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Hi, I just happened to run across this searching for some other information.
Aleron pretty much hit it.
I own a Laekenois from Sweden. They tend to breed the thicker coats in the Nordic countries, but from what I've seen of the puppies on Facebook, a lot of breeders are trying to get back to the lighter coat.
Temperament is definitely hereditary. My Laekenois is about the sweetest dog you'll ever find, and he gets it from both parents. He is TDI certified and loves going to obedience trials because of all the attention he receives. One day he picked up a baby bird from the sidewalk, but dropped it immediately on command. The little bird was unharmed. And he hates when dogs fight. He is definitely on the sweetness end of the scale.
Now, I talked a woman who lives near me to getting a Laekenois puppy from a US breeder. I had met the dam, but not the sire. Well the short story is the dog was finally put down due to aggressiveness to dogs and people. The sire was a Malinois mix. And you will find most American breeders are breeding for the protection sports.
In Europe you will also find a wide range of temperaments for the same reason, different breeding goals. I know a woman in Michigan who imported a male and he is also a sweetheart.
Stripping needs to done twice a year to remove the dead hair from the coat. If you look at my dog's photo gallery (link below), you will see that at one point I let the coat go to see how heavy it would get. Remember that he is a heavy coated dog. I have never had him to the point where he is 100% stripped. I pretty much just manage the coat. The lighter coated dogs will almost look like a Malinois after being stripped. Stripping is not hard, and much easier if you have a grooming table.
This photo shows the length I like to keep my dog's coat. (And he is a bit overweight. Oop!) But it could certainly be stripped much shorter around the head and chest.
Balto's Page
So, as with any working breed, make sure you do your homework on the breeder and the parents.
For comparison, here is a recent photo of Balto's sister, Brizna, with a properly groomed coat.
Aleron pretty much hit it.
I own a Laekenois from Sweden. They tend to breed the thicker coats in the Nordic countries, but from what I've seen of the puppies on Facebook, a lot of breeders are trying to get back to the lighter coat.
Temperament is definitely hereditary. My Laekenois is about the sweetest dog you'll ever find, and he gets it from both parents. He is TDI certified and loves going to obedience trials because of all the attention he receives. One day he picked up a baby bird from the sidewalk, but dropped it immediately on command. The little bird was unharmed. And he hates when dogs fight. He is definitely on the sweetness end of the scale.
Now, I talked a woman who lives near me to getting a Laekenois puppy from a US breeder. I had met the dam, but not the sire. Well the short story is the dog was finally put down due to aggressiveness to dogs and people. The sire was a Malinois mix. And you will find most American breeders are breeding for the protection sports.
In Europe you will also find a wide range of temperaments for the same reason, different breeding goals. I know a woman in Michigan who imported a male and he is also a sweetheart.
Stripping needs to done twice a year to remove the dead hair from the coat. If you look at my dog's photo gallery (link below), you will see that at one point I let the coat go to see how heavy it would get. Remember that he is a heavy coated dog. I have never had him to the point where he is 100% stripped. I pretty much just manage the coat. The lighter coated dogs will almost look like a Malinois after being stripped. Stripping is not hard, and much easier if you have a grooming table.
This photo shows the length I like to keep my dog's coat. (And he is a bit overweight. Oop!) But it could certainly be stripped much shorter around the head and chest.
Balto's Page
So, as with any working breed, make sure you do your homework on the breeder and the parents.
For comparison, here is a recent photo of Balto's sister, Brizna, with a properly groomed coat.