The Guide to Groom Your Belgian Shepherd

The expression Belgian Shepherd covers the Groenendael, the Tervueren, the Lakenoís and the Malinois. These species differ from each other both as regards color and hair type. They are the great favorites of sportsmen, they are very good working dogs, however when working the hairs of the dogs also undergo bigger stress, therefore they definitely need to be groomed. On the body of the Groenendael, there are long, straight, black hairs. On its head and in the external parts of the ears the hairs are short, while at the backside of the forelegs they form a white flag, and on their rear legs there are “breeches”. The long hairs of the neck and the chest form a mane. The Tervueren deviates from the Groenendael practically only as regards its color, since its basic color is reddish brown, with black stitching and it has a black mask on its face. The hairs are very short on the head, the external part of the ears and on the limbs of the Malínoís, while it is somewhat longer on the neck section and on the tail, and on the thigh, it forms a flag. Its color is reddish brown and its face is masked. The hairs of the Laekenois are approximately 6 cm long, it is rough and bushy. The hairs in its small beard are very rough and hard. Its color may be any of the different shades of brown. Based on the above it can be seen that the different species require different grooming. Generally, it can be said that the longer hairs have to be always regularly disentangled with the aid of a brush and a comb, with paying special attention to the tangles and to the shedding period. The longer coats of the Groenendael and of the Tervueren is inclined to stick together.