General Appearance
The first impression of the Belgian Tervuren is that of a well balanced medium size dog, elegant in appearance, standing squarely on all fours, with proud carriage of head and neck. He is strong, agile, well muscled, alert and full of life. He gives the impression of depth and solidity without bulkiness.
The male should appear unquestionably masculine; the female should have a distinctly feminine look and be judged equally with the male.
The Belgian Tervuren is a natural dog and there is no need for excessive posing in the show ring.
The Belgian Tervuren reflects the qualities of intelligence, courage, alertness and devotion to master. In addition to his inherent ability as a herding dog, he protects his master's person and property without being overtly aggressive. He is watchful, attentive, and usually in motion when not under command.
The Belgian Tervuren is a herding dog, and faults which affect his ability to herd under all conditions, such as poor gait, bite, coat or temperament should be particularly penalized.
Size, Proportion, Substance
The ideal male is 24 to 26 inches in height and female 22 to 24 inches in height measured at the withers. Dogs are to be penalized in accordance to the degree they deviate from the ideal.
Males under 23 inches or over 26.5 inches or females under 21 inches or over 24.5 inches are to be disqualified.
The body is square; the length measured from the point of shoulder to the point of the rump approximates the height. Females may be somewhat longer in body. Bone structure is medium in proportion to height, so that he is well balanced throughout and neither spindly or leggy nor cumbersome and bulky.
Head
Well chiseled, skin taut, long without exaggeration.
Expression: intelligent and questioning, indicating alertness, attention and readiness for action.
Eyes: dark brown, medium size, slightly almond shape, not protruding. Light, yellow or round eyes are a fault.
Ears: triangular in shape, well cupped, stiff, erect, height equal to width at base. Set high, the base of the ear does not come below the center of the eye. Hanging ears, as on a hound, are a disqualification.
Skull and muzzle: measuring from the stop are of equal
length. Overall size is in proportion to the body, top of skull
flattened rather than rounded, the width approximately the
same as, but not wider than the length.
Stop: moderate. The topline of the muzzle is parallel to the topline of the skull when viewed from the side. Muzzle moderately pointed, avoiding any tendency toward snipiness or cheekiness.
Jaws: strong and powerful.
Nose: black without spots or discolored areas. Nostrils well defined.
Lips: tight and black, no pink showing on the outside when mouth is closed.
Teeth:Full complement of strong white teeth, evenly set,
meeting in a scissors or a level bite. Overshot and undershot
teeth are a fault. Undershot teeth such that contact with the
upper incisors is lost by two or more of the lower incisors is
a disqualification. Loss of contact caused by short center
incisors in an otherwise correct bite shall not be judged
undershot. Broken or discolored teeth should not be
penalized. Missing teeth are a fault.
Neck
round, muscular, rather long and elegant, slightly arched and
tapered from head to body. Skin well fitting with no loose
folds. Withers accentuated.
Topline:
level, straight and firm from withers to croup.
Croup: medium long, sloping gradually to the base of the tail.
Chest:
not broad without being narrow, but deep; the lowest point of the brisket reaching the elbow, forming a smooth ascendant curve to the abdomen.
Abdomen:
moderately developed, neither tucked up nor
paunchy. Ribs well sprung but flat on the sides. Loin section
viewed from above is relatively short, broad and strong, but
blending smoothly into the back.
Tail:
strong at the base, the last vertebra to reach at least to the hock. At rest the dog holds it low, the tip bent back level with the hock. When in action, he may raise it to a point level with the topline giving it a slight curve, but not a hook. Tail is not carried above the backline nor turned to one side. A cropped or stump tail is a disqualification.
Forequarters:
Shoulders
long, laid back 45 degrees, flat against the body, forming a
right angle with the upper arm. Top of the shoulder blades
roughly two thumbs width apart. Upper arms should move in
a direction exactly parallel to the longitudinal axis of the
body. Forearms long and well muscled. Legs straight and
parallel, perpendicular to the ground. Bone oval rather than
round. Pasterns short and strong, slightly sloped. Dewclaws
may be removed. Feet rounded, cat footed, turning neither in
nor out, toes curved close together, well padded, strong nails.
Hindquarters:
Legs
powerful without heaviness, moving in the same pattern as
the limbs of the forequarters. Bone oval rather than round.
Thighs broad and heavily muscled. Stifles- clearly defined,
with upper shank at right angles to hip bones.
Hocks:
moderately bent. Metatarsi short, perpendicular to the ground, parallel to each other when viewed from the rear.
Dewclaws are removed.
Feet:
slightly elongated, toes curved close together, heavily padded, strong nails.
Coat
The Belgian Tervuren is particularly adaptable to extremes of temperature or climate. The guard hairs of the coat must be long, close fitting, straight and abundant. The texture is of medium harshness, not silky or wiry. Wavy or curly hair is undesirable. The undercoat is very dense, commensurate, however, with climatic conditions. The hair is short on the head, outside the ears, and on the front part of the legs. The opening of the ear is protected by tufts of hair.
Ornamentation:
consists of especially long and abundant
hair, like a collarette around the neck, particularly on males;
fringe of long hair down the back of the forearm; especially
long and abundant hair trimming the breeches; long, heavy
and abundant hair on the tail. The female rarely has as
long or as ornamented a coat as the male. This disparity must not be a consideration when the female is judged against the male.
Color
Body rich fawn to russet mahogany with black overlay. The
coat is characteristically double pigmented wherein the tip of
each fawn hair is blackened. Belgian Tervuren characteristically becomes darker with age. On mature males, this blackening is especially pronounced on the shoulders, back and rib section. Blackening in patches is undesirable. Although allowance should be made for females and young males, absence of blackening in mature dogs is a serious fault. Washed out, predominant color, such as cream or gray is to be severely penalized.
Chest: is normally black,but may be a mixture of black and gray. A single white patch is permitted on the chest, not to extend to the neck or breast.
Face has a black mask and the ears are mostly black. A face with a complete absence of black is a serious fault. Frost or white on chin or muzzle is normal. The underparts of the
body, tail, and breeches are cream, gray, or light beige. The
tail typically has a darker or black tip.
Feet: The tips of the toes may be white. Nail color may vary from black to transparent.
Solid black, solid liver or any area of white except as specified on the chest, tips of the toes, chin and muzzle are disqualifications.
Gait
Lively and graceful, covering the maximum ground with
minimum effort. Always in motion, seemingly never tiring, he
shows ease of movement rather than hard driving action. He
single tracks at a fast gait, the legs both front and rear
converging toward the center line of gravity of the dog.
Viewed from the side he exhibits full extension of both fore
and hindquarters. The backline should remain firm and level,
parallel to the line of motion. His natural tendency is to move
in a circle, rather than a straight line.
Padding, hackneying, weaving, crabbing and similar movement faults are to be penalized according to the degree which they interfere with the ability of the dog to work.
Temperament
In his relationship with humans he is observant and vigilant
with strangers, but not apprehensive. He does not show fear
or shyness. He does not show viciousness by unwarranted or
unprovoked attack. He must be approachable, standing his
ground and showing confidence to meet overtures without
himself making them. With those he knows well, he is most
affectionate and friendly, zealous for their attention and very
possessive.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
Males under 23 inches or over 26.5 inches or females under
21 inches or over 24.5 inches.
Hanging ears, as on a hound.
Undershot teeth such that contact with the upper incisors is
lost by two or more of the lower incisors.
A cropped or stump tail.
Solid black, solid liver or any area of white except as
specified on the chest, tips of the toes, chin and muzzle.
Approved September 11, 1990
Effective October 30, 1990
