Before you take the time to consider being an owner of a Belgian Sheepdog, you have to understand the amount of effort you must exert into owning this breed. Unlike some other breeds, this one needs to always have something to do, must feel useful or they will become bored. If your Belgian Sheepdog becomes bored, he will look for ways to entertain himself, which may cause him to become destructive or exert signs of poor behavior. On the other end of the spectrum, however, a Belgian Sheepdog that is well-trained and possesses social skills will be a pride to his or her owner and tends to be like a shadow, following its master everywhere he goes.

Since a Belgian Sheepdog learns quickly to follow commands they are easy to train. Their energetic and alert nature makes them perfect as police and military dogs. These duties fit it well with their need to have something to do in order to prevent boredom. They are bred to be intelligent, alert, and in touch with everything around them, so therefore, they develop strong emotional bonds within their relationships. This makes the need for socializing important when they are puppies, and throughout their lives, they need a variety of activities to keep them busy. In addition, they have the need to be with their owners at all times doing something important and not just hanging out.

Sometimes Belgian Sheepdogs will act as if they are smarter than their owners, so professional training is highly recommended for this breed. In addition, because of their need for constant mental and physical stimulation, additional training in activities such as obedience, agility, and herding are necessary. They need a great deal of activity and interaction with people even if it means playing Frisbee in the park or learning new tricks. This highly intelligent breed will become easily bored with a simple game of fetch before long, so you need to keep them stimulated with a variety of activities. Their superior intelligence and need to please make them great as assistance dogs, and they gain great pleasure from the knowledge that their human of choice depends upon their help.

It's important to understand when choosing this dog breed that they are not going to be content with just talking a walk in the park. Although they can survive in an apartment if you have enough activities for them to do, they fare best with at least a medium sized backyard where they can romp around and do a variety of activities. This is not a dog for a family who must be away for long periods because they don't do well alone. They are, however, a wonderful dog for someone who has the time to devote to giving their friend a great deal of attention and stimulation.

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