The moderately long, cleanly chiseled head with balanced proportions, dark almond eyes and high set ears, combined with an alert, intelligent and questioning expression easily distinguishes the Tervuren from other breeds.
"Well-chiseled, skin taut, long without exaggeration. Expression intelligent and questioning, indicating alertness, attention and readiness for action. Eyes dark brown, medium-size, slightly almond shape, not protruding. Light, yellow or round eyes are a fault. Ears triangular in shape, well-cupped, stiff, erect; height equal to width at base. Set high, the base of the ear does not come below the center of the eye. Hanging ears, as on a hound, are a disqualification. Skull and muzzle measuring from the stop are of equal length. Overall size is in proportion to the body, top of skull flattened rather than rounded, the width approximately the same as, but not wider than the length. Stop moderate. The topline of the muzzle is parallel to the topline of the skull when viewed from the side. Muzzle moderately pointed, avoiding any tendency toward snipiness or cheekiness. Jaws strong and powerful. Nose black without spots or discolored areas. Nostrils well defined. Lips tight and black, no pink showing on the outside when mouth is closed." --- From the AKC Belgian Tervuren Standard
Head proportions:
- Rather long, clean, well-chiseled head
- Moderate stop, neither deep nor indistinct
- Skull and muzzle equal lengths
- Width of skull approx same (but not more than) skull length
- Parallel head planes with level (flat) skull and topline of muzzle
- Jaws strong, moderately pointed, neither heavy nor snipey
- Nose and lips black
- Lips tight
- Note: Good pigment is desired. No pink should show on the lips when the mouth is closed. Eye rims are normally black as well.
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Good chiseling (female) | Good stop, flat topskull with parallel planes (male) |
EYES: Slightly almond shaped, dark brown in color, with an alert, intelligent and questioning look. A judge should never get the impression of fear or unprovoked aggression, although a certain vigilance may be observed. The Tervuren has a direct, forward, intense gaze. The eyes should not be widely placed, but should not be so close-set or so small as to lose the look of intelligence. Protruding, round, or light colored eyes can destroy the look of a good head. A dark eye is preferred. It is better for a judge to be more lenient on a dog with an eye that is a little lighter brown, especially if it is in harmony with the surrounding markings, as compared to a very round eye, since the rounder eye is a result of the bone structure and would be harder to correct in a breeding program.The accompanying image shows a female with good eye shape and dark brown color.
EARS: The ears as seen from the front are set high and trangular in shape, with pointed at the tips rather than rounded. The ears should be well cupped and well furred in front. A somewhat taller ear is less of a fault than a wide-set or large, heavy ear. The ears should be firm and not soft or floppy when the dog is in motion.
The structure of the head, combined with correct eyes and ears, should make the Tervuren head easily distinguishable from other breeds.
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More Nice Head Examples
Males
Females
Young female and male (The Tervuren is sometimes slow to mature.)