mrv
Posted : 1/10/2008 5:43:17 PM
Ah Belgians..... they can be great,,,, they can be not so great. Depending on the lines they can be bomb proof or fruit loops. They are relatively rare when considering pure bred litter registrations. Malinois are dividing into to groups (which I absolutely hate); not so much the other varieties. Belgians tend to be high drive and the thing that makes them different from shepherds or beucerons etc. They are reactive. These are speed of light kind of dogs. Some of my favorite expressions regarding maligators: they are like gsd's on crack; they are like gsd's with a switchblade, they are looking for a reason to over react.
There are four varieties of belgians. They came into being about the same time as german shepherds. They come froma similar region of Europe. The varieties are named for the geographic locations most of the foundation stock originated. They are long coated dogs (brown with black over lay, or black) short coated fawn/red/brown dogs with black overlay, and wire coated (think terrier). Tervurent, Groeendael, Malinois and Laekenois.
It took me 20 some years to realize I was always looking for a belgian. They are not for everyone but they are truly incredible in the right homes. Although easy to train (learn quickly) they are not easy to live with when you consider typical dog ownership.