I've got my first dog in 1986. It was a retriever called Lace. With him, I set my first steps in the dogworld. I start training obedience. Afther his licence we trained agility and flyball.

From the moment I was bit by the « dog »-virus, it went quick. I got my certificate for obedience -instructor, I followed lessons kynologie and I helped in the ringcommity of the show from Hoogstraten (B).

In the mean time, I got a few retrievers and had my first litter (1991). The retrievers weren't my breed, they hadn't the character and looks that I liked in a dog. So I start looking for something else.

In 1994, I got my first Belgian Shepard : Malinois Lanaeken Sam van Balderlo. True him, I learned to know the Laeken. They were all I looked for in a dog : Great caracter, beautiful looks,… With Queen van Balderlo and Vectra van de Schranshoeve, I started my Laekenkennel. Because there aren't much good Laeken, it's a real challence to find that combination that gives good, healthy dogs.

When I met Erik, he had a Tervuren : Rady van 't Sparrebos. He started to learn more about Laeken, and I learned more about the Tervuren.

I wanted a name that could be used by every breed. It had to sound good, and had to mean something.

NATURE'S BEST…

The health : We test our dogs on hereditary disaese. We only use dogs that are healthy and try to find as much information as possible about the forefathers of the dogs we're using.

The caracter : We only use dogs with a stable caracter. Most of the people who buy a dog, don't want him for shows. They just want a friend. That's why the caracter is the most important thing for us. Our puppy's learn as much as possible before they leave our home. They are tested with different noises. We don't use dogs with an agressif caracter or with fear. A stable caracter is important. Education is for the new owner, learning things starts here.

The looks : We search for that combinations that we think that will be good for the breed. Especially with the Laekens, it's very difficult to find a male that fits with the female we want to use. That's one of the reasons that we breed so few. We don't breed for the money, we only make that combination we're believing in. Better no puppy's than bat ones.

Searching, reading, learning,…
We try to breed puppy's that are healthy, have a great caracter and look nice. To find good combinations, we need information. To find those information, we need time.
I wrote some articles in the NVBH clubpaper. True that way, we got a lot of reaktions. People start to discuss about breeding, about their resposability, about the future of the Belgian Shepard…
Only by working together, we can make something of the breed.