Cattle Dogs

INDEX

Australian Cattle Dog 
Australian Kelpie
Australian Shepherd 
Bearded Collie 
Belgian Shepherd Dog 
Border Collie 
Bouvier Des Flandres 
Briard 
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Catahoula Leopard Dog
Collie 
English Shepherd
German Shepherd
Koolie
McNab Shepherd
Old English Sheepdog
Pembroke Welsh Corgi 
Puli
Shetland Sheepdog 

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Belgian Shepherd Dog

The Belgian Shepherd Dog is also known worldwide as a Belgian Sheepdog. This breed of animal is used primarily as a herding dog. There has been some controversy over just what constitutes a Belgian Shepherd dog. This breed is divided between four different varieties and no kennel club worldwide seems to be able to agree upon the particular varieties that make up the breed. Those accepted in America are not necessarily those which are approved in Europe.

The various coat variations seem to set the animals apart. Some organizations even believe that with the various coats they should establish several different breeds and not combine them under one title.

These are considered to be highly intelligent and social animals which are continually alert aware of all that is happening around them. They tend to develop strong bonds with their owners and would readily give their life for them. There development generally starts as small puppies where they are socialized and made to feel comfortable around humans. They hate being left alone and are usually a one person dog. Their lifespan is generally in the area of 12.5 years.

All Belgian Shepherd’s need a considerable amount of activity and prefer to have a close interaction with their owner. It can often be a very active animal and should be kept busy with tasks related to herding or possibly performing tricks. These dogs can quickly become bored with simple and undemanding tasks and tend to get into various types of mischief. Negative type behaviors are the result of insufficient stimulation. The dog quickly becomes annoying and destructive in an effort to interact with the family. You can prevent these actions from occurring by providing plenty of work, play and both mental and physical exercise.

They are a highly prized dog that is appreciated for its attractiveness, its intelligence; undying loyalty and they are usually well suited for family type environments. They are highly sensitive animals and do not accept critical treatment very well they must be exercised a large portion of the time and certainly interacted with by their human owners.

As with most loyal animals these dogs require respect from their owners and as such the owner should in turn demand respect from the dog. They can readily be trained to accomplish just about any task such as finding toys by name, catching insects which invade the home, gathering up dirty laundry to be washed, or even digging up garden weeds. What many people and dogs may consider to be work this breed looks at it as play.

When training the animal permissive type training should be avoided otherwise the dog will assume that it controls the relationship and therefore will lose respect for tits owner.

Although these dogs generally develop the usual health issues as do other dogs the main concern for this breed is the frequency of seizures and of dog epilepsy. Approximately 9 percent of the breed develops this problem during its life span.