The American Kennel Club recognizes the Belgian Malinois, Belgian Sheepdog (Groenendael) and Belgian Tervuren as separate breeds. They differ in color and length of coat. The known history of the Belgian Shepherds traces to the 1880s when these dogs (along with German Shepherds, French Shepherds and Dutch Shepherds) were called Continental Shepherd Dogs. In September 1891, the Club du Chein de Berger Belge (Belgian Shepherd Dog Club) was formed for the purpose of determining if there was a true shepherd dog representative only of Belgium.

On November 15, 1891, under the direction of veterinary professor Adolphe Reul, a gathering was held at Cureghem, on the outskirts of Brussels, to examine the shepherd dogs of that area. Besides identifying Collies, Old English Sheepdogs, Beauceron, Briards, Bouviers and German Shepherd Dogs, Professor Reul and his panel of judges also concluded that, for the Brabant province, there was a consistent type of native shepherd dog: a square, medium-sized dog with well-set triangular ears and very dark brown eyes that differed only in the texture, color and length of hair. Similar exhibitions in the remaining Belgian provinces resulted in similar findings.

In 1892, again under the direction of Professor Reul, and modeled after England’s Collie standard of the time, the first Belgian Shepherd Dog standard was issued, and recognized three varieties: dogs with long coats, short coats and rough coats. The CCBB petitioned the Societe Royale Saint-Hubert (Belgium’s equivalent to the AKC) for breed status in 1892, but was denied. Between 1892 and 1901, when Saint-Hubert recognized the Belgian Shepherd Dog as a breed, efforts were concentrated on developing the varieties and establishing type.

The documented genealogy of today’s Belgian Shepherd Dogs can be traced back to three foundation couples. In 1885, Adrien Janssens, a shepherd from Laeken (a suburb of Brussels) purchased a pale, fawn rough-hair (known as Vos I, or Vos de Laeken) from a cattle dealer in Boom, in northern Belgium, where these rough-haired shepherd dogs had long been used to guard the laundry-bleaching fields from human thieves. Mr. Janssens used Vos I (“fox” in Flemish) to herd his flock and to serve as his foundation stud. First bred to the short-haired, brindle-brown Lise (known as Lise de Laeken or Liske de Laeken), and then to his daughters, Vos I sired a line noted for its homogeneity of type, both in the grey rough-hairs and short-hairs, and fawn rough-hairs and short-hairs. Today, Vos I and Lise de Laeken are recognized as ancestors not only of the modern Belgian Shepherd Dogs but also of the Bouvier des Flandres and Dutch Shepherd Dogs.

At the first dog show in Belgium where the Belgian Shepherd Dogs were shown separately from the Continental Shepherds (May 1, 1892), several of Vos I and Lises’ offspring were exhibited, and placed in their classes. On that same date, the first sheep-herding trial in Europe was held in Cureghem, Belgium, and the team of Adrien Janssens and Vos I placed third.

Other Vos I descendants served as foundation dogs for new kennels. M. Joubert acquired Diane, a brindle-grey, short-haired daughter of Vos I and Lise and bred her to Samlo, a brindle-fawn dog owned by P. Beernaert of Uccle. The mating produced Tomy, LOB 138, an extraordinary guard dog as well as winner of first prizes at dog shows in 1898. He was described as a very beautiful fawn short-hair with black overlay, ideal conformation and an explicit black mask. Tomy sired a number of litters, but his most outstanding offspring was Tjop LOSH 6132, born November 1, 1899 in Malines, north of Brussels. A great-grandson of Vos I and Lise, Tjop became the first Malinois champion in Belgium, as well as the most influential Malinois sire of the early twentieth century.

The second foundation couple were two long-haired blacks, Picard d’Uccle and Petite, purchased by Nicolas Rose, a restaurateur in the village of Groenendael, southeast of Brussels. Previously owned and used by shepherds, both Petite and Picard were exhibited several times, and at the first show for Belgian Shepherd Dogs, Petite received a first prize in the long-hair class. The first known litter of Picard and Petite, whelped May 1, 1893, produced, among others, Duc de Groenendael, who, when bred to the long-haired fawn, Miss, in 1896 sired Milsart, the first Tervuren champion of the breed.