The first

illustrated brochure about the Belgian Shepherd Dog was published by the Club of

Malines ("It was also the first time that something official was written about this

Flemish breed in the Flemish language." wrote L

.

HUYGHEBAERT)

.

Without

neglecting

the

morphological aspects, the fanciers of Malines preferred a well trained

dog

.

This one, had to be in the first place, a "utility dog

,"

The exterior aspect was not

the main point but had to go along with the character, i.e. they preferred talented

dogs who are the same time well built and

have

an friendly and intelligent aspect.

The Club of Malines organized in Malines at the Botanic Garde

ns, on Sunday the 12th

of July 1903,

a big dog show of shepherd dogs and draught dogs

.

The Professor

A.REUL qualified this as "a unique experience in the world" and that meant the

beginning of the police dogs

.

The exhibition was followed on Monday the 1

3

t

h

of July

at 5 o'clock a.m., on a reserved piece of land, Boulevard de

l

'Abattoir, by a dressage

trial with a swimming exercise

for the Belgian Shepherd Dogs to show their qualities

of intelligence, obedience and loyalty of a shepherd dog

.

There was also a

trial for

draught dogs and trials for yokes

.

It was L. VANDER SNICKT who had the idea of this

trial

.

The first prize was won by CORA I, the mother of TJOP.

Already in a letter dated on the 3

1st

of December 1897, and addressed to L.

VANDER SNICKT, chief ed

itor of

Chasse et Peche

who was also an all round judge, L.

HUYGHEBAERT expressed himself as follows

:

"I am far from pretending that sheepdog trials are useless; but,

according to my humble opinion, there should exist a way to replace

them by useful trials

and in which all the shepherd dogs could

participate, as well those who guard the sheep as those who

do not

and they are as numerous

.

We are wrong to imitate everything that

goes on in Scotland

.

In that country, there are huge flocks, but in

Belgium

, the situation is totally different

.

We have almost no sheep

..

.

Our efforts should more accentuate and develop the brilliant

qualities of the so called shepherd dog, as house dog and traveling

companion...The trials would have simply for aim to bring f

orward the

three fundamental characteristics that a shepherd dog should possess:

intelligence, obedience and loyalty

.

Do not

you think that these trials

would be very interesting and that they would have a lot of

success?..."

This is a passage written by P

rofessor A.REUL about the practical utility of these

trials in the zoological future of these breeds

:

"About the dressage, we estimate that the methods must beyond any

doubt develop the faculties of the brain, and at the same time through

gymnastics develo

p every internal organ such as the heart and the

lungs, and also those who make the body move

.

All this will be

dominated by an absolute and prompt obedience that is shown at the

first movement or at the first shout or the first blown whistle

.

The

24

native

intelligence of the shepherd dog and its marvelous instinctive

qualities are at the contrary lost through inaction, by the stay in

another

surrounding, in the city, for example, far away from the

pastures were the breed unfolds its brilliant intrinsic qual

ities."