Thread: Belgian Sheperd Dogs (Groenendael)

Hi there

Yes there are many belgian shepherds (groenendael) in the country. However you will find that most of these will be of show stock and not working stock, try and google dogsonline, go to breed pages and click Groenendael and it will give you a list of all the registered breeders in the country.

Unfortunately this breed has suffered the fate of many other breeds and the true characteristics and hardiness have been lost, to find a good working Groenendael I would imagine one would have to import from either Belgium or Holland, occassionally you may still find some competing in the KNPV.

Regards Ben

I done some protection training with 2 groenendaels in Sydney, the owner had a small security company and sold the dogs along with the company a few years ago. The dogs were from mainly show lines.

If you want a working belgian shepherd you are better off with a malinois or laekenois. You would find it nearly impossible to find a working line Groen in the country.

Yeha, I already want a mal in the future - for Schuhtzhund.

But they look interesting, like a cross between a collie and a shep. Not a big fan of the laekenois, it looks like a cross between a dog and a sheep.

EDIT: Would consider importing as well but man, browsing sites in dutch isn't fun. Googles translation isn't that great :P

Originally Posted by Kavik

You becoming a fan of black dogs hey Midol

From what I've heard, I'd stick to a Mal for working stuff. Groenendaels are very pretty though.

I'd only be interested in a Groenendael for sport, not serious stuff.

Just thought it'd be interesting to have a breed that isn't commonly "worked" (sport) in Australia.

Plus I'd be able to go ner ner ner at the Groenendael show breeders on other sites :P

I can read dutch fairly well, I also have several contacts for mals and dutch shepherds, so let me know if you need any recommendations.

Hi Jeff,
I would be interested in Dutch breeders if that is okay. Have been searching and will one day get one. If it is ok Thank you Ena

Temperaments in the Groenendael (and Tervueren) are improving markedly in this country thanks to the internet and the ability of people to actually see what can be done. They are becoming very popular as agility dogs and herding dogs (which lets face it is their predominant role). I own a Groenendael who has an IPO 1 (as well as a dual country Grand Ch and multi World titled Agility dog with a I think a basic herding title) When I took him to the Schutzhund club in Brisbane I think they were suprised and quiet impressed by what he could do. He may not have been quite as touch and hard as many of the working line Mals but he sure loved to bite and he even suprised me. He was trained in Europe and I think there are some very talented trainers over there who are able to get good results from many of the show lines. They are out there, and the temperaments are getting better. I agree that there are still many breeders who are churning out puppies just for show and pet, but more and more are asking for a higher standard in character ... and a lot of discussions are being held with regard to developing a character assessment (things that our ANKC should be doing!!!)