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Schipperke

©1997 by Bonnie Dalzell, NetPets staff

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The Belgians are quite proud of their feisty little "smallest sheepdog in the world". Schipperkes are small (10 to 16 lb), alert black dogs with a lovely stand-away coat and prick ears. They retain the intelligence and activity levels of their sheep herding ancestors. By tradition the tails are docked at birth as most puppies are born with tails but the tailess look is part of the breed image. Some breeders may prefer to leave the tails natural. They should be low carried as in the other Belgian sheepdog breeds.
In appearance they are basically a small sheepdog with a docked tail, and square (body and legs of similar length) proportions. A foxy head with erect fox like ears.

In the AKC breed standard there are only two disqualifications, drop ears (or ear) and any color other than natural black.

Size (USA) :

  • Height: males 11-13 inches, females 10-12 inches
  • Weight: large male 16 lbs, small female 10 lbs

Coat: Full stand away shiny black coat, silky in texture rather than harsh. Double coated. requires periodic brushing.

Ears: Erect triangular pricked eats.

Lips: Tight, this is not a drool prone breed.

Breed history

The Belgian cynologist Charles Huge, who was an authority on shepherd dogs around the end of the 19th century, wrote articles about black wolf-like shepherd dogs that were widespread in the Flemish province of Brabant (in Belgium). He wrote that they existed in all heights. The biggest were sheepdogs and the smallest functioned as mouse and rat catchers and guards of the farm's poultry. It would seem that Mr. Huge was describing the ancestors of today's Groenendaelers (Belgian Sheepdogs) and Schipperkes. Note that the distance between Groenendael and Leuven is only 25 km.

The Schipperke has a common origin with the larger Belgian breeds but owes its existance in part to laws passed in the 14th century by the French ruling class that restricted the owning of large dogs to the aristocrats. However ordinary people still needed dogs for protection and livestock work. Two small working shepherd types were developed. the Leuvernaar and Schipperke (meaning little shepherd in Flemish), the Schipperke being the smaller of the two.

After the Spanish displaced the French as rulers of Belgium in the 15th century the Schipperke type dog was found in town as a ratter and mouser and watch dog, they were quite popular especially with skilled artisans such as cobblers and metalsmiths. The dogs were short tailed by nature or by active docking.

While Schipperkes were not present in 1840 at the first dog show held in Brussels they were recognized in 1882 with the foundation of the Royal Belgian Cynological Club St.Hubert and a standard for the breed was written and registered at that time. They are in the list of recognized breeds as "the smallest shepherd in the world, black with a docked tail". The slightly larger Leuvenaar, by then was apparently an extinct breed.

In following years Schipperkes were not only present at dog shows but attracted the interest of the Royal Family which made the "black devil" very popular. Queen Marie-Henriette even made a painting of her Schipperke, an cross bred black and brown with white spots!

Soon the British Royal Family also owned black tailless dogs from Belgium. This was followed by a British invasion of buyers of "small black tailless Belgian dogs" who did not particularly care what they bought as long as the dogs were small, black with a docked tail and could be advertised as coming from Belgium!

In 1888 in order to protect the Schipperke the official breed club "The Belgian Schipperkes Club" was formed.

In 1894 an unfortunate source of a world wide misunderstanding as to the nature of the breed occured with the publication of Rawdon Lee's "Non Sporting Dogs". It contained a superb engraving from "Moore" of the Schipperke, and he gave a perfect translation of the Belgian standard. However he wrote that in Holland lots of "blond Schipperkes" were born and that the black ones with some white hairs were killed from the litters. He also stated that the Schipperke was used on canal boats and that his name came from the Dutch word Schipper which means a bargeman.

The error was that Rawdon Lee confused the "white Dutch keeshond" with the Belgian Schipperke, and this misinformation has continued to follow the breed throughout the English speaking portion of the world of dog fanciers! A sad statement as to the geographic as well as linguistic ignorance of the English speaking world.

To quote Wally Horman at his excellent Belgian Sheepdogs Homeland website (http://bewoner.dma.be/alphadog/schip1.htm) "A demand for rectification from the Belgian Schipperkes Club was completely disregarded by Mr. Rawdon Lee. And so you can still read in Microsofts Dog CD-Rom that our Schipperke... see for your self!"

I am indebted to Don Nielson of Midwatch Schipperkes for his comments on this breed in the United States and its attributes as a companion.

In the United States in the early years Schipperkes were crossed in with small spitz to increase the density and fullness of the coat as the dogs were bred for show purposes. One result of this is that tail carriage, if dogs are left undocked, can be pretty much a 'grab bag". Some will have the low tail characteristic of the sheepdogs, but others from the same litter may have the high curled tail of the spitz.

Breed pluses These little dogs really are small shepherds and have many of the personality traits seen in larger sheepdogs. They are alert, people-oriented dogs with a need for training and access to a fenced yard for exercise. They are busy dogs and need an owner who can provide them with work to do and an activity program that prevents them from becoming bored.

Breed minuses If puppies are not properly socialized from 3 weeks to 15 weeks the foundation of the dog's character is poorly done. This can often be the case with pet store pups. Poorly socialized pups can become high strung and difficult to manage adults. This is a breed in which the purchaser benefits from going to a breeder rather than a pet store.

The docked tail condition can exaggerate problems of cleanliness if the dog is a heavily coated dog and has diarrhea. In that situation the coulottes and heavy rear furnishings can become quite soiled.

Who should own a Schipperke? A person who would enjoy and active shepherd in a small package and is looking for a dog that can go traveling with him and will be intensly involved in his life.

Who should not own a Schipperke? A person who lacks the time to give these dogs lots of attention. Most homes that fail, according to Don Nielson, fail because the owner lacks the time to adequately exercise the Schipperke and engange in an activity program to prevent boredom. They need a home with a fenced yard, they are too active to be an apartment-only dog. They are poor candidates for crating as a method of long term control, this leads to boredom, weight gain and the development of an irritable disposition due to lack of activity.

One of the major sources of failure in ownership of this breed is the result of the cute puffball appearance of the puppies. People who know little about the breed may buy one on a whim at a pet store and then be suprised when the little puffball quickly matures into an active small sheepdog with the energy level, herding instincts and protective instincts of a sheepdog rather than the laid back attitude of one of the traditional companion dog breeds such as a bichon.

Competitive events for these breeds: These are excellent obedience dogs and they really enjoy agility. They can also participate in herding with ducks and chickens although few owners have tried it to date. Dogs with European animals in their pedigrees are reported to have stronger herding instincts than some of the older American lines.

National Breed Club - USA: Schipperke Club of America, Inc.



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