The Laekenois is considered the oldest and the
foundation of the Belgian Shepherd Dog. This variety
originated as a herding/guard dog protecting valuable
fields of flax and sheep from the many thieves and
bandits in Flanders. Working near the Royal Castle of Laken
this breed earned the respect of Queen Henrietta who
admired their working ability and a few even lived in
the castle as her pets. Some historical articles
state the variety is named after Laken the area of
Belgium from which they originated, while others say
they were named after the Queens Castle.
Queen
Maria Henrietta
& the Royal Castle of Laken
Best Baby in Group 5
Laekenois
Vanrusselhof Alecia "Pink"
The Laekenois, Bouvier and Dutch Shepherd all originate
from a fawn wire-haired shepherd dog called Vos I de
Laeken who was born in 1885. The four varieties of
Belgian Shepherd were freely inter-bred until the advent
of dog shows in the early 1900's when a breed standard
was drawn up.
The
Belgian Dog Registry, Societe Royale Saint - Hubert,
officially recognized the Belgian Shepherd as a breed
with four varieties; Groenendael, Laekenois, Malinois,
and Tervuren. Each of the varieties were named after the
villages or areas where the original breeders lived.
Like
the Malinois the Laeken were used by the Brussels police
and Belgian army in World War I and World War II. After
World War II the numbers were decimated and the variety
almost became extinct. During the 1960’s the breeding
of the Lakenois was done mainly in Holland where the
variety became quite popular. However it is thought
that during this time the Dutch probably introduced
Bouvier de Flanders into the variety which gave an
impression of heaviness of body and head with an
excessive coat & facial furnishings. In the early 80’s the Laekenois started
to become more popular in Belgium and
inter-variety breeding with the Malinois took place
which restored breed type. Today the Laekenois is still
the rarest of the 4 varieties and found mainly in Europe
but is slowly becoming more popular in overseas
countries such as Australia.
Coat/furnishings
While I personally find the scruffy coat and
un-kept appearance of the Laekenois very attractive it
is not everyone’s cup of tea. However the correct
Laekenois coat is surprisingly low maintenance
needing minimal grooming and not prone to knots or
matting.
There is a wide variety of coat types and facial
furnishings amongst the Laekenois variety. The breed standard
reads:
ROUGH HAIR: The Laekenois is the rough-haired. What
especially characterizes the rough hair variety is the
roughness and dryness of the hair, which, moreover, is
rasping and tousled. About 6 cm long over the whole
body, the hair is shorter on the top of the muzzle,
the forehead and the legs. The hair around the eyes
and those furnishing the muzzle should not be so long as
to disguise the shape of the head. However, it is
essential to have furnishings on the muzzle. The
tail should not form a plume. Only fawn color is
allowed with traces of black overlay, mainly on the
muzzle and the tail.
A nice example of facial furnishings
Not too little, not too much....
Working Laekenois
Avery Van de Duvetorre
Mondio Ring I
While there are many other important factors to consider such as
health, temperament, breed type & work ethic it is the
coat alone that differentiates the 4 varieties of
Belgian Shepherd Dog so a correct coat is quite important.
Facial furnishings are a fine art, too much can make the
dogs head look too heavy and disguise the shape, too
little and the head has too much of a Malinois appearance, both
faults detract from the overall type and attractiveness of
the Laekenois.
Dogs with too little or too much coat/furnishings can be
very useful specimens for breeding but under a competent judge
should not expect to fair well in the show ring.
Temperament
Like most Belgian Shepherds the Laekenois is energetic,
smart, loyal towards their owners and makes a good watch dog.
The Laekenois is great with children and other pets if
raised with them. Lots of socialization &
obedience training is recommended when young.
The way the owner raises and handles the dog can also
produce vast differences in behavior and perceived temperament.
Working ability is alive
and well in the Laekenois variety. Overseas Laekenois have
been used for Police Service work and also participate
successfully in Schutzhund/IPO & other dog sports such
as obedience, agility, herding and lure coursing.
Unlike the Malinois this rare variety has not been
segregated into working and show bloodlines and is
therefore much more of an all round type dog.
Health
No major health concerns
compared to other breeds. Although rare some minor
occurrences of skin allergies, eye problems & occasional
hip or elbow dysplasia can occur.
Responsible breeders should be testing hips, elbows and
eyes of both sire and dam before breeding.
Amanda Camiller
Laekenois
Vanrusselhof Alecia (AI)
"Pink" herding 7 months old
