Of the four Belgian Sheepdogs (each named after the Belgian Town from which it originated), the breed with arguably the shortest coat is the Belgian Malinois (which the breed standard describes as “comparatively short). One might wonder if the Belgian Laekenois coat wouldn’t also be considered short, but of the four breeds, the Laekenois has the most “rough and coarse” coat giving it a “disorderly, tousled look.” Furthermore, the breed standard indicates that the length of the hair should be approximately 21⁄2 inches over the body. As compared to the Malinios, however, which of the two has the shorter coat?

“Portrait Of A Young Woman With A Collarette” oil on canvas by Ecole Francaise

Interestingly, the Laekenois is the only one of the four in which the standard does not mention a collarette. A collarette refers to hair that is somewhat longer around the neck, and it’s mentioned in the standards of the Belgian Sheepdog (Ornamentation – Especially long and abundant hair, like a collarette, around the neck), the Malinois (the hair is somewhat longer around the neck where it forms a collarette), and the Belgian Tervuren (ornamentation consists of especially long and abundant hair, like a collarette around the neck). 

The term, collarette, is rather old, and comes from the word used to describe a woman’s fur or lace collar

As for our image of the four Belgian Sheepdog breeds, the terrific photo is found all over the Internet, often with writing over each breed. We’d very much like to credit the photographer (and especially ask for consent to keep the photo here), as well as who the dogs are. Anyone?