Breeds / Large
Belgian Laekenois puppies
The rough coated Belgian shepherd, alert, highly trainable and closely bonded to its handler. It is reserved with strangers, needs early socialisation, and is unhappy without daily work.
The facts
- Size class Large
- Country of origin Belgium
- Adult weight 24.9 to 29.5 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 55 to 65 lb
- Adult height 56 to 66 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Medium rough and wiry
- Typical lifespan 10 to 12 years
- Good with children Fine with supervision
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
About the Belgian Laekenois
The Belgian Laekenois is the rough coated variety of the Belgian shepherd, named for the district of Laeken and the rarest of the four types. It stands 56 to 66cm and weighs 24.9 to 29.5kg, carrying a tousled, wiry fawn coat that looks permanently unfinished beside its smoother relatives. The temperament is pure working shepherd: alert, watchful, strongly attached to its handler, reserved with strangers on first meeting, and rated at the very top of the scale for trainability.
A Laekenois needs a job and a person, not a garden to sit in. It is a high energy breed, and daily exercise plus real training, whether herding, tracking, obedience or protection work, is what keeps it settled. Coat care is light, weekly brushing to strip out dead hair, with ears, nails and teeth checked. Because the breed is naturally reserved, early and frequent meet and greet socialisation is essential. The common mistake is buying one for its looks and then leaving it under exercised and unemployed.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Belgian Laekenois puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Hip and elbow dysplasia, screened by hip and elbow evaluation of breeding stock
- Progressive retinal atrophy and other inherited eye disease, screened by an ophthalmologist evaluation
- Epilepsy, diagnosed by ruling out other causes of seizures
- Ear infections, so ears need regular checking for wax, debris and early signs of trouble
From Belgian Laekenois breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/belgian-laekenois/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Belgian Laekenois puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Belgian Laekenois.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 24.9 to 29.5 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other large breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.