness. Talk to someone
experienced with the breed before you buy your dog. These dogs are often
impressive; don't base your purchase solely on achievement records and
appearances. Only adopt this type of dog if you fully understand what it means to be alpha. |
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Height, Weight |
Height: Dogs 24-26 inches (61-66 cm.) Bitches
22-24 inches (56-61 cm.)
Weight: Dogs 65-75 pounds (29-34 kg.) Bitches 60-70 pounds (27-32 kg.) |
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Health Problems |
This hardy, healthy breed has no major health
concerns. Some minor concerns that have been seen are epilepsy, skin allergies,
eye problems, excessive shyness, excessive aggressiveness and occasionally seen
hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia. Do not overfeed this breed, for it has a
tendency to become obese and lazy. |
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Living Conditions |
The Belgian Tervuren will do okay in an apartment
if it is sufficiently exercised. It is moderately active indoors and will do
best with at least an average-sized yard. This breed prefers cool climates, but
adapts well to others. It can live outdoors but would much rather be with his
people. |
Exercise |
This is a working dog that is accustomed to an
active outdoor life. As such it needs a lot of exercise, including a
long daily walk. In addition,
they will greatly benefit being off the
leash as much as possible in a safe area. |
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Life Expectancy |
About 12-14 years |
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Litter Size |
Average 6 - 10 puppies |
Grooming |
The Belgian Tervuren has a long, straight,
medium-length, heavy outer coat and a dense under coat that requires daily
combing and brushing. Clip out mats that form, particularly in the ruff and on
the legs, and clip hair from between the toes and on the outer ears. This breed
is a constant light shedder, with males shedding heavily once a year and females
twice a year. The coat needs a good thorough brushing once or twice a week. |
Origin |
The Belgian Tervuren, named for the Belgian
village of Tervuren, is one of the four varieties of Belgian Sheepdogs. In most
parts of the world the four varieties: the Tervuren (fawn-mahogany, shades of
gray are acceptable in some registries, long coat with black mask and overlay,
pronounced Terv-yer-en), the Groenendael
(black, long coat, pronounced Grow-en-en-doll), Malinois
(fawn-mahogany, short coat with black marks and overlay, pronounced Mal-in-wah),
and the Laekenois (fawn, rough coat,
pronounced Lak-in-wah), are all considered one breed. However in America, since
1959, the AKC has recognized the Groenendael, Malinois and Tervuren as separate
breeds, but has not recognized the Laekenois at all. A less well-known, but
growing U.S. registry, the UKC, does recognize all four varieties as one breed.
An intelligent, versatile dog, the Belgian Tervuren excels not only in herding,
but also in protection/law enforcement, drug/bomb/gas detection, search and
rescue, tracking, obedience, sledding, agility and therapy/assistance to
disabled, ill, or elderly people. Though not for everyone, properly socialized
and trained, this high energy dog makes an excellent best friend and/or family
companion dog. Brewer M. Corbeel is noted as the founder of the Tervuren
variety, whose fawn dog was bred to a black longhaired dog, owned by M. Donhieux.
The result of this cross became the prototype for the Tervuren standard. Even
though his popularity is steadily increasing; his physical bearing is so similar
to the German Shepherd Dog that he may never be a top-ranking canine. All the
Belgian Sheepdogs were developed from hardy working dogs, which ensures that the
modern breeds are compatibly gifted on the field. Today the Belgian Groenendael
and Tervuren are most often used as companion dogs while the Laekenois and
Malinois are used as guard dogs. |
Group |
Herding, AKC Herding |
| Recognition |
CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC,
APRI, ACR |
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CKC = Continental
Kennel Club
FCI = Fédération
Cynologique Internationale
AKC = American
Kennel Club
UKC = United Kennel
Club
KCGB = Kennel
Club of Great Britain
CKC = Canadian
Kennel Club
ANKC = Australian
National Kennel Club
NKC = National
Kennel Club
NZKC = New Zealand
Kennel Club
APRI = American Pet Registry Inc.
ACR = American Canine Registry |

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This beautiful Belgian Tervuren is named Buddy.
Photo courtesy of Sandi Weldon -
MonAmi Tervuren -
Nipomo, CA USA.
Belgian Tervuren
Pictures 1
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