Introduction

Welcome to the ABTC online Judges' Education guide. The intent of this guide is to discuss and illustrate those points of the standard which deal with qualities most unique to the breed, which are commonly referred to as "type". It is directed to judges and aspiring judges of the breed under the AKC breed standard who already have general knowledge of soundness in the Herding breeds.

 Copyright © American Belgian Tervuren Club, Inc. 2000-2009, all rights reserved. 

Judge's Responsibility

The judge plays a vital role in the survival of the Belgian Tervuren as a functional herding dog with correct breed type. Championship titles, Group and Best In Show winners are sought after in pedigrees. Only when the dogs possessing correct type are the dogs rewarded by the judge in the ring, will the breed continue to improve.

 Please judge positively. After all, all dogs have faults. The breed standard gives far more attention to describing the features the dog should possess, those which make him look and function like a Belgian Tervuren, than it does in listing faults.  The standard is a blueprint of positive breed type. A dog that possesses the most positive qualities is quite likely to be the best representative of the breed.

A dog with outstanding breed type should always be in strong contention for the winners circle, remembering all the while that

the Belgian Tervuren is a herding dog and versatile worker. The highest value is to be placed on qualities that maintain these abilities, specifically, correct temperament, gait, bite and coat.

HISTORY AND PURPOSE:

The Belgians were a rustic, brave dog, known for exceptional intelligence, athleticism and trainability. They were found working with the farmer – herding sheep and other small livestock; protecting home and property; and doing varied tasks for the modest working people of Belgium.They were prized in their homeland as police dogs and as war dogs.

The Belgians share a common ancestry. Originally classified as simply long hair, short hair, and rough haired, irrespective of coloring, to this day in their homeland they remain a single breed with varieties, named according to their phenotype, or appearance, which is not always the same as their parents.

The Tervuren is a sheep herding breed and a versatile all-around worker. It is by nature an active and responsive dog, full of life and delighted to be with its owner. It is very zealous for the attention of its family, which accounts for its outstanding success and popularity as an owner-trained and handled breed.

 In the ring

The natural protective instincts of the Tervuren make it a breed which which does not immediately make friends with strangers. While they typically show much interest in interacting with their handler, it is not typical for an adult Tervuren to be overly friendly to strangers. While a certain aloofness with strangers is considered normal, it should be confident and trustworthy in the ring, always displaying good manners.

 A judge should never reward a dog that must be held up for exam or that acts fearful or untrustworthy. While some judges prefer that a dog's muzzle be held during an exam (or some handlers offer the courtesy of holding the muzzle), take note of how a dog so controlled is reacting to your exam. As a judge you should never make excuses for unstable behavior when it is observed.

 General Appearance

Silhouette counts. The first thing a judge should consider is whether the dog has the look which is unmistakably Tervuren. It is not a good Tervuren if it does not have correct silhouette, no matter how nice it may look or move.

 The Tervuren stands naturally with proud carriage of head and neck over a balanced, square body having medium bone and balanced angulation front to rear. The slightly long, arched neck gives the head a most elegant carriage. It's straight, dense, natural falling coat should not obscure the outline. Faced with a black muzzle, alert high set ears and intelligent expression, the entire picture should say "Belgian".

Body Details

TheTervuren is a well-balanced square dog with medium bone structure.He has a nice neckline that is proudly carried over the wither which is slightly accentuated. The shoulders are laid back with forelegs set under the dog's chest. The rear angulation is balanced to the front, the hocks are vertical and the hind feet set comfortably below the point of the dog's rump - the dog stands squarely. The chest is deep, but not broad, with a smooth ascendant underline to the loin.

Head

 The moderately long, cleanly chiseled head with balanced proportions, dark almond eyes and high set ears, combined an alert, intelligent and questioning expression easily distinguishes the Tervuren  from other breeds.

Teeth

Full complement of strong white teeth, evenly set, meeting in a scissors or a level bite. Overshot and undershot teeth are a fault. An undershot bite such that there is a complete loss of contact by all the incisors is a disqualification. Broken or discolored teeth should not be penalized. Missing teeth are a fault. Four or more missing teeth are a serious fault.

We ask that judges check the teeth gently from the side, rather than attempting to pry the mouth open. Please, do not pry open the mouth in the manner seen for Doberman Pinschers and Rottweilers.

Gait

 Lively and graceful, covering the maximum ground with minimum effort.  Always in motion, seemingly never tiring, he shows ease of movement rather than hard driving action. He single tracks at a fast gait, the legs both front and rear converging toward the center line of gravity of the dog. Viewed from the side he exhibits full extension of both fore and hindquarters. The back line should remain firm and level, parallel to the line of motion.

The gait is light and relaxed

Coat

The Belgian Tervuren is particularly adaptable to extremes of temperature or climate.The long guard hairs are straight, close fitting, and of medium harshness. The undercoat is dense, commensurate with climatic conditions. The female rarely has as long or as ornamented a coat as the male, and she should be considered equally regardless of this disparity. 

COLOR:

mahogany female, fawn male, both with black overlay, showing a range of acceptable coloring

Preferred Tervuren coloring ranges rather widely, from rich fawn to a russet mahogany base color, all having a some degree of black overlay and a black mask.

Disqualification: Solid black, solid liver, or any area of white except as specifiedon the chest, tips of toes, chin and muzzle are a DISQUALIFICATION (by this the standard means solid, without characteristic lighter underpinnings or contrasting overlay).

Serious Faults:  A face with a complete absence of black. Absence of black overlay in mature dogs (make allowances for young dogs) Some females carry very light overlay, but it should be found minimally on the shoulder area of adult females

Faults and Disqualifications - including a Belgian comparison chart

Any deviation from these specifications is a fault. In determining whether a fault is minor, serious, or major, these two factors should be used as a guide:

• The extent to which it deviates from the standard
• The extent to which such deviation would actually affect the working ability of the dog

• Size (Males under 23 inches or over 26.5 inches or females under 21 inches or over 24.5 inches)
• Ears (Hanging ears, as a hound)
• Bite (An undershot bite such that there is a complete loss of contact by all the incisors.)
• Tail (A cropped or stump tail)
• Color (Solid black, solid liver, or any area of white except as specified on the chest, tips of toes, chin and muzzle)

Please judge positively -We hope that as a judge you are able to recognize outstanding breed type and functionality when it is presented in the ring.

How to Examine the Belgian Tervuren

Here are some tips that will help you through an efficient, comprehensive breed-specific evaluation.

• Look at the profile
• Do not stare at the dog close-up
• Be pleasant and expect the dog to be also
• Check for missing teeth - gently from the sides
• check depth of chest, forechest, and shoulder angulation
• check placement of shoulder assembly
• check tail length

 And of course, evaluate the many breed-specific and functional qualities that we talked about in this forum!

Consider that the great majority of Tervuren are owner-handled. (please read on...)

 Click here to open the 2-sided 3-fold printable 2009 Quick reference brochure (will open in another window). Follow your printer instructions for how to re-insert/align the paper to print on both sides. This brochure along with the 2007 Quick Guide are intended as fast easy printable reference sources for judging. Neither replaces in depth study such as the club seminars or judges education website.

• ABTC 2009 Quick Reference Brochure (232.45 KB)

 Click here to open the 1 page, printable 2007 Quick Guide Sheet (will open in another window). This, along with the 2 sided 2009 Quick Reference Guide, are intended to assist the judge as easily printed reference sources. Neither replaces in-depth learning such as from our approved seminars and website sources.

tervuren_quick_guide_for_judges.pdf (88.45 KB, 2009-01-10 14:32)