Laravel

The first notable characteristic of the Belgian Tervuren is its extraordinarily imposing presence. Its long coat, which is usually a stunning overlay of black and mahogany, makes this dog among the most elegant of breeds.

Although the “Terv” was bred to be used as a versatile farmhand, one would be hard-pressed to find a more noble service dog. These brave and loyal heroes are now used as agents of law enforcement, for bomb and narcotic detection; as guard dogs; and as assistants for people living with disabilities.

Belgian Tervurens were originally bred in the 1800s by M.F. Corbeel, who named the breed after his hometown village in Belgium. The Terv is one of four Belgian Shepherd breeds - including the Malinois, Laekenois, and Groenendael (known as the Belgian Sheepdog in the U.S.) - each with a distinctive coat appearance.

Some breed clubs around the world lump them together as a single Belgian Shepherd breed, but not the AKC. Although they were lumped in with Belgian Shepherds before, the AKC recognized the Belgian Tervuren as a separate breed in 1959 as a member of the Herding Group. A Belgian Tervuren won the Westminster dog show in 1983, which happened to be the year that the Working Group featured a separate Herding class. A classic herding dog, the Terv is as adept at rounding up sheep as any of the top shepherd breeds.