Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Belgian Sheepdog Breed Overview
- History of the Belgian Sheepdog Breed. Where Belgian Sheepdogs came from
- What the Belgian Sheepdog Looks Like
- How Much is the Belgian Sheepdog Puppy?
- Best Belgian Sheepdog Breeders
- Belgian Sheepdog Growth
- How Fast Belgian Sheepdogs Can Run
- Good Names for Belgian Sheepdogs
- How Intelligent are Belgian Sheepdogs?
- How Popular are Belgian Sheepdogs with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Belgian Sheepdogs and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Belgian Sheepdog
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Belgian Sheepdogs
- Other Things to Know About Belgian Sheepdogs
Belgian Sheepdog Breed Overview
The Belgian Sheepdog is a large-sized dog.
The adult Belgian Sheepdog stands 22 to 26 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Belgian Sheepdog belongs to the Herding Dogs group.
Dogs in the Herding Dogs group, like the Belgian Sheepdog, were bred for moving livestock, including sheep, cattle, and even reindeer.
Herding dogs work closely with their human shepherds, and their natural intelligence and responsiveness make them highly trainable.
Herding dogs have high levels of energy, which needs to be channeled properly to prevent destructive behavior.
Herding breeds are protective of their people and property and make excellent watchdogs. Their intelligence, agility, and activity level make them well suited to dog sports.
The fact that Belgian Sheepdogs belong to the Herding Dogs group is one of the reasons why Belgian Sheepdogs have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Belgian Sheepdog is generally described as:
- Active
- Curious
- Intelligent
- Stubborn
History of the Belgian Sheepdog Breed. Where Belgian Sheepdogs came from
The breed was given its current name in 1893 in honor of Nicholas Rose, its first breeder.
The Chateau Groenendael was a stunning mansion outside of Brussels, just like the dog.
The Belgian Sheepdog was created due to certain people having trouble remembering the word Groenendael.
Given that the dogs were initially used in the Belgian countryside as sheep herders, their moniker is appropriate.
The Belgian Sheepdog, one of four sheepdog breeds, including the Malinois, Tervuren, Laekenois, and Groenendael, was created by the Belgian Shepherd Dog Club.
This distinguished group met in September 1891 to establish the standards for the ideal shepherd dog in the country.
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What the Belgian Sheepdog Looks Like
The Belgian Sheepdog has a double coat, like cold-weather canines.
This means that they have a downy undercoat that protects the dog from the elements and a rough top coat that is ideal for wicking away water.
The Belgian Sheepdog`s undercoat will vary in thickness depending on where it lives.
This herding dog is a huge dog with wide-set triangular ears and dark brown eyes that resembles the European ideal for a shepherd dog.
Although the hair on their head and the front of their legs is shorter than the rest of their coat, the collarette, or mass of long hair around the neck, is what most distinguishes them.
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How Much is the Belgian Sheepdog Puppy?
The average price of a Belgian Sheepdog puppy is $1430. The price of a Belgian Sheepdog puppy ranges from $800 to $1725.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Belgian Sheepdog. These factors include what health records the Belgian Sheepdog puppy has, the lineage of the Belgian Sheepdog puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Belgian Sheepdog based on the many factors that determine the price of the Belgian Sheepdog puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Belgian Sheepdog puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Belgian Sheepdog breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Belgian Sheepdog Breeders
We have researched reputable Belgian Sheepdog breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Belgian Sheepdog breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Jeannie`s Chesapeake Morning
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Anatoliy Tsyr
Puppy Price: $3,000.00
Melvin Stoltzfus
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Melinda Andric
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
LaraLee
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Belgian Sheepdog Growth
New Belgian Sheepdog owners need to know about the growth of their Belgian Sheepdogs. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Belgian Sheepdog will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Belgian Sheepdog early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Belgian Sheepdog puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Belgian Sheepdog at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Belgian Sheepdog
How Fast Belgian Sheepdogs Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 137 different Belgian Sheepdogs, the average speed of the Belgian Sheepdog is 24.3 mph (39.2 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Belgian Sheepdog ran in a race is 30.35 mph (48.8 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Belgian Sheepdog is 5.51 mph (8.9 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Belgian Sheepdog compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Belgian Sheepdogs
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Belgian Sheepdog ranked by popularity:
- Joker
- Jasper
- Kane
- Major
- Ralph
- Horace
- Cindy
- Toto
- Fluffy
How Intelligent are Belgian Sheepdogs?
| Belgian Sheepdog | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 15 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 5 To 15 Repetitions |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Belgian Sheepdog has an obedience intelligence rank of 15 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Belgian Sheepdogs in the `Excellent Working Dogs` category.
This means that Belgian Sheepdogs tend to learn new commands after 5 to 15 repetitions.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| German Shepherd Dog | 3 |
| Australian Cattle Dog | 10 |
| English Springer Spaniel | 13 |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 17 |
| Brittany | 19 |
| Cocker Spaniel | 20 |
| Belgian Malinois | 22 |
| Pomeranian | 23 |
| Cardigan Welsh Corgi | 26 |
| Chesapeake Bay Retriever | 27 |
| Airedale Terrier | 29 |
| Border Terrier | 30 |
| Welsh Springer Spaniel | 31 |
| Bedlington Terrier | 40 |
| American Water Spaniel | 44 |
| Akita | 54 |
| Bullmastiff | 69 |
| Borzoi | 75 |
| Chow Chow | 76 |
| Basenji | 78 |
How Popular are Belgian Sheepdogs with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Belgian Sheepdog.
The popularity of the Belgian Sheepdog averaged over the years is Number 123 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Belgian Sheepdogs and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Belgian Sheepdog is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Belgian Sheepdog puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Belgian Sheepdog breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Belgian Sheepdogs for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Belgian Sheepdogs here.
How to Take Care of Belgian Sheepdog
To take good care of your Belgian Sheepdog, you need to make sure that you groom your Belgian Sheepdog regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Belgian Sheepdog regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Belgian Sheepdog`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Belgian Sheepdog daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Belgian Sheepdog.
Also, you need to feed your Belgian Sheepdog high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Belgian Sheepdog from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Belgian Sheepdog and how much food to feed the Belgian Sheepdog at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Belgian Sheepdog has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Belgian Sheepdog needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Belgian Sheepdogs
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Belgian Sheepdog.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Belgian Sheepdog:
- Bearded Collie (75 percent match with Belgian Sheepdog). Learn more about the Bearded Collie here.
- English Springer Spaniel (75 percent match with Belgian Sheepdog). Learn more about the English Springer Spaniel here.
Other Things to Know About Belgian Sheepdogs
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Belgian Sheepdog that you need to know about the Belgian Sheepdog breed: