What is New in the breed standard
and how it affects judging of the Tervuren
based upon the The AKC Belgian Tervuren Breed Standard effective March 1, 2007
The Belgian Tervuren breed standard revision effective March 1 2007 reflects some very minor grammatical changes as well as important changes for the judge to be aware of.
To read the complete standard, follow the above link. For purposes of judges education, we will review the highlights as they pertain to judging:
In General Appearance, the last paragraph was revised from:
The Belgian Tervuren is a herding dog, and faults which affect his ability to herd under all conditions, such as poor gait, bite, coat or temperament should be particularly penalized.
To:
The Belgian Tervuren is a herding dog and versatile worker. The highest value
is to be placed on qualities that maintain these abilities, specifically,
correct temperament, gait, bite and coat.
This change acknowledges the versatility of the Belgian Tervuren as a useful herding dog that excels in many other arenas. It also encourages the judge to think positively, and seek out the positive features in the dog rather than to fault judge
In Head - Teeth there are significant changes that will affect
judging. The section on teeth was revised from:
Full compliment of strong, white teeth, evenly set, meeting in a scissors or a
level bite. Overshot and undershot teeth are a fault. Undershot teeth such that
contact with the upper incisors is lost by two or more of the lower incisors is
a disqualification. Loss of contact caused by short incisors in an otherwise
correct bite shall not be judged undershot. Broken or discolored teeth should
not be penalized. Missing teeth are a fault."
TO: (the underlined text is what has changed)
Full compliment of strong, white teeth, evenly set, meeting in a scissors or
a level bite. Overshot and undershot teeth are a fault. An undershot bite
such that there is a complete loss of contact by all the incisors is a
disqualification. Broken or discolored teeth should not be penalized.
Missing teeth are a fault. Four or more missing teeth are a serious fault.
The change to the undershot disqualification should help eliminate confusion in the interpretation of wording of the last standard. Judges no longer have to be concerned whether they are seeing dropped incisors (not a DQ) or an undershot bite (a DQ). The addition of the serious fault for four or more missing teeth is meant to insure that judges and breeders alike understand that the breed should have full dentition and should be checked for missing teeth. The judge should use logic in determining the seriousness of less missing teeth, balancing faults as described in the new faults section below, all the while considering the positive points of the dog.
We wish to remind judges that despite the changes under TEETH faults, the ideal bite remains the same as in the previous standard -- Full compliment of strong white teeth, evenly set, meeting in a scissors or a level bite.
Also, we ask that all judges understand that the American Belgian Tervuren Club Judges Education requests that you do NOT pry the dog's mouth open to look at teeth. Gently lift the lips from the sides as is done with Shelties and Collies. Because of the construction of their jaws and lips, you should have no problem looking at all the teeth this way.
COAT
A simple change was made to the sentence "Wavy or curly hair is
undesirable", to "Wavy or curly hair is a fault.
By changing the word "undesirable" to "fault", there is more consistent
terminology used in the new standard.
COLOR
The first paragraph was changed from:
"Body rich fawn to russet mahogany with black overlay. The coat is
characteristically double-pigmented wherein the tip of each fawn hair is
blackened. Belgian Tervuren characteristically become darker with age. On mature
males, this blackening is especially pronounced on the shoulders, back and rib
section. Blackening in parches is undesirable, Although allowance should be made
for females and young males, absence of blackening in mature dogs is a serious
fault. Washed out, predominate color, such as cream or gray is to be severely
penalized."
TO: (underlined is what is changed/new)
"Body rich fawn to russet mahogany with black overlay is ideal and
preferred. Predominate color that is pale, washed out, cream or gray is a fault.
The coat is characteristically double pigmented whereby the tips of fawn hairs
are blackened. Belgian Tervuren characteristically become darker with age.
On mature males, this blackening is especially pronounced n the shoulders, back
and rib section. Blackening in patches is a fault. Although allowance
should be made for females and young males, absence of blackening in mature dogs
is a serious fault."
This paragraph was rearranged for better flow of content. The faulty coloring is more clearly described, and is in line with the change to more consistent use of fault terminology in the new standard. In consideration of the new fault section (below), the instruction to severely penalize under all circumstances was removed. Judges should note that the ideal and preferred color for the breed is unchanged.
The second paragraph under color was changed from
"Chest is normally black, but may be a mixture of black and gray. A single white
patch is permitted on the chest, not to extend to the neck or breast. Face has a
black mask and the ears are mostly black. A face with a complete absence of
black is a serious fault. Frost or white on chin or muzzle is normal"
TO: (underlined is changed/new)
Chest is normally black, but may be a mixture of black and gray. White is
permitted on the chest/sternum only, not to extend more than 3 inches above the
prosternum, and not to reach either point of the shoulder. Face has a black
mask and the ears are mostly black. A face with a complete absence of black is a
serious fault. Frost or white on the chin or muzzle is normal."
The previous standard stated a "single patch" and this term was often confusing, resulting in judges looking to the roots of white on the chest trying to determine whether the white was a single patch or two patches. The elimination of the "single patch" wording will simplify the judging process when white is seen on the chest/sternum only. The addition of specific boundary limits will assist a judge in determining when white is certainly so far beyond the boundaries of the chest that it must be disqualified.
Judges should know that the ideal acceptable white has not changed (other than it does not have to be one continuous patch at the roots) -- White, if it exists on the body should be confined to the chest/sternum only, and deviation from that should be faulted until such a point that it is to be disqualified.
Fault Statement (new section)
Of course, many more faults will be found on any given exhibit than can be
expressly detailed in a breed standard. This new section reduces the need to describe a high
number of faults within the standard, and provides assistance for a judge in the weighing of faults:
Faults: Any deviation from these specifications is a fault.
In determining whether a fault is minor, serious, or major, these two factors
should be used as a guide:
1. The extent to which it deviates from the standard.
2. The extent to which such deviation would actually affect the working ability
of the dog.
The above section should be self-explanatory.
Here are some hypothetical examples, given simply for the purpose of illustration:
If a Tervuren exhibit carried its tail curled very tightly over its back, it
would probably be faulted quite heavily according to number 1 instruction above,
because this fault deviates considerably from the standard and thus would distract considerably from the look of the breed
(even if it
were an otherwise sound, acceptably moving dog). If a Tervuren had a moderately
light eye of correct shape and placement, this fault alone would not severely deviate from the
dog having the look of the
breed, nor would it affect the working ability of the dog, so
this fault alone might be considered minor. A dog having an
extremely straight front and choppy movement that otherwise had some outstanding
breed details of head, for example, would have to be faulted rather seriously
based on number 2 above.
That being said, we encourage you to always judge positively -
reward the dog with the most positive breed qualities that has the structure and
constitution to work well as a herding dog.
Disqualifications:
As reviewed above, the bite disqualification has been changed to: "An undershot bite such that there is a complete loss of contact by all the incisors". This is explained under TEETH above. As a review, the complete list of disqualifications for the Belgian Tervuren reads:
Males under 23 nches or over 26.5 inches or females under 21
inches or over 24.5 inches.
Hanging ears, as on a hound.
An undershot bite such that there is a complete loss of contact by all the
incisors.
A cropped or stumped tail.
Solid black, solid liver or any area of white except as specified on the chest,
tips of the toes, chin and muzzle.
Copyright © American Belgian Tervuren Club, Inc. 2000, all rights reserved. No portion of this material is to be saved, printed out, reproduced, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without permission in writing from the A.B.T.C. (use the contact form at the bottom of any page to request permission)
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