Belgian Sheepdog behavior behavior

Belgian Shepherds are bred to be highly intelligent, alert and sensitive to everything going on around them, and to develop extremely strong relationship bonds. This means that they need significant socializing as puppies, lifelong activity outlets, and will seek to be with "their human" all the time, preferably doing something rather than waiting around. They can find it very difficult to be left alone. During their juvenile years, they can go through irrational fears (similar to the child who believes there is a monster in the closet), and can suddenly develop anxiety over some object or place which has never been a problem before, although these fade over time with a good positive lead. They tend strongly to be a "one person dog."

Belgian shepherds like to please, and can over-react badly to "negative" (punishment or deterrence based) training, so they should as a rule be clicker- or reward-trained only. They can also behave as if they think that they are smarter than their owners, so it is important for the owner to know how to train dogs or to enroll in training classes. Professional training is highly recommended by trainers/academies specific to this type of dog, as well as continued training or development beyond the basics, such as obedience, agility and herding and other sports. This is because Belgian Shepherds as a rule require mental stimulation as much or more so then physical. Most Belgian owners know that rote or pattern-based training is not the ideal for Belgians. Nor is drilling a particular activity going to prove successful. If a Belgian does something right 3 times in a row, he, or she, does not see the sense in doing it the fourth time!

All the Belgian Shepherd breeds need a lot of activity and close interaction with people. Like most herding breeds, they need a job to do (be it frisbee in the park, herding, learning tricks, dog agility). Throwing a toy endlessly for the dog to fetch works for some breeds, but the Belgian breeds are intelligent and sociable dogs who can easily become bored with such simple and undemanding repetition. Many Belgians make superb assistance dogs who thrive on knowing that their jobs are indeed necessary for their chosen person.

An amusing series of humorous cartoons showing the lighter side of the Belgian Shepherd personality can be found here.

Complete List
Afghan Hound	Airdale Terrier	African Wild Dog	Akita Inu	American Akita
Alaskan Malamute	American Cocker Spaniel	American Eskimo Dog	American Foxhound	American Staffordshire Terrier
American Water Spaniel	Anatolian Shepherd	Appenzeller Sennenhunde	Argentine Dogo	Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Shepherd	Australian Terrier	Azawakh	Basenji	Basset Hound
Beagle	Bearded Collie	Beauceron	Bedlington Terrier	Belgian Sheperd Dog (Laekenois)
Belgian Sheperd Dog (Malinois)	Belgian Sheepdog	Belgian Sheperd Dog (Tervuren)	Bergamasco	Bernese Mountain Dog
Bichon Frise	Black and Tan Coonhound	Black Russian Terrier	Bloodhound	Bluetick Coonhound
Border Collie	Border Terrier	Borzoi	Boston Terrier	Bouvier des Flandres
Boxer	Boykin Spaniel	Bracco Italiano	Briard	Brussels Griffon
Bulldog	Bullmastiff	Bull Terrier	Cairn Terrier	Canaan Dog
Cane Corso	Cardigan Welsh Corgi	Catahoula Leopard Dog	Caucasian Mountain Dog	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Cesky Terrier	Chesapeake Bay Retriever	Chihuahua	Chinese Crested Dog	Chinese Shar-Pei
Chinook	Chow Chow	Clumber Spaniel	Collie	Coton de Tulear
Curly Coated Retriever	Czechoslovakian Wolfdog	Dachshund	Dalmatian	Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Doberman Pinscher	English Bulldog	English Cocker Spaniel	English Fox Hound	English Setter
English Springer Spaniel	English Toy Spaniel	Field Spaniel	Finnish Spitz	Flat Coated Retriever
French Bulldog	German Pinscher	German Shepherd Dog	German Shorthaired Pointer	German Wirehaired Pointer
Giant Schnauzer	Glen of Imaal Terrier	Golden Retriever	Gordon Setter	Great Dane
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog	Great Pyrenees	Greyhound	Harrier	Havanese
Ibizan Hound	Irish Setter	Irish Terrier	Irish Water Spaniel	Irish Wolfhound
Italian Greyhound	Japanese Chin	Kerry Blue Terrier	Komondor	Kuvasz
Labrador Retriever	Lagotto Romagnolo	Lakeland Terrier	Lancashire Heeler	Leonberger
Lhasa Apso	L�wchen	Maltese	Manchester Terrier	Mastiff
Miniature Bull Terrier	Miniature Pinscher	Mudi	Neapolitan Mastiff	Newfoundland
Norfolk Terrier	Norwegian Buhund	Norwegian Elkhound	Norwegian Lundehund	Norwich Terrier
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever	Old English Sheepdog	Otterhound	Papillon	Parson Russell Terrier
Pekingese	Pembroke Welsh Corgi	Perro de Presa Canario	Peruvian Inca Orchid	Petit Basset Griffon Vend�en
Pharaoh Hound	Plott Hound	Pointer	Polish Lowland Sheepdog	Pomeranian
Poodle	Portuguese Podengo	Portuguese Water Dog	Pudelpointer	Pug
Puli	Pumi	Pyrenean Shepherd	Rafeiro do Alentejo	Rat Terrier
Redbone Coonhound	Rhodesian Ridgeback	Rottweiler	Saint Bernard	Saluki
Samoyed	Schipperke	Scottish Deerhound	Scottish Terrier	Sealyham Terrier
Shetland Sheepdog	Shiba Inu	Shih Tzu	Siberian Husky	Silky Terrier
Skye Terrier	Sloughi	Smooth Fox Terrier	Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier	Spinone Italiano
Stabyhoun	Staffordshire Bull Terrier	Standard Schnauzer	Sussex Spaniel	Swedish Vallhund
Thai Ridgeback	Tibetan Mastiff	Tibetan Spaniel	Tibetan Terrier	Tosa
Toy Fox Terrier	Treeing Tennessee Brindle	Treeing Walker Coonhound	Vizsla	Weimaraner
Welsh Springer Spaniel	Welsh Terrier	West Highland White Terrier	Whippet	Wire Fox Terrier
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon	Xoloitzcuintli	Yorkshire Terrier