About

Thank you for your interest in the Belgian Laekenois. The Laekenois are a rare breed of dog, most popular in the Netherlands and throughout Europe. Laekens are extremely intelligent and very active! This is a challenging combination for most dog owners.

Laekens require early socialization, through puppy classes and later in obedience classes. They thrive in agility, herding and other sports where they can learn and move.  The breed standard says "the Laekenois should be constantly moving unless under command by their owner." They are not a dog to be left on their own...they WILL find a way to entertain themselves! They are loyal and loving with their family(including children) and cautious (not shy) with strangers. The Laekenois are easily trained, especially when positive training methods are used. When the time and effort are made to train a Belgian the rewards are endless.

I had loved, raised and trained German Shepherds throughout my life. I had nursed my dogs through many illnesses and began searching for a healthier breed. I discovered the Belgian Malinois. There are four types of Belgian Shepherds, the Tervuren (long haired sable), the Groendale (long haired black), the Malinois (short haired sable) and the rare Laekenois (short, rough coated sable). The three varieties without the Laeken, can be found at conformation shows and multiple sporting venues. The Laekenois are an FSS (Foundation Stock Service) breed, meaning they do not have full AKC acceptance. They are competing in the miscellaneous class and unless they are shown in conformation and competing in other venues, agility, obedience, rally, herding, etc... they can not gain full AKC acceptance. They must be seen as a breed with active interest. Because of this I have been trying to find homes that will consider some kind of AKC competition.

The other trait that seems to draw interest to the Laekenois is their coat. It is endearing and different and most people ask if the Laekens shed.  Because they are a rare breed their gene pool is smaller and people have bred litters of Malinois (Laekens closest cousin) x Laekenois trying to bring diversity to the breed. I am not sure if because of this Laekens shed but I do believe it is a contributing factor and Laekens do shed.  True, not as much as the Malinois and German Shepherds, but they do shed. Also because of their unique coat the Laekenois must be pulled 1-2 times per year. This means they lose their harsh outer coat and for a short time only have their undercoat.  It is a process that must be started when they are puppies to get them used to the feel. It is recommended that Laekens only be bathed a few times a year and not brushed regularly to keep their coat harsh.

Personally we have three Laekens and two different types of coats. Two of our Laekens have a "typical" coat which we pull twice a year and then we have one who has a tighter coat and does shed less and only requires pulling one time per year. We rarely bathe our Laekens, but they love to swim and fetch and so in the summer the pool is great entertainment. Our dogs live in our home and regularly travel with us, they camp, hike, canoe...

puppies would still need a lot of time, socialization and training. I would be more than happy to put your name on a waiting list. But at present we do not have a litter planned.

Please let me know if you have any other questions or would like more information. I - would be happy to speak with you, I can be reached at (209) 481-8547.

Here are some recommended links. They include training, dog supplies as well as dog breeders in Holland.

I often assist in Belgian Malinois Rescue. They are an active and intelligent breed and we often see awesome dogs come through the rescue programs, even puppies.

http://www.belgianlaekenoisclub.us/

http://leerburg.com/ Dog Supplies, Training Videos, Free Streaming Training Videos

http://michaelellisschool.com/

http://leerburg.com/flix/player.php/529/Michael_Ellis'_Philosophy_of_Dog_Trainin    g Good Positive Introduction to Dog Training

http://www.laekenzine.com/ Laekenois Kennels and events http://www.shepherdsdogmate.nl Shepherds Dogmate is Annie's Mothers Kennel

eker ,sel,er der .eu/ Var Letsager Kennel    Anr1ie1s Father Qr riot Var

Le    la

http://www.galdras-mind.de/gm_quint.html Quint's new Kennel