Country/Date of origin: Belgium/1200s
There are three herding dogs known collectively as the Belgian Shepherds. They share the same standard and are identical except for coat and color. The most popular is the long-haired Tervuren, which is a rich mahogany overlaid with sooty black. The Gronendael, a long-haired solid black dog is usually referred to as the Belgian Sheepdog. The short haired variety is the Malinois, which is a brown or tan color with black mask and ears. They are shown as varieties of a single breed in some countries and as three separate breeds in others including their Belgian homeland. The American Kennel Club has considered them as three separate breeds since 1959.