Breeds / Large
Belgian Sheepdog puppies
The long coated black Belgian shepherd, sensitive, alert and highly trainable, closely bonded to its household and reserved with strangers. It needs daily exercise and mental work done with its owner.
The facts
- Size class Large
- Country of origin Belgium
- Adult weight 20.4 to 34 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 45 to 75 lb
- Adult height 56 to 66 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Medium double
- Typical lifespan 12 to 14 years
- Good with children Fine with supervision
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
About the Belgian Sheepdog
The Belgian Sheepdog, known in Europe as the Groenendael, is the long coated black variety of the Belgian shepherd, developed near Brussels in the late nineteenth century. It stands 56 to 66cm and weighs 20.4 to 34kg, with a dense double coat, a heavy ruff at the neck and a square, elegant outline. It is a sensitive dog, closely bonded to its people, alert to anything out of place, quick to learn, and rated at the very top of the scale for trainability.
This is a demanding companion. It needs daily exercise taken with its owner rather than alone in a garden, plus obedience, agility, tracking or herding to occupy its mind. The coat is easy for most of the year, a weekly brush, then heavy shedding at least once annually that calls for daily work. Sensitivity is the thing to get right, since harsh handling shuts a Belgian down. One practical note: the breed reacts badly to anaesthesia, so tell your vet before any surgery.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Belgian Sheepdog 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.
- Epilepsy, diagnosed by ruling out other causes of seizures
- Hip and elbow dysplasia, screened by hip and elbow evaluation of breeding stock
- Progressive retinal atrophy and cataracts, picked up by an ophthalmologist evaluation
- Certain cancers, which is why good breeders track longevity and cause of death across their lines
- Sensitivity to anaesthesia, so the breed should be flagged to the vet before any procedure
From Belgian Sheepdog breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/belgian-sheepdog/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Belgian Sheepdog 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 Sheepdog.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 20.4 to 34 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.