Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael)
The Groenendael is the long-coated black variety of the Belgian Shepherd Dog, named after the village outside Brussels where Nicolas Rose bred the foundation stock in the 1890s…
About the Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael)
The Groenendael is the long-coated black variety of the Belgian Shepherd Dog, named after the village outside Brussels where Nicolas Rose bred the foundation stock in the 1890s. Belgium sorted its farm shepherds into varieties separated by coat and colour, and Britain registers each of them as a breed in its own right.
Dogs stand about 61 to 66 cm, square in outline and lighter in build than a German Shepherd, under a long, straight, abundant coat that must be solid black. The variety is alert to the point of restlessness, forms an intense attachment to one household and can be distant with strangers; a stud should be confident and clear-headed, since nervous sharpness is the fault the variety has to keep breeding away from.
Hip and elbow scores and a current eye certificate are the baseline for any Belgian variety. Epilepsy runs through the Belgian Shepherds and no test will find it, so ask directly whether fits have appeared anywhere close in the pedigree. Ask which DNA tests the breed club currently recommends. Ask as well how the dog behaves away from home, because a Groenendael that cannot settle somewhere unfamiliar tends to pass that on.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael)
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
| Elbow grading (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Grade 0–3. The dog is graded on the worse of the two elbows. |
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 9 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 55 dogs scored). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael) stud dogs
No Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael) studs are listed right now
When a Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael) on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael) litters
No Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael) litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
