Belgian Tervuren
Temperament
Alert, Intelligent, Courageous
[3]A variety in Belgium’s herding-dog family
An AKC article traces the Belgian Tervuren to Tervuren, Belgium, in the late 19th century and describes its herding background. It contrasts the AKC’s treatment of the four Belgian types as separate breeds with the one-breed, four-variety model used by many national kennel clubs.
[1]A balanced dog bred to herd and watch
It is a medium-sized, nearly square dog with strong muscles and agile movement. The AKC standard describes it as a herder and versatile worker that also watches over people and property.
[2]A long coat with a dark overlay
Long, straight outer hair covers a dense undercoat, with furnishings around the neck, backs of the legs and tail. AKC prefers fawn to russet mahogany with blackened hair tips and notes increasing darkening with age. Patchy blackening is a fault; white is allowed only in specified areas of the chest, toe tips, chin and muzzle.
[2]Size ranges and limits that differ from the Malinois
AKC gives ideal heights of 24–26 inches for males (about 61–66 cm) and 22–24 for females (about 56–61 cm), allowing females to be somewhat longer in body. The upper disqualifying limits are over 26.5 inches for males and over 24.5 for females, unlike the Malinois limits despite matching ideal ranges. Their similar outline therefore does not make the separate standards interchangeable.
[2]