THE JUDGE'S RESPONSIBILITY:
| The judge plays a vital role in the survival of
the Belgian Tervuren as a functional herding dog with correct breed type. The majority of
those who seek puppies for show or breeding stock will request them from winning dogs and
bitches. Championship titles are sought after in pedigrees, and the Group placing dogs and
bitches are always the most heavily in demand by breeders. We hope that the dogs being
bred for correct type according to the standard will be the same dogs rewarded by the
judge in the ring. This guide is primarily intended to help the judge of Tervuren
recognize the correct look, character and movement of the breed. Those basic essentials
are the most important skills a judge can bring with him or her into our breed ring. We
will also explain and illustrate each part of the AKC standard in more detail than the
breed standard, since standards are not capable of answering every question that may arise
when evaluating a particular animal.
We believe that judging is about recognizing the dog with the most virtues, not
the one with the most faults. The breed standard gives far more attention to describing
the features that the dog should possess, that make him look and function like a Belgian
Tervuren, than it does in listing faults. It is a blueprint of positive
breed type. A dog that possesses many of these positive qualities is quite likely to
be a handsome representative of the breed! We feel that you will be a far better
judge if you seek the positive breed qualities in a dog, and are aware of its faults, than
if you only placed a dog on the basis of its faults. |
Judge positively.
Faults should be weighed against the power of
the dog's positive traits, with the winner being the one having the most remaining virtues
after assessing and and taking its faults into consideration as appropriate.
Certainly a dog with outstanding breed type
should always be in strong contention for the winners circle, remembering
all the while that the Begian Tervuren is a herding dog and versatile
worker. The highest value is to be placed on qualities that maintain these
abilities, specifically correct temperament, gait, bite and coat. |
HISTORY AND PURPOSE:
| Knowing the history and purpose of the breed, combined with
an eye for good breed type including movement and character, along with an understanding
of the details of the breed standard will give the judge the confidence and courage to
make correct selections in the ring. |
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The first recorded history of Tervuren shows that previous to 1895, M.F.
Corbeel in the town of Tervueren, Belgium (as the town name was then spelled) was raising
long coated blackened fawn sheepdogs. The Tervuren was one of many coat and color
varieties of the single breed still known today in its homeland as Le Berger Belge. |
| Plate # 1 |
| All of the original breeding stock in the U.S.
was imported from Europe, primarily France and Belgium. Today imports continue to be
brought to the US on a regular basis. Since in many countries the Belgians are a single
breed and are registered as the variety they are born as (their phenotype), one usually
does not need to look very far back in the pedigrees of imports to find other varieties of
the Le Berger Belge breed, namely the Groenendael (Belgian Sheepdog) and the Belgian
Malinois. The Lakenois with its distinctive crisp coat type is not bred with the Tervuren or Groenendael so is not found in current Tervuren pedigrees.
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Plates #2, #3, #4, #5 left to right
While Tervuren had been brought into the U.S. for many years, it was in 1953 that a few
breeders imported Tervuren puppies from France with the intent of showing and
breeding them. The AKC split the Tervuren into a separate breed on July 1, 1959. At that
time the long coated black variety (Groenendael) because of its longer history
within the US,
retained the breed's original AKC name of Belgian Sheepdog. The long coated fawn and black
was named the Belgian Tervuren, and the short coated variety was named the Belgian
Malinois. The Lakenois has not as yet been granted breed status by the AKC. The three
Belgians were transferred from the Working Group into the new Herding Group effective Jan.
1, 1983. Each breed is judged under its own standard in the U.S. and each has its own AKC
parent club. Puppies born in the US to each of the Belgian breeds are registered as the AKC
breed of their parents, regardless of their coat type, and must be acceptable according to
their breed standard when shown in the breed ring.
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The Belgian Tervuren is unquestionably a sheepherding breed,
and a good one, but it should be understood that from its beginnings, the breed has been
put to work in a variety of ways which its structure and temperament have enabled it to
perform well. Plate #6
From the time we have recorded history of the breed, these dogs were used not only for
herding but also as police dogs. In 1923 a statue was erected in Amsterdam to honor the
renowned Tervuren, Albert, who was an accomplished police dog. Tervuren were in demand as
guide dogs for the blind in Europe after World War I and have continued to be used for
this work. |
The Tervuren has become a worthy competitor in
obedience competition, tracking, protection work, search and rescue,
sledding, agility  and
the many areas where its intelligence, trainability and courage are utilized. While its
original purpose is herding, the Tervuren is versatile and competent in many occupations.
Plate #7 |
 Plate #8 |
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 Plate
#10 |
| Plate #9 |
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A more detailed history of the breed is available from the
abtc.org general website
 NEXT: General Appearance and Temperament
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