Belgian Tervuren - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Belgian Shepherd
If you are living in the USA, the Belgian Tervuren is recognized as a separate breed by the AKC, but in Europe, Canada and most of the other countries in the world, this is a variety of a Belgian Shepherd. There are four varieties, the Malinois, Tervuren, Groenendale and Lakenois and according to the FCI breed standard, the only difference between them is their coat, while the temperament is extremely similar, very often describe as the same.

2) Purpose
The Belgian Tervuren, just all the Belgian Shepherds, was originally bred as livestock herder and all around guardian. This is extremely versatile and intelligent breed capable of performing almost any kind of a job, so its no wonder that they were and often times still are also used as police, military and service dogs. They were also used as messenger dogs.

3) Name
Tervuren is a Belgian village and it is a home to this amazing breed. Mr. Corbeel, who lived there owned two dogs that became the breeds foundation couple and the breed got its name after the village. Corbeel was a brewer and he used his two dogs for pulling the beer cart during the day and guard brewery during the night.

4) Watchdog
Typically, Belgian Tervuren is vigilant, alert and observant, which makes him an amazing watchdog. They are also pretty confident and very loyal, so they will most likely protect you when you are in danger.

5) Social animal
Tervurens tend to create very strong bond between them and their owners and family. They love attention, and they want to spend all the time with you and does not like to be left alone. It is important to give your Tervuren enough affection, the best way how to do that is with enough physical and mental exercise and good training sessions combined with playtime.

6) Herding champion
Tervurens are just extremely good at herding. They are actually AKC herding champions. Well, not only that, they are the first recorded champions of this competition. They just have the herding in their blood.

7) Elegant athlete
The Tervuren is, at least for me, the most elegant of the four Belgian Shepherds. Their appearance projects elegance, athleticism and alertness, all combined together. This is very charming breed, with deep expression in their dark brown eyes.

8) Other pets
Tervurens have normally no problems with other dogs, especially if they are raised with them, but they have strong prey drive and chasing instinct, which means, i would not trust them around smaller household pets, like hamsters or rabbits.

9) Exercise
Just like all the herding dogs, Tervurens requiere plenty of physical and mental exercise. They will love to do anything with you, long walks, hikes, jogs, training, playing games, doing dog sports like agility, obedience, tracking or herding trials. It is important to give them some job to do and exhaust them, otherwise, they will find some job by themselves. And most likely, you will not like the job, because it might include some destruction.

10) Health
This is generally healthy dog breed with average lifespan between 11-14 years, but just like all dogs, they still suffer from some health issues, most commonly hip dysplasia, progressive retinal atrophy, gastric torsion and bloating, epilepsy or thyroid.