For people who love the Belgian Shepherd dog breed, a special thanks to the Club du Chein de Berger Belge is in order. The group is the one which set the standard for classifying the breed that many know and love. The reputation of the group is however, not without its blemishes. Nonetheless, this should not detract people from loving the Belgian Tervuren or any of the other Belgian Shepherd dog breeds.

The members of the Club du Chein de Berger Belge should not be shown disrespect, because they were the ones integral in initiating the Belgian Shepherd breed classification. The club has long been the subject of controversy; however, they do deserve a fair shake for what they have done for dog lovers all over the world.

The Club du Chein de Berger Belge was founded by Professor Adolphe Reul of the Cureghem Veterinary School on September 29th, 1891. The club was organized by those who wanted to discover if there were any dog breeds indigenous to Belgium. Initially, the club was enacted as an effort to showcase national Belgian pride. Today, Belgian Shepherds are located all over the world and are appreciated by dog lovers for their working abilities and much more. The dogs are loved everywhere from Alaska to Australia, which is a testament to their popularity and value.

On November 15th, 1891 the club held a pivotal meeting which had the group exploring some 117 different sheep herding dogs before coming to an agreement on the Belgian Shepherd breed classification and variations or subdivisions. Shortly after the meeting, the club came under fire for what some perceived as an error in judgment on the part of Professor Reul.

While the Mechelen, Tervuren and Malinois breeds have gone unquestioned as a definite variation of the Belgian Shepherd, the initial category for the Laekenois breed was said to be done as a sort of favoritism and not by a subjective breed evaluation. The Laekenois almost did not survive, and only two live subjects remained at the time of classing the breed. It is not very surprising to note both of the dogs were owned by M.A. Claessens, who was an active and ferocious member of the Club du Chein de Berger Belge.

The most common example of a candidate had been bred by a shepherd named M. Janssens, a kind and simple man who lived in Belgium, but spoke only fluent Flemish. Professor Reul had been accused of showing favoritism in this regard and after much debate, the club would lose status as the one main authority on Belgian Shepherds.

The Club du Chein de Berger Belge argued that their fate should be strictly between them and the Berger Belge Club and nobody else. The Club insisted the Belgian Shepherd should be classified according to coloring, however, the Club de Chein and Mr. Van Hertsen, a member, insisted that "Black is the color of intelligence and strength." The Berger Belge Club argued that coloring had absolutely nothing to do with the dog's breeding line, training and personality; selecting instead to qualify the breed based upon its ability and functionality.

The Club du Chein de Berger Belge eventually found themselves arguing a moot point, they were replaced by the Berger Belge in 1901. However muddled their affairs became, the place of the Club du Chein de Berger Belge has been sealed in dog breeding history and the name stands out for everything representative of Belgian Shepherds.