Belgian Shepherd Tervuren – AGRESSIVE or CALM??? Do they attack or cuddle? |
Are Belgian Shepherds laid-back or are they hard to handle?
Rancho the Dog is a 4 year old Belgian Shepherd Tervuren. There are 4 varieties of the Belgian Shepherd Dog – the Malinois (short coated), the Groenendael (black long-coated), the Lakenois (wire-haired) and the Tervuren.
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31 Comments
You never play with any dog to bite especially with a Belgian
Just watched this again – thx so much for your videos. My 7 months old Groenendael is working line. He is easy to train but I agree he is very rough with other dogs he meets in play. Not aggressive but very rough. People want to pat him and children love him but I don’t let them because he always leads with the mouth. I saw Rancho grabbing his Dad’s arm in your vid. As we go downstairs in the morning there will be the nip on the leg or butt etc. and always the grabbing with the mouth. Now he’s not biting aggressively but his teeth are big and sharp. I’m so pleased I’ve got a Belgian but I’m not sure how they’d go in a home with small children because of the biting which is inbred because that’s how they herd sheep. Just some thoughts. I’d love you guys to do another Q&A. 🐕😊🙏
Hi, and thanks for the video and question. I have a 13 week puppy whose father is from a Czech kennel and mom has two Czech parents. In the pedigrees the parents and siblings mostly compete in working competitions, like herding, protection. So I consider them working for sure, but you might think them show. I’m guessing that these Belgians all want to work. But they are so bonded to their owners, that they are happy to do whatever. Rancho and most, I’d say want to push their owners to play, but they play with dogs in other appropriate ways. So perhaps we should say high drive versus medium drive. I doubt there are any low drive ones.
#askrancho I'm a huge fan of balanced dog training, but I first and foremost believe that you should train the dog how they need. Some dogs do better with softer balanced training, some dogs need more pressure, some dogs need positive only, etc. What kind of training does best generally for Tervs? I've heard they are softer when it comes to corrections.
I'd also love to know what your typical training sessions look like!
Lastly, how quickly can he go from resting to working? My current dog takes a while to climb her way to excited after being asleep, but I feel like a dog like a Terv would be able to go from sleeping to working very quickly!
Try searching up Doggy Dans website, his methods work really well. It will definitely help with how he bites and can get a little aggressive while playing if done correctly 🙂 also your dog is very cute, have a nice day
Hi there a lovely dog for his breed I had to Belgium shepherd’s just like my two ,I lost my female back in May after 12 1/2 years I still got my male rusty he is 11 1/2 and he still acts like he a two year old xxx
Mines died when i was a teen, I wish I knew where to buy more
what brush do you use for the doggo, i recently got one of this from someone that no longer wanted him (sad how people get rid of their pets so easily) he has major health issues so i want to give him the best life that i can
Exactly like my Belgian. There is NOTHING better than owning a Belgian❤️❤️🐾🐾🐾🐾
I'm from Philippines wish i could have imort breed of belgian tervuren
I have experience with both the Malinois and the Tervuren; My Mal is from a working line and has a HIGH drive (great need/want to work- this need/want will come out in bad behavior if not supplemented with positive outlets like bite, sniff, or obedience work combined with play and social time.) He didn't have the highest drive of all his litter mates, he was actually one of the more "mellow" puppies in contrast to his siblings. He is extremely high-maintenance and even though I went into adoption with the expectation of adopting a very high-needs dog, I was still surprised by what he needed from me on the daily.
My experience with my WORKING-line Mali contrasts my experience with show-line Tervs..
I spent an abundant amount of time around Tervs as my family used to breed for show- this does NOT mean that they don't require the same structure, exercise, and work. They may require less work, but they still require the same amount of exercise (90+ minutes a day, give or take depending on the line.) They are also prone to extremely high anxiety if not given structure. Anxiety or fear can lead to aggression in either dog, but, I've seen it more often in Mals in the community and with Tervs I've seen more retreating behavior, anxiety health issues/urinary issues, chewing/biting paws and unwillingness to walk into new situations..
At the end of the day both dogs will require A LOT of exercise, training obedience structure (builds confidence and your bond with your dog), and WORK! Work can look formal like sniff or bite, hide and seek at home, puzzles, etc., but what these dogs have most in common is that they NEED a lot of time with YOU! (and a ton of socialization due to their naturally aloof nature!)
Oh, my Terv, Rook, plays just like Rancho, I realize now that our time at the dog park is at an end. He likes to growl and bite and is just having fun, looks exactly like that video. It gets misinterpreted.
Mine wants to kill dogs. Any animal. He’s a rescue and we’ve had many trainers but he doesn’t get better. So I walk him for 3 miles at 5 am, when no ones around. I love him, but I’d prefer my last dog, a Saint Bernard. A lover of everyone, the sweetest breed ever, if you ask me. My next one will be a Newfoundland. I love the big guys. They are so easygoing.
The inside/outside explanation is exactly what my Terv does.
I grew together with German Shepherd. Currently I have a 3 year old Doberman male and two Belgian shepherd puppies, one malinois female and tevuren male. Almost same level of energy as the dobbie but very different dogs. It's mostly about the unique individual character that dominates more in the house more than the standard breed characteristics.
Hi Rancho
My 9 month old Belgian Tervuren and he is the same! Needs lots of exercise and mental stimulation but can be snappy towards strangers or anything that moves.
I just cried my way through this whole thing — we lost our Belgian Tervuren at the end of December, to cancer. (That we didn't even know he had until the day we had him in to put him to sleep — we knew he was sick, but we didn't find out it was cancer until he puked while the vet was out of the room and the vet identified it when he came back in.) I miss our old boi, man, he was the sweetest thing EVER. So good and well-behaved. Even if he DID like to leave poop bombs on the walkway in our backyard lol.
And he loved snow, oh man did he love snow. He would play in it for as long as you would let him and got grumpy when we'd eventually make him come inside. Mason missed the first snow of the season this year, which still makes us irrationally mad sometimes.
I had a working Groenendael who was high energy at all times. He was a rescue puppy and the agency didn't know what he was. Turned out to be a pure blooded Belgian Sheepdog. Around the house, he'd have a hard time laying still. If he didn't get a good workout that day, then he'd start running racetracks around the house, going upstairs onto the bed, then downstairs around the dining table, and keep repeating. He was very gentle towards people and wouldn't bite, but didn't care for other dogs. If other dogs tried to mess with him, then he'd run circles around them until they were worn out and would leave him alone. I've seen and heard about other sheepherding dogs behaving similarly towards other aggressive dogs… just wear them out and then (if aggressive) wait for them to look fatigued and go in for the bite. At night, when it was time to sleep, he'd always curl up to me on the bed and want to spoon. With the family, he was very affectionate. Extremely intelligent breed, and everything that comes with that: eager to please, very sensitive, loyal and protective.
I completely fell in love with the breed and I just picked up an eight week old Groenendael from a show line heritage. His mother was very calm but dominated the father, who was very high energy. So far the puppy has been fearless, which can be a double edged sword. I can already tell he's going to be another high energy Belgian.
He sounds like a German Shepherd tbh. They play rough
My first childhood dog from the time I was a baby to 8 years old was a Tervuren! His name was Jack!
He was VERY gentle with me as a baby and would often curl up around me on the floor. However once I reached about age 3-4 he got more energetic and had a tendency to tackle me to try and play. Since I was small and young I couldn’t handle him. Once I got to be about 6-7, he calmed down a bit again and was a good playmate for me and my friends!
He was the most friendly and loving dog ever. He was always wanting to play or give people kisses! Sadly we lost him to a stomach cancer. I still remember the day. Since then I’ve had Shelties and a Toller. I miss him dearly and would love to someday have a Tervuren again !! They’re wonderful dogs when handled well! Extremely smart! My mom often said Jack was too smart for her. Thank you for the wonderful video 🤗💕
Ragnar is now 14 months. Needs lots and lots of exercise, needs lots of stimulation with obedience training, playing frisbee and ball. He can be snappy towards others so I do not allow anyone outside of the family to touch him. He hates other dogs but loves our other dog, again Ragnar can play rough and has to be dominant play so needs correcting. He has growled and bare teeth at my husband and growled at me if I take things he’s protective over. So we must make a ‘trade’ of equal value to avoid conflict and confrontation. This has been a learning curve but on the plus side, he is super affectionate, good guide dog, easy to train and look after. A real character.
Ragnar is now 14 months. Needs lots and lots of exercise, needs lots of stimulation with obedience training, playing frisbee and ball. He can be snappy towards others so I do not allow anyone outside of the family to touch him. He hates other dogs but loves our other dog, again Ragnar can play rough and has to be dominant play so needs correcting. He has growled and bare teeth at my husband and growled at me if I take things he’s protective over. So we must make a ‘trade’ of equal value to avoid conflict and confrontation. This has been a learning curve but on the plus side, he is super affectionate, good guide dog, easy to train and look after. A real character.
Ragnar is now 14 months. Needs lots and lots of exercise, needs lots of stimulation with obedience training, playing frisbee and ball. He can be snappy towards others so I do not allow anyone outside of the family to touch him. He hates other dogs but loves our other dog, again Ragnar can play rough and has to be dominant play so needs correcting. He has growled and bare teeth at my husband and growled at me if I take things he’s protective over. So we must make a ‘trade’ of equal value to avoid conflict and confrontation. This has been a learning curve but on the plus side, he is super affectionate, good guide dog, easy to train and look after. A real character.
When looking for a rescue – I highlighted I want a low-energy, laid-back goofball. I'm pretty sure the "sheperd mix" rescue I got has Tervuren or Groenendael. He is SO high-energy. I'm having to walk him 6x as much as my last dog and it's exhausting. I'm trying to do right by him, but it's an adjustment for sure.
You have a lovely dog! This was just like watching my little Malinois/Groenendael girl. I lost her 4 weeks ago to old age. She was 14.5 years old. I miss her, I will get a new one, probably the same mix. 🙂
The Only thing your dog can't do is drive a car.with love an Patients an working with him .for that he will Protect you with his life.
These animals are angels.
Sweet baby
What you described is very typical of dogs that have a herding Instinct bread into them, even if they are the show type. My Scotch Collie ( show variety) is very much the same way. Two dogs in one. When he gets around another dog he's never aggressive but his ears tend to shut off even though he's incredibly obedient otherwise.
#askrancho
hi i have a tervuren shepherd from 1 year old now i adopted her recently from my aunt her name is tequila . i've known her since she was a puppy but just recently took her in to my home. In the beginning everything went well concidering the fact that she was extreemly scared. she is comming out of her shell now but because she is feeling more at home now she also starts to have those puppy urgens to start breaking down the house like any puppy does. the difference is she isnt a puppy anymore she is one year old. and even when i spend like 2 to 3 hours with her to make sure she has her needs met she still pulls the wallpaper off the wall and destroys my shoes when we are sleeping. during the day she is fine but at night she is very distructive. do you have any idea's or suggestions for me? so she doesnt do that.
hope to hear from you soon. and thanks for the amazing rancho video's.