The Goenendaele Sheepdog *

By Walter A. Dyer

To me not the least interesting thing about a large dog show is the possibility that I may find there some kind of dog that I have never seen before. I never hurry by the "miscellaneous" bench. Occasionally the dogs shown there are freaks (I remember one interesting creature that was listed as a "truffles dog"). More often, however, the "miscellaneous" bench provides an opportunity for viewing a rarity, which may or may not become a commonplace later on. I recall the first time I ever saw an otter hound, and my first view of a wire-haired hunting griffon was a pleasure worth the price of admission.

Just because a dog is a rarity with us does not necessarily mean that it is not worth cultivating. And of all the rarities that I think of at the moment, the Groenendaele sheepdog is most deserving of a wider popularity here.

I have seen a very few Groenendaeles at bench shows, but the first time I saw one was in 1915 at a police station in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. Arthur Woods, who was New York Police Commissioner at that time, was interested in dogs, and had built up a valuable and successful kennel of four-footed policemen. There was an Airedale, I remember, and later I believe shepherd dogs were added. At that time, however, most of the dogs had come from Belgium. Five were imported from Ghent in 1907 and others in 1912. Most of them were the short-haired variety of Belgian sheepdog, fawn or brown in color, built along the fighting lines of the bull terrier, with erect ears, and weighing fifty to sixty pounds. Two or three, I believe, were wire-haired, like the German dog. One, however, a little lighter in weight than the others, was quite different. It was a beautiful, long-haired, jet-black animal of distinctive appearance, with an alert, engaging expression, somewhat suggesting the collie in general appearance. That, I learned, was a Groenendaele, though I hadn't the slightest idea at the time what a Groenendaele was.

I consulted my best authority, Leighton, and found a brief paragraph devoted to the sheepdogs of Belgium. So far as it goes, it is reasonably correct, and it runs as follows: "In Belgium, where the sheep farms are admirably conducted, there are many kinds [of sheepdogs], most of them of ancient lineage, and all of them prick-eared and bearing a suggestion of the wolf type in their general appearance. It is possible, indeed, that the wolf has at frequent intervals contributed to the litters of bitches tending sheep on the outlying pastures. Efforts have recently been made to classify the Belgian varieties, and, generally distinguishing them, they may be separated into three types, differentiated according to coat, that is to say, wire-haired, long rough-haired, and smooth-haired. The rough-coated variety is commonly self-colored black with maybe a tuft of white on the chest. It is a particularly handsome dog. The wire-haired kind are grizzled gray, and somewhat akin to our smooth merle collie, but with ears more pointedly erect. Among the smooth-coated dogs, fawn color or light sable prevails. These last, when brought into show form, are particularly attractive. All three are allowed to retain their drooping tails." The handsome, long-haired variety which he mentions is the Groenendaele.

In 1913 Englewood, N. J., imported from Antwerp two Groenendaeles, trained as police dogs, named Duc and Mouch. They did good service in ridding the community of criminals, and I believe their progeny is flourishing there.

The short-haired variety was popular with the Brooklyn police for a time, but their popularity went no farther, and it was the Groenendaele which was taken up on a small scale by a few American fanciers. In 1914 Mr. Auguste De Corte, a Belgian living on Staten Island, imported several Groenendaeles of the best blood lines, several coming from the kennels of Mr. Madoux of Auderghem, Groenendaele, near Brussels, the foremost breeder in Belgium. This importation formed the foundation of the breed so far as it has been developed in this country.

The long-haired Groenendaele sheepdog originated among the Walloons on the French side of Belgium. I can see in the smooth and wire-haired varieties, particularly the latter, a kinship with the (German) shepherd dog, but not in the Groenendaele, which appears to me to be a distinct breed. Its physical characteristics indicate collie blood and perhaps a descent from the wolf-spitz, the big brother of the Pomeranian.

The Standard for the Groenendaele or Teweuren, as it is sometimes called in Belgium, as drawn up by the Belgian Kennel Club, calls for a symmetrical dog, well proportioned in bone, flesh, and muscle. The dog should be of medium size, about like a collie, standing twenty-two to twenty-four inches high at the shoulder.

The head is moderately long, the muzzle pointed but not snipey. Ears, medium size, triangular, and carried erect. Eyes, sharp and alert; expression bright and intelligent. The body is collie-like, well proportioned, and well shaped toward the hindquarters. The whole dog should express activity The tail is cylindrical, moderately feathered, of medium length, and carried in a half crescent. The coat is similar to that of a collie, the mane and frill somewhat heavier than the rest. The hair on the front legs is of medium length, shortening toward the foot, and should stand at right angles to the leg. The culotte is the same length as the hair on the tail.

Among the colors allowed are black, gray, brown, and black and tan, with even markings an invariable rule, but black is generally preferred, both by the fancy and for police work. A small white spot on the breast or white feet on the black dog do not disqualify. A black mask and nose are required with all colors.

Owners of Groenendaeles assert that they are amiable in disposition, obedient, faithful, sensitive, and very gentle with children, with none of the vicious traits displayed by some dogs that have been trained to police work. They are alert, strong, hardy, and tireless in the performance of duty. Individuals make splendid companions and guards. They are by inheritance natural watchdogs.

Like other European sheepdogs, the Groenendaele has been widely trained and used for police service. The city of Ghent introduced police dogs some twenty-five or thirty years ago, and developed the most famous police dog squad in the world, in which the Groenendaele has always figured prominently. Though less of a fighter than some of the other breeds. he is courageous, quick to learn, and gifted with initiative. Groenendaeles have repeatedly won first honors in the police dog trials in various European cities. Groenendaeles also served with credit in the war as searchers for the wounded, messengers, and carriers of first aid.

For some reason the breed has been a bit slow to catch hold in this country, due largely, perhaps, to the failure of wealthy fanciers to take it up and import and breed on a large enough scale to compete with more popular breeds. Occasionally good specimens have been benched in New York and elsewhere, chiefly Mr. De Corte's importations and their progeny. There are several good dogs here now to form a nucleus, but more importations are needed to put the breed on its feet in the United States.

* This article was originally published in "Country Life In America"
Donated by Kathy Champine