Dog Show Saturday with the Aussies

This is Rio, a Belgian Tervuren, or a Terv.  Mom gets to see him several times a year at dog shows.  He loves agility trials and nose work.  He uses our cool coats ALOT.

This is what a Terv looks like without the coat on.  They're usually about German Shepherd or Irish Setter sized, with lots of thick beautiful fur. They are generally fawn to sable in color, with black overlay and mask.

The breed was developed in Belgium in the late 1800s for herding.  They are known for being very active and smart.  If you have a Terv you'd better be ready to exercise them every day and give them something to keep their brains busy!  Rio's Mom does an excellent job of keeping him busy and active.  That's why he's so great at agility.

Belgian Tervs are part of a group of shepherds from Belgium; the Malinois, the Belgian Sheepdog (Groenendael)  The Laekenois and the Terv.  In some countries they are variations of the same breed. They are used for herding, as well as police work, search and rescue work, agility, flyball, lots of active sports.  

They are good guard dogs; very loyal to their family and confident enough to not back down. They aren't recommended for inexperienced dog owners because of their high activity level, but do make excellent family members.