Sandy, of Oneida Belgians pictured above petting her prize winning Belgian Shepherds.
Oneida Belgians is a small Canadian kennel with a thoughtful, selective breeding program based on fine North American and European lines that combine success in the show ring with proven performance ability.
Emphasis is on the total, balanced dog: temperament, structure, working ability, health and type.
Our puppies are home-raised in an enriched environment, and are carefully evaluated before being matched with their new owners.
Visit the Oneida Belgians website and see pictures of our dogs interacting with family and their new owners.
About Belgian Shepherds
Belgian Shepherds have adapted, as have others to life in modern jobs, or as family pets. They serve well as police dogs, search and rescue aides, sentries, guardians, and leader dogs for the blind. They excel in 'schutzhund', (protector dogs), they are agile, obedient, loyal and intelligent. They need to be treated with a firm yet kind, loving hand. They should be respected as intelligent working dogs and given a job to do, otherwise the full potential and joy of owning a Belgian will not be realized and can lead to problems.
Like most other guardian breeds, the Belgians can be suspicious of strangers and unfamiliar situations and aggressive to small animals, including cats. A family dog should be accustomed to small animals, to children, and to a variety of environments as puppies in order to moderate these tendencies.
Belgians are highly intelligent, with a surprisingly unique sense of humour, and are totally devoted to their family. They are a relatively long lived dog with fewer health problems although strict attention to their health care is recommended. Dogs with more work to do seem to remain healthier.
Belgians were originally bred by Belgian sheepherders to protect their flocks of sheep during the 1800s. Belgians are known collectively as four types of Belgian sheep herding breeds, the jet-black, long-coated Groenendael; the smooth-coated charcoal fawn with dark mask known as Malinois; long-coated fawn dogs with black overlay known as Tervuren; and rough-coated fawn dogs with traces of black known as Lakenois.
The Groenendael was the first of the type to reach the US, and it underwent a name change to Belgian Sheepdog when it was accepted by the American Kennel Club in 1912. The Malinois and Terverun were registered as Belgian Sheepdogs until 1959, when they were given breed status as Belgian Malinois and Belgian Tervuren. The Laekenois is rare in the US and is not recognized by the AKC. However, all remain types or varieties of one breed in Europe and Canada.
The dogs are intelligent, well-balanced, with elegant looking lines, strong, alert, agile, and well-muscled.
Males stand 24-26 inches at the shoulder, and females 22-24 inches. Malinois deviating from these sizes by more than an more than an inch are disqualified from the prize show ring. Tervuren breeders are held more tightly to these sizes; dogs have an inch leeway on the minimum height but only a half inch on the maximum. Weight ranges for Belgians are from 60-75 pounds with male dogs weighing more than females.
Belgians have warm, intelligent dark brown eyes the head has a clean-cut appearance, a moderately pointed muzzle, and flattened skull. The Laekenois' type has a rough coat that may obscure these lines. All four types have triangular, upright ears and natural tails.
The dogs have a powerful sleek appearance, a natural grace and elegant beauty. Their temperament depends greatly on how they are treated as puppies and in general as they are highly intelligent. They are working dogs and aim to please their owners. They do need a job to do though to be balanced. These dogs are reserved with strangers, and naturally protective of family members and possessions. They should be trained with a professional trainer to maximize the owners enjoyment of the dogs. A firm kind voice is best. These animals are graceful to watch, powerful, balanced and steady.
The Malinois double coat is short, straight, and hard enough to be weather resistant on top and dense underneath. It is very short on head, ears, and lower legs and a bit longer around the neck, the tail, and the thighs. It follows the contour of the body without standing out of hanging down. The Malinois coat is always fawn with black hair tips that give the appearance of an overlay. The colour can range from rich fawn to mahogany, with lighter fawn allowed on legs and underbody. The Mal always has a black mask and ears. Toe tips may be white and a small spot of white is allowed on the breastbone.
Belgian Sheepdog is the black variety of Belgian sheep herding dogs. Although minimal white markings are allowed on chest, muzzle, and the tips of the toes, no other colour is acceptable. The Belgian coat is somewhat like that of a rough-coated Collie with its long, fairly harsh guard hairs and dense soft undercoat. The coat is longer around the collar, has a fringe of long hair down the back of the forearm, and a generous garnish on the breeches and tail. It is shorter on the head, the outside of the ears, and the lower legs.
The Belgian Tervuren combines the fawn-coat-with-black-overlay of the Malinois with the abundant coat of the Sheepdog to present a picture of uncommon beauty. Males have more copious coats than females. The body coat of the Tervuren is rich fawn to russet mahogany. Each hair is tipped with black that becomes more prominent as the dogs age; mature males appear as if washed in black over the chest, shoulders, and ribs. The under parts of the body and the breeches are lighter in colour; the tail is also lighter with a black tip. The face wears a black mask, and the ears are mostly black. White is allowed as in the Sheepdog.
The Belgian Sheepdog and the Tervuren require a moderate amount of grooming, and all three of the AKC Belgians shed their undercoats each year.
The Laekenois type is quite different looking from the others. His harsh, tangled, moderately long coat features feathering on the head and muzzle, giving him a resemblance to the Otterhound or Bouvier des Flandres. The Laekenois is always fawn with traces of black, particularly in the muzzle and tail.
