The  BELGIAN SHEPHERD COATS and COLOURS        

      Coat                             

                                                              There are three distinct coat types:

                                      Groenendael/Tervueren 

                               Outer coat long, straight and abundant. Texture of medium harshness. Not silky or wiry. 

                                 Undercoat extremely dense. Hair shorter on head, outside of ears and lower part of legs.

                                 Opening of ear protected by hair.  Hair especially long and abundant, ruff-like around neck,

                                 particularly in males. Fringe of long hair down back of forelegs,  long and abundant hair

                                              evident on hindquarters and tail. Males longer coated than females.

                                                                    Laekenois 

                   Harsh, wiry, dry and not curly. Any sprinkling of fluffy fine hair in locks in rough coats is   

                             undesirable. Length of coat about 6 cms (21/2 ins) on all parts of body. Hair around eyes 

                            but not to obscure them. Muzzle hair  not so long as to make head appear square or heavy.

                                                                                  Tail not plumed.

                                                                     Malinois  

                           Hair very short on head, exterior of ears and lower parts of legs. Short on rest of body, 

                                thicker on  tail and around neck where it resembles a ridge or collar, beginning at base of 

                                 ear and extending to throat. Hindquarters fringed with longer hair. Tail thick and bushy.

                                   Coat thick, close of good firm texture with woolly undercoat, neither silky nor wiry.

                                                                    No variation in these types is acceptable.

       Colour
                                                    The acceptable colours relate directly to coat type.

                                                                  GROENENDAEL

                                  Black or black with limited white as follows: small to moderate patch or strip on chest, 

                                     between pads of feet and on tips of hind toes. Frosting (white or grey) on muzzle.

                                                                                       Laekenois 

                                                      Reddish fawn with black shading, principally in muzzle and tail. 

                                                                    TERVUEREN/MALINOIS-

                              All shades of red, fawn, grey with black overlay. Coat characteristically double pigmented,

                                  wherein tip of each  light coloured hair is blackened. On mature males this blackening

                                     especially pronounced on shoulders, back and rib sections.  Black mask on face, 

                           not extended above line of eyes and ears mostly black. Tail should have a darker or black tip.  

                            Small to moderate white patch or strip permitted on chest, between pads of feet and on tips

                            of hind toes  Frosting (white or grey) on the muzzle. Beyond the age of 18 months a washed 

                                                                 out colour or colour too black undesirable.

 
                                                   No variation on these colours by coat type is acceptable.

                                UNITED KINGDOM KENNEL CLUB BREED STANDARD

    Coat
      Double; outer coat of long hair, harsh-textured and straight. Undercoat soft, short and close. Mane and frill very abundant, 

         forelegs well feathered. Hind legs above hocks profusely covered with hair, below hocks fairly smooth. Face smooth.

                                                             Smooth-coated specimens highly undesirable.

  Colour

           Sable:         clear or shaded, any colour from pale gold to deep mahogany, in its shade, rich in tone.

                                                                   Wolf-sable and grey undesirable.

          Tricolour:           intense black on body, rich tan markings preferred.

          Blue Merle:     clear silvery blue, splashed and marbled with black. Rich tan marking preferred but absence 

                               not penalised. Heavy black markings, slate or rusty tinge in either top or undercoat highly undesirable; 

                                                                               general effect must be blue.

                                      Black and White, and Black and Tan: also recognised colours.

               White markings may appear (except on black and tan) in blaze, collar and chest, frill, legs and tip of tail. 

               All or some white markings are preferred (except on black and tan) but absence of these markings not 

                                           to be penalised. Patches of white on body highly undesirable.