Belgian Shepherd Laekenois

The Belgian Laekenois will do okay in an apartment if it is sufficiently exercised. It is moderately active indoors and will do best with at least an average size yard. This breed prefers cool climates, but adapts well to others. It can live outdoors but would much rather be with his people.

The Belgian Shepherd Dog is an elegant, well-proportioned, medium-sized, square dog. By his majestic carriage and harmony of form, the dog of the Belgian Sheepherders gives the impression of elegant robustness. He is a hardy individual, accustomed to living in the open air and built to resist inclement weather and the atmospheric changes so frequent in the Belgian climate. His elegance and expression denote great strength of character, making him a proud representative of the herding breeds.

The Belgian Shepherd Dog was developed in Belgium as a herding dog to work sheep. He is enthusiastic and remarkably quick. He shows a natural tendency to be in motion. The Belgian was developed for endurance. He must be able to move and tend the flock all day and to guard it from all invaders. In addition to his inborn ability as guardian of the flocks, he is an exceptional watchdog and a tenacious and brave defender of his master and family. He is vigilant, and highly responsive to his owner's direction. He is alert, intelligent and inquisitive. While he is firmly loyal to those he knows and loves, he typically exhibits reserve with strangers.

The Belgian Laekenois originated as a dog for herding sheep at the Royal Castle of Laeken. Besides its role as a herding dog, this breed is also used to guard linen that is placed in fields to dry. In the First and Second World War, the Laekenois was used a messenger dog . The Laekenois is considered both the oldest and the most rare of the Belgian Shepherd Dogs. Until the advent of dog shows in the early 1900s, the four varieties were freely intermixed, in fact, there are only three genes (short/long coat, smooth/wire coat, fawn/black coat) that separate the varieties genetically. Purebred Laekenois occasionally give birth to smooth-coated puppies, which, depending on the pure-bred registry, can be registered as Malinois. The Laekenois is currently in the American Kennel Club's Miscellaneous Class and is assigned the Herding Group.