Belgian Laekenois puppies

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. They stand 56 to 66cm and weigh 24.9 to 29.5kg, carrying a tousled, wiry fawn coat that looks permanently unfinished beside their smoother relatives. The temperament is pure working shepherd: alert, watchful, strongly attached to their 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. This is a high energy breed, and daily exercise plus real training, whether herding, tracking, obedience or protection work, is what keeps them 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. So choose one for more than their looks, and only if you can keep them well exercised and in work.

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 they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their 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

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.

Kit sizes: crate 36 inch (36 x 24 x 26 in, 91 x 61 x 66 cm) for an adult of up to 29.5 kg; chew toys made for large breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other large breeds

Previous: Bedlington Terrier · Next: Belgian Malinois

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Belgian Laekenois breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/belgian-laekenois/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Vassil, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.