ENTRY FORM (for one dog)
Block writing or with type machine before 12-06-2012
Name of the dog
……………………………………………………………………………………
N° LOSH…………………… NHSB………………………LOF……………………….. LOL………………..
ander stamboeknr. /N° d’un autre livre d’origine / Registry nr. of another studbook …………………...........
reu/mâle/male □ teef/femelle/female □
Geboortedatum / Date de naissance/ Date of birth…………………………
Vader / Père / Father :………………………………………………………………..
Moeder / Mère / Mother :……………………………………………………………………..
Fokker / Éleveur / Breeder:…………………………………………………………
OWNER ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
Straat / Rue / Street …………………………………………………………………………N°………………….
Postcode / Code Postal / Postal code…………………………
Woonplaats / Domicile / Place-City ………………………………………… Land / Pays / Country……………………
Tel./Tél. ………………………………………………..e-mail……………………………………………………………………………………
1. o BABY 3 à6 m.
o Brace * met/avec/with
2. o PUPPY 6 à9 m.
3. o JEUGD/JEUNES/JUNIOR 9 à18 m ……………………………………………..
4. o INTERMEDIAIRE 15 à24 m o Group ** with ........................................
5. o OPEN-OUVERTE +15 m
…………………………………………..
6. o FOKKERS-ÉLEVAGE-BREEDER +15 m
(For dogs, from 15 months, showed by the breeder)
7. o VETERANEN-VÉTÉRANS + 8 years
8. o KAMPIOEN-CHAMPION ( add certificate)
* KOPPEL/COUPLE/BRACE :2 dogs, one male and one female, owned by the same exhibitor and entered in an individual class.
** GROEP/GROUP(E) : at least 3 dogs, owned by the same exhibitior and entered in an individual class.
The undersigned declares not to be a member of a club not affiliated to the FCI and to comply with the KKUSH/URCSH and the FCI regulations. By returning this form the exhibitor commits himself to pay the fee, even if he does not attend the Show.
.....................……………………, de/le/date ………………………………………………………………….2012
HANDTEKENING / SIGNATURE …………………………………………………………………………
Koninklijke Schipperkesclub ROYAL SCHIPPERKES CLUB
KKUSH –URCSH 001
24 juni 2012 – 24 juin 2012 - June 24th, 2012
om 10 u - à 10 h – at 10 AM
te / à / in BERINGEN, Paalsesteenweg 93
WINDHONDENRENBAAN – Sighthounds Coursing
snelweg / autoroute / motorway A13- E313,
sortie / exit 26, richting / direction Beringen ( N29) op / à / after 2 km.
KAMPIOENSCHAPSCLUBMATCH
SPÉCIALE D’ÉLEVAGE - 24-06-2012
C.A.C. - Titels / Titres / Titles
PRINS / PRINCE - PRINSES / PRINCESSE - KONING / ROI - KONINGIN / REINE /
Prijzen voor ieder Schipperke - Des prix pour chaque Schipperke
Keurmeester / Juge / Judge :
Mrs. Pauline Stern-Hanf / NL
10 EURO : Klassen / Classes Baby en / et / and Puppy
20 EURO : Klassen / Classes Jeugd / Jeunes / Junior
en / et / and Veteranen / Vétérans / Veterans
30 EURO : (25 EURO voor de clubleden / pour les membres du club / for club members !!!! )
Klassen / Classes: Intermediair / Intermédiaire – Open / Ouverte –
Fokkers / Elevage / Breeders - Kampioen / Champions
25 EURO vanaf 2de hond – à partir du 2ième chien – for second and further entries.
Koppels en Groepen / Couples et Groupes / Braces and Groups: GRATIS / GRATUIT
Inschrijving / Engagement / Entry vóór / avant / before 12-06-2012 naar / à / to Agnes Pollet – Dorpsstraat 85 – B 3550 Heusden-ZOLDER - Tel. +32 (0)11-746 012 of / ou / or e-mail : This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Betaling / Pay(e)ment : BE 14 001-0791915-83 ROYAL SCHIPPERKES CLUB
Dorpsstraat 85 – 3550 Heusden/Zolder
Buitenland / Etranger / Abroad IBAN : BE 140010 7919 1583 - BIC : GEBABEBB
Summary of the Breed Standard of the Schipperke
Dr. R. Pollet
Member of the Belgian Standards Commission
This breed Standard in a nutshell has to be read in conjunction with the official FCI-standard (1) (2) and can be considered to be most useful reading for very busy group - and all-round judges.
General appearance: first of all it has to be stressed that the Schipperke is not a Belgian Shepherd dog (BSD) in miniature (3) (4). Their anatomical conformation is much different. The Schipperke is a little dog indeed, but robustly and sturdily built. Its silhouette is unique and very characteristic of the breed.
Weight: 3 to 9 kg. An average weight of 4 to 7 kg is sought after.
Comment: the weight limits are rather broad. So, a female may be taller and heavier than a male. Also, on basis of height and weight only, we may not say that a female of more than average size is too masculine and a male of smaller size too feminine. As a matter of fact, the sex character rather depends on the conformation of the whole body, which can be lightly or strongly built.
Average height at the withers: 32,5 cm or 12.8 ins (height limits not mentioned in the Standard).
Coat: top coat abundant. The hair is slightly harsh and straight, rather long and standing out around the neck forming the ruff, with profuse growth of hair on the neck and the withers forming the mane, hair also rather long on the throat and the forechest (the jabot, frill or apron); the rather long hair on the rear of the thighs (the culottes or breeches) is turned inward. Dense undercoat.
Comment: in the male, as a rule, the ruff, the mane and the jabot are more pronounced.
Coat colour: only jet black .
Head: wolf-like, not fox-like as stated in the past (5). Skull not as flat and proportionally wider than in other shepherd breeds. Nose black. Muzzle shorter than skull (ratio length of muzzle/length of head about 40 %). Stop more accentuated than in the BSD. Ears stiff upstanding, triangular, as small as possible. Eyes small and dark brown.
Dentition: scissor bite, pincer bite tolerated; the lack of two premolars 1 (2 PM1) or one premolar 2 (1 PM2) is tolerated.
Neck: strong, appearing very voluminous because of the abundant hair (the ruff).
Skeleton of the legs: rather finely boned.
Comment: a better wording could have been ‘skeleton in proportion to the body’. Unfortunately, judges very often think, but completely wrongly, that the skeleton of a Schipperke has to be light. Evidently, ‘rather finely boned’ only pertains to the limbs, which means the fore- and the hindlegs. Therefore, it may not be concluded that Schipperkes are slender or elegant. In fact, they are strongly and robustly built, as shown mainly by the rather broad skull and the relatively capacious (wide and deep) ribcage.
Forequarters: well angulated (the shoulder), front pasterns at most very slightly inclined.
Hindquarters: normally angulated (knee and hock) and well under the body.
Body: (fitting into a) square; compact, strong but not clumsy; chest in proportion wider, more capacious and having a more important circumference than in the BSD or other Shepherds.
Comment: the stipulation of the standard ‘chest well let down to level with the elbows’ doesn’t mean that, ideally, the ratio depth of chest/height at withers should be 50 %.
Topline: withers very pronounced (also because of the mane). Back and loins very firm and straight. Croup horizontal and its rear section nicely rounded.
Comment: the topline often slightly rises from behind to the front, a characteristic which is ‘hypertypical’ but tolerated.
Underline: well let down, belly only moderately tucked-up.
Tail: natural tail (in repose preferably hanging and in action preferably carried not higher than the topline. Dogs which are born completely tailless or with an incomplete tail may not be penalized for this.
Comment: when a Schipperke in show stance carries his natural tail nicely hanging down (the preferred carriage), the exhibitor may not, while stacking the dog, put the tail over the back, and, of course, the judge may not ask to do so. As a matter of fact a curled tail or a tail carried over the back is accepted (is not penalized).
Gait: the trot is very vigorous, the legs extremely fast moving, with a normal reach and a good rear drive.
Temperament: bubbling with vitality, it’s a tireless and extremely inquisitive little dog, a real sniffler.
References:
- (1)See FCI ‘Breed Standard’, Nr. 83, 20/01/2010 English.
- (2)www.fci.be
- (3)Article “Weight, height and measurements of the Schipperke”, Dr. R. Pollet.
- (4)“Schipperke” (in English), Dr. R. Pollet, Internet Publishing, 157 p., 2001.
- (5)Article ‘The head of the Schipperke’, Dr. R.
THE ORGANISED CYNOLOGY IN BELGIUM
Dr. R. POLLET
A lecture given by Dr. Robert Pollet on February 2, 2002 in Vienna, Austria,
at the annual Joint Meeting of the FCI Judges and Show Commissions.
First of all, we have to made clear, that it is not opportune to call the governing organisation of Belgian Cynology ‘The Belgian Kennel Club’. We know that on the website of the Raad van Beheer of the Netherlands the name ‘Dutch Kennel Club’ is used now, which of course is conform to the usual terminology in English. However, in Belgium, the name ‘Saint-Hubert’ seems to be the best name, simply because there already exists a Kennel Club in Belgium, which, in fact, is a dissident national organisation and not a member of the FCI.
Before discussing and presenting more in detail the leading body of Cynology in Belgium, which is a federated member of the FCI, some information on the country and its importance can be useful.
KINGDOM OF BELGIUM
Belgium is one of the smallest countries of Europe, but is very densely populated. It is a constitutional monarchy, officially called the Kingdom of Belgium. Sometimes, Belgium is said to be situated in the centre of Europe, which of course is totally wrong. I think that, when we look carefully at the map of Europe, Vienna, much more than Brussels, is entitled to be called the centre of Europe. Therefore, the last years, we see more and more that Belgium recommends itself by the catch phrase ‘the heart of Europe’, a title and a term which is safer, because less ‘geometrically wrong’, but once again very controversial. In fact, I have seen in the official FCI-magazine that still other countries claim to be situated in the heart of Europe. Perhaps there can be some agreement with the statement that its location has made Belgium the economic and urban ‘nerve centre’ of Europe.
In any case, it can truly be said that Belgium is located at the crossroads of Latin and Germanic Europe. The northern part of the country, referred to as Flanders, has a Dutch-speaking population, and the southern region, known as Wallonia, is French-speaking. German is the official language in the so-called Eastern Cantons and Brussels is bilingual.
As to the history of the country, Belgium, which became independent (from the Netherlands) in 1830, sometimes is described as ‘the battle field of Europe’. Indeed, Belgium or its territory has continuously been ‘under the rule’, dominated or occupied by a whole series of more powerful countries, such as Spain, Austria, France, the Netherlands and Germany. So, we can say that the ‘hospitality’ of Belgium is ‘legendary’ and perhaps historically explainable.
We can give now the following essential information on the geography of Belgium, the people and the political subdivisions:
Country name: (Kingdom of) Belgium.
Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea (66,5 km), France (620 km), Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (148 km), Germany (167 km) and the Netherlands (450 km).
Land: area 30.528 km².
Population: 10.239.100.
Population density: 336,3 per km² (EU: 149,5).
Literacy of adult population: 100%.
Capital and largest city: Brussels.
Cultural capital of Europe in 2002: Bruges.
Government: constitutional monarchy.
Political subdivisions: 10 provinces, 3 federal regions.
Languages: three official languages, notably Dutch, spoken by 57% of the population (the Flemings), French, by 42% (the Walloons) and German, by 0,6% (inhabitants of the Eastern Cantons).
Websites:www.vlaanderen.be;www.wallonie.be; www.belgium.com; www.visitbelgium.com.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BELGIAN CYNOLOGICAL PAST
The very first dog show in the world took place in Belgium, on Friday 28 May 1847 in Tervueren, not on 30 June 1859 in Newcastle, as has been published in most dog books! At this first show only hunting dogs were entered.
On 21 July,1880, the year of the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence, the second Belgian dog show was organised in Brussels, where 967 dogs were entered.
On 18 February, 1882, the Society St. Hubert was established, the organisation that governed all canine affairs in Belgium. In 1882, the year of its foundation, the Society organised a show in the town of Spa, where 550 dogs were entered.
In 1883, the first volume of the Belgian Stud Book appeared, entitled Livre des Origines Saint-Hubert (LOSH).
On 26 September, 1885, the Society Saint-Hubert had already been granted the title of ‘Royal’ Society.
The ‘Fédération Cynologique Internationale’ (F.C.I.) was set up in 1911, and on May 22 of that same year the first bylaws were approved by delegates of associations from Germany, Austria, Belgium (Royal Society Saint-Hubert), France and the Netherlands. The World War of 1914 brought an end to the existence of this federation. Actually, France and, for Belgium the Royal Society St.-Hubert, can be thanked for setting up again the F.C.I. and drawing up its bylaws, which were approved on April 20, 1920. France and Belgium are thus the only founder members of today’s F.C.I.
The F.C.I. General Secretariat is in Thuin, Belgium (www.fci.be). On November 26, 1999, the new offices of the Secretariat were inaugurated by representatives of the Royal Cynological Union Saint-Hubert and by the F.C.I. staff members and the General Committee.
In 1923, 79 clubs were members of the Society. In 1925, 5.693 dogs were registered in the Stud Book and 24 Clubs organised shows with a total of 6.155 entries.
Before 1928, the Royal Society Saint-Hubert was the leading organisation regulating dog sport in Belgium and controlling all cynological events as well as the application of the existing rules.
The Cynological Union St. Hubert, the actual governing body of Belgian Cynology, was set up on February 12, 1928. This makes that the present day organisation of cynology in Belgium is rather complicated. It is thus indispensable to examine separately the competences of the ‘Union’ and the ‘Society’.
PRESENT DAY ORGANISATION OF BELGIAN CYNOLOGY
First of all we can give an ‘organigram’ (schematic figuration) and the names (short and long forms) and abbreviations in English, Dutch and French, of the leading organisations and commissions:
K.K.U.S.H – U.R.C.S.H
Royal Cynological Union St. Hubert
∕ \
∕ \
∕ \
K.M.S.H - S.R.S.H -------- K.R. – C.C. -------- V.d.A. – A.d.D.
|
|
400 clubs - about 65.000 members
KKUSH: Koninklijke Kynologische Unie Sint-Hubertus
URCSH: Union Royale Cynologique Saint-Hubert
Royal Cynological Union Saint-Hubert, short form the ‘Union’.
KMSH: Koninklijke Maatschappij Sint-Hubertus
SRSH: Société Royale Saint-Hubert.
Royal Society Saint-Hubert, short form the ‘Society’.
Website: www.kmsh.be or www.srsh.be
V.d.A.: Vergadering der Afgevaardigden van de KKUSH
A.d.D.: Assemblée des Délégués de l‘URCSH
Assembly of Delegates (of the Royal Cynological Union Saint-Hubert)
K.R. : Kynologische Raad van de KKUSH
C.C.: Conseil Cynologique de l’URCSH
Cynological Council (of the Royal Cynological Union Saint-Hubert)
Tuchtcommissie – Commission de Discipline – Commission for Discipline
K.B.C. : Keurmeesters Benoemingscommissie
C.Q.J.: Commission de Qualification des Juges
Commission for Judges Nomination
You may believe it or not, but explaining the structure of the Belgian cynological organisation is not only difficult, but even rather delicate. Susceptibilities can even be wounded. In fact, in Belgium, passionate discussions can arise whether or the Union or the Society are the most important organisations governing canine affairs. A ‘cynologist’ or canine personality in Belgium very often is regarded as a typical member and defender of exclusively either the Union or the Society. Fortunately, many members of our canine committees and/or commissions consider themselves simply as representatives, delegates or defenders of ‘Saint-Hubert’, which is the short name to designate the overall organisation which is affiliated to the F.C.I.
At the present time, Belgian cynology is governed by one single organisation called ‘Royal Cynological Union St. Hubert’. This Union consists of the ‘Assembly of Delegates’ and the ‘Royal Society St. Hubert’, both of which are represented in the ‘Cynological Council’. No regulations whatsoever can become effective without having first been approved by the committees of the ‘Assembly of Delegates’ and of the ‘Cynological Council’.
Let us have now a closer look at the competences and responsibilities of all these bodies
governing canine affairs in Belgium (see above the ‘organigram’).
The ‘Cynological Council’ is composed of 14 members, of which the presidents and the general secretaries of the Royal Society and the Assembly of Delegates, five members nominated by the Board of Management of the Royal Society and five members nominated by the committee of the Assembly of Delegates. The so-called ‘bureau’ (daily management) consists of one president and one secretary, chosen by its members, but the president must be a member of the Royal Society.
The Cynological Council is competent for general regulations and rulings concerning disputes in Belgian cynology and is also responsible for the maintenance of law and order. This is entrusted to the ‘Commission for Discipline’.
The Council takes care of the representation of the Union with the F.C.I.
The ‘Assembly of Delegates’ groups together the Belgian canine associations or clubs. Its purpose is to study all matters likely to promote amateur dog sport and it is also responsible for the organisational regulations necessary for this purpose.
At the present time there are almost 400 clubs or associations (all-breed regional clubs, specialty or breed clubs, dog training clubs, etc., representing 65.000 members), which are affiliated to the ‘Assembly’ and thus also to the Royal Cynological Union Saint-Hubert.
Delegates of the member clubs or associations choose the committee of the ‘Assembly of Delegates’, which is composed of twelve members.
The ‘Assembly’ entrusts its powers and competence for certain specific items to sections and commissions.
In political/governing terms the ‘Assembly of Delegates’ could be called the Chamber of Representatives and the ‘Cynological Council’ the Senate (the 2nd chamber). In any case, these two bodies are equally competent.
The ‘Commission for Judges Nomination’ consists of members delegated by the Cynological Council and the Assembly of Delegates and its sections and commissions. This Judges Commission is responsible for the training and appointment of show judges and judges for working, field and obedience trials or tests.
There are 292 judges in Belgium (show + working, obedience, agility, etc.).
The role and the authority in Belgian cynology of the Royal Society St. Hubert, sometimes referred to as the ‘Mother Society’, can hardly be overestimated. The president and half the members of the Cynological Council, as well as the secretary of the Judges Commission belong to the Society.
The Society has the following responsibilities and competences:
- Editing the Stud Book.
- Making effective the regulations transmitted by the Union and executing the Union’s
administrative tasks.
- Representing the Union with third parties, especially by maintaining contacts with foreign
cynological instances.
- Delegating a whole series of tasks and responsibilities to commissions and sub-commissions (commissions for breed standards, recommended breeders, dog shows, breed surveys, tattooing, field trials, dog racing, etc.).
Concerning the two bodies competent for drawing up the general regulations of Belgian cynology, i.e. the Assembly of Delegates and the Cynological Council, it has to be stressed that both have the same competence and the same power of initiative. Thus a general regulation can only become effective after it has been approved by both groups. It is very important, however, to remember that in any case the power of execution of decisions taken by the Assembly of Delegates or the Cynological Council rests with the Society.
THE BELGIAN STUD BOOK
In 1882 the Society Saint-Hubert was established for the purpose of improving canine breeds and one of the first projects was the creation of a Stud Book, the ‘Livre des Origines Saint-Hubert’, abbreviated as L.O.S.H., which was modelled after the Stud Book of the Kennel Club of London. The first volume, with registrations up to the end of 1882, was published in 1883. Since then, the L.O.S.H. has been published regularly, except during the two World Wars. In this Stud Book the dogs with known ancestry (at least four generations) are registered, and for this reason it is called a ‘closed register’. The last L.O.S.H. is the 107th volume of 2000.
The A.L.S.H. (Annexe au Livre des Origines Saint-Hubert) is an annex Stud Book, in which dogs are registered whose parents are known (thus at least the first generation), or dogs from recently created breeds, or dogs from not-allowed cross-breedings. When four generations of the ancestors are known, the dogs are transcribed automatically to the L.O.S.H. register.
The R.I.S.H. (Registre initial Saint-Hubert) is an ‘open register’, in which dogs from unknown origin can be entered, if their appearance is in conformity with the breed standard. This register also contains dog breeds ‘in reconstruction’, such as the Bouvier des Ardennes.
The Belgian Stud Book now represents an enrolment of about 900.000 dogs, and an average of about 23.000 new registrations are being added each year.
The following numbers of dogs have been registered in the last five volumes:
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
L.O.S.H. 25.778 24.364 25.362 21.330 17.414
A.L.S.H. 1.222 1.149 1.146 1.094 901
R.I.S.H. 79 57 51 54 40
Total* 27.000 25.513 26.508 22.424 18.315
*Without R.I.S.H.
In the Stud Book 2001 (not yet published), 21.949 dogs will be registered.
Hit-parade of the most popular breeds in Belgium
On the left side of the table the average breed ranking and the average numbers of registrations a year in the Belgian Stud Book are given for a 12-years period ((1990-2001), and on the right side the breed ranking and the numbers of registrations in 2001.
Breed ranking and average numbers of registrations Breed ranking and number of
a year (period 1990-2001) registrations in 2001*
1. German Shepherd Dog, 2465 1. 2032
2. Belgian Shepherd Dog, 1857 2. 1774
3. Golden Retriever, 1009 3. 1031
4. Bouvier des Flandres, 965 6. 764
5. Labrador Retriever, 844 4. 910
6. Dobermann, 832 11. 505
7. Rottweiler, 820 10. 512
8. Bernese Mountain Dog, 743 5. 793
9. Boxer, 697 7. 690
10. Great Dane, 547 14. 353
11. Teckel, 519 12. 457
12. Beauceron, 484 13. 410
13. Briard, 414 21. 256
14. English Cocker Spaniel, 398 17. 327
15. Shih Tzu, 385 15. 352
16. Yorkshire Terrier, 369 20. 259
17. Border Collie, 337 8. 557
18. Chihuahua, 331 9. 514
19. West Highland White Terrier, 317 34. 173
20. Poodle, 272 26. 223
* The following breeds, not mentioned in the right column, belonged to the top-25 in 2001 (ranking is given, breed name and number of registrations between brackets):
Nr. 16: Beagle (335); Nr. 18: American Staffordshire Terrier (285); Nr. 19: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (264).
Nr. 22: English Bulldog (248); Nr. 23: Parson Russell Terrier (241); Nr. 24: Newfoundland (237); Nr. 25: Whippet (228).
Show and trial activities
Over thousand official events are held each year, with the participation of approximately 85.000 dogs. The great majority of these activities are shows and working trials or tests.
Shows:
A total of 125 shows with more than 30.000 entries are organised each year, the most important being 9 CAC-CACIB and 4 CAC-shows. Each year there are also four or five ‘open’ all-breeds shows and approximately 15 ‘Club matches’. The great majority of the shows are specialty shows, for one breed or a breed group.
In 1995, the World Show (15.000 entries) was organised by the Royal Society.
Belgian Regulations:
Since October 1, 2001, ear cropping is forbidden in Belgium. Tail docking is still allowed until January 1, 2006.
Trials:
Each year between 900 and 1000 trials are organised, with about 55000 entries. These trials or tests are held for hunting dogs (field trials), guard and defence dogs (the in Belgium very popular Ring Sport program and IPO, the international working regulations, two programs which properly speaking are aimed at the advanced or competitive trainer). The obedience trials (companion dog program) are unbelievably popular and are suitable for dogs of all breeds, which can be trained either to the elementary level or to advanced obedience trials. Agility trials also have become extremely popular.
Other tests or trials:
Each year a lot of ‘breed selection days’ (breed surveys) are organised by the breed clubs. After having been successfully judged, the dogs can obtain a ‘suitability for breeding certificate’.
Each year also, more than forty ‘racings’ or ‘coursings’ for sighthounds are organised.
Of course still a lot of other very specific activities or trials are regularly organised, such as tracking tests, herding trials using sheep, Mondioring trials (a new discipline), field work trials, water work, flyball, etc.
Finally, not to forget, Junior & Senior ‘Show Handling’ has become very popular and forms part now of every championship show.
BELGIAN BREEDS
Belgium is a small country, nevertheless the Belgian fanciers may be proud of their 10 national breeds or 14 different ‘dog versions’ when including the varieties. Most of them are highly appreciated all over the world. Of three of these breeds Belgium is the ‘country of origin’ together with France.
Belgian Shepherd dog (Malinois, Tervueren, Groenendael and Laekenois) (Group 1, Section 1) – www.kucbh.be or www.urcbb.be
We may assume that this breed is the pre-eminent Belgian national breed, because of its popularity (in Belgium only surpassed by the German Shepherd dog) and fame all over the world. It is the only breed name with the adjective ‘Belgian’. The Belgian Shepherd Dog Club was formed in Brussels on 29 September, 1891, which means 8 years earlier than the foundation of the parent club of the German Shepherd in Germany (Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde).
The diversity in coat and colour has given rise to a division in 4 varieties. In Belgium, the Malinois (short hair, fawn with black overlay and black mask) is the most popular variety, followed by the Tervueren (long hair, fawn colour with black overlay and black mask), the Groenendael (long hair, solid black) and the Laekenois (rough hair, fawn with traces of black overlay).
All over the world the Malinois ranks very high as a working or service dog, and in international trials its position even becomes dominant.
References:
‘Belgian Shepherd Dog’, Dr. R. Pollet, Interpet Publishing, 157 pages.
‘Belgischer Schäferhund’, Dr. R. Pollet, Bede Verlag, 120 Seiten.
‘Blueprint of the Belgian Shepherd Dog, Dr. R. Pollet, Publ. ‘Belgian Shepherd Dog Association of Great Britain’, 31 pages.
‘A Hundred years of History of the Belgian Shepherd Dog’, Jean-Marie Vanbutsele, 125 pages.
Schipperke (Group 1, Section 1) – www.schipperke.be
The Schipperke, a wholly black little shepherd dog (in Flemish dialect Schipperke means ‘little shepherd dog’), and the Belgian Shepherd have a common ancestor, the ‘Leuvenaar’, an extinct Belgian breed, whose name means ‘inhabitant of Louvain’.
It is generally accepted that the first ‘specialty show’ organised for any breed was the competitive exhibition for Schipperkes in 1690 in the market place in Brussels. In 1885, the Belgian Queen Marie-Henriette acquired a Schipperke. This made the breed tremendously fashionable and popular. On 4 March 1888, the Schipperke Club was formed. It is the oldest breed club in Belgium!
Reference: ‘Schipperke’, Dr. R. Pollet, Interpet Publishing, 157 pages.
Bouvier des Flandres (Group 1, Section 2) – www.lebouvier.be
Because the Bouvier originated in Flanders, but as well Belgian as French Flanders, the breed is considered to be Belgian and French. In Dutch the breed is officially named ‘Vlaamse Koehond’ (Flemish cow dog) and sometimes ‘Vlaanderse Veedrijver’ (cattle drover of Flanders). In the Netherlands in the early 1980’s the Bouvier even was the most popular breed, more popular than the German shepherd, what really seemed to be unbelievable.
The early Bouvier, before and after 1900, was a farmer’s dog, the most all-round working dog ever! Thanks to his strength, endurance and weather-fest coat, he could be used for guarding, droving, hauling and churning. Today, this blocky, powerful, heavy boned and impressive dog, is an all-round working and service or police dog, guard and defence dog and family pet.
Reference: ‘Bouvier des Flandres’, Dr. R. Pollet, Interpet Publishing, 157 pages.