In 1891, the Belgian Laekenois was officially recognized as the Belgian Shepherd Dog and was mainly used for the tending of sheep. The Belgian Laekenois, the Belgian Tervuren, the Belgian Malinois, and the Belgian Sheepdog or Groenendalel are all referred to as the Belgian Shepherd Dog. The Belgian Laekenois is the rarest of the four, although at one point in history it was the most popular!