Post by charmingnancy on Mar 2, 2009 17:04:40 GMT -5
Schipperke
Group: 6- Non-Sporting
Origin: Belgium
Purpose: Boat and Hunting Dog
Description:
A Schipperke (the Americanized pronunciation is skipper-kee) is a small Belgian breed of dog that originated in the early 16th century. There has been a long informal debate over whether this type of dog is a spitz or miniature sheepdog. The Schipperke is an excellent and faithful little watchdog; a hunter of moles and other vermin. He seeks the company of horses, can be used to hunt, and is a good rabbit dog.
Appearance- Breed Standards:
Coat and Color: The coat must be black, abundant, and slightly harsh to the touch. Short on the ears, front of the legs, and on the hocks, fairly short on the body, but longer around the neck, beginning back of the ears, and forming a ruff and cape, which gives the appearance of the withers being higher than the hindquarters, and a jabot extending down between the front legs. The coat is longer on the rear, where it forms a culotte, with the points turning inwards. The undercoat is dense and short on the body, and very dense around the neck, making the ruff stand out. The culotte should be as long as the ruff.
Head: Skull is fairly wide, narrowing at the eyes. When the ears are up in the alert position, the correct skull in profile will appear flat. Muzzle tapers, but not too much stop. The length of the muzzle from tip to stop is equal to the length of the skull from the stop to the occiput. Nose is small and black. Teeth strong and even. A level or scissors bite is acceptable. Eyes are very dark brown, small, oval rather than round, neither sunken nor prominent.
Ears are very erect, small and triangular, placed high. Strong enough not to be capable of being lowered except in line with the body.
Neck: Strong and full, slightly arched.
Forequarters: Shoulders muscular and sloping. Legs straight and well under the body, with bone in proportion to the body. Pasterns straight.
Body: Back strong, short, straight, and level. Chest broad and deep in the brisket, ribs well sprung, broad behind the shoulders. Loin muscular and well drawn up from the brisket, but not to such an extent as to cause a weak and leggy appearance of the hindquarters. Croup slightly sloping. Rump well rounded.
Hindquarters: Lighter than the foreparts, but muscular and powerful. Thighs muscular and powerful. Hocks well defined. Metatarsus short. Feet small, round, and tight (not splayed). Nails straight, strong and short.
Tail: Docked to no more than 1 inch (3 cm's) in length.
Gait: Unrestricted, free and vigorous. The Schipperke is tireless and quick to move in any direction. In a correctly proportioned and angulated Schipperke at a trot, the feet and legs converge as seen from the front or the rear, and each hind foot falls on or ahead of the print of the forefoot.
Faults: Any deviation from the Standard is considered a fault.
Disqualifications: Any color other than solid black, drop or semi-erect ears, overshot or undershot mouth.
Size:
12 - 18 lbs. (5.5 - 8 kg's.)
Temperament:
The Schipperke is active, agile, indefatigable, and continually occupied with what is going on around him. He is careful of things that are given to him to guard, very kind with children, and suspicious of strangers. He knows the way of the household, is always curious of what is going on behind closed doors, or about any object that has been moved, betraying his impressions by his sharp bark and upstanding ruff.
Health:
The Schipperke has no particular health problems, and individuals often reach the old age of 17 or 18 years. Nonetheless, inactivity, lack of exercise and over-feeding are very harmful, and can lead to joint and skeletal problems and heart, lung or digestive conditions.
The one minor caveat to the Schipperke's good health is MPS IIIB, a genetic mutation that occurs in at most 15% of the total breed population. The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has developed a test for the disease and began accepting samples in April 2003. Their website has more specifics. If you seek to acquire a Schipperke be sure to ask the breeder if they have tested for the condition. A large effort is underway by many responsible breeders to eliminate this fatal and debilitating disease from the population.
History:
Schipperkes were first recognized as a formal breed in the 1880s, their standard being written in 1889. Much of what is known of their origins and early history comes from Chasse et Pêche (French for "Hunting and Fishing") magazine, articles of which were translated into English and published by the English magazine The Stockkeeper.
The breed name of "Schipperke," officially taken in 1888, in English-speaking nations to mean "little captain". Beginning in the 1920s, however, it was revealed that in Belgium the name was actually a corruption of the Dutch word "Shapocke" or "Scheperke", meaning "little shepherd". Their resemblance to the Belgium Sheepdog (Groenenvael) is unmistakable. It has been suggested that the idea of "little captain" was an invention of the English, who mistook the Schipperke for a Dutch barge dog. With Belgium too often being mistaken for Holland which is in the Netherlands, not Belgium, some reports say they were found frequently as working dogs aboard barges in the canals, with three jobs onboard: security (barking vigorously when anyone approached the barge), keeping the barges free of vermin, and nipping at the towing horses' heels to get them moving to tow the barge. Due to their bravery and adventurous character, not to mention low center of gravity, Schipperkes are to this day known as excellent boat dogs, and are often found cruising the world aboard sailing yachts and powerboats. They are not prone to seasickness.
Before the name "Schipperke" was officially taken, the breed was also known colloquially as "Spitzke". It is thought that the name change was to distinguish it from the German Spitz. Schipperkes are widely and incorrectly known in the U.S.A. as "Belgian barge dogs."
It is often said that Schipperkes lived up to their name. In World War II, the Belgian Resistance used the dogs to run messages between various resistance hideouts and cells, and the Nazis never caught on.
Sources:
Schipperke Canada
Wikipedia
Pictures:
Photobucket
Group: 6- Non-Sporting
Origin: Belgium
Purpose: Boat and Hunting Dog
Description:
A Schipperke (the Americanized pronunciation is skipper-kee) is a small Belgian breed of dog that originated in the early 16th century. There has been a long informal debate over whether this type of dog is a spitz or miniature sheepdog. The Schipperke is an excellent and faithful little watchdog; a hunter of moles and other vermin. He seeks the company of horses, can be used to hunt, and is a good rabbit dog.
Appearance- Breed Standards:
Coat and Color: The coat must be black, abundant, and slightly harsh to the touch. Short on the ears, front of the legs, and on the hocks, fairly short on the body, but longer around the neck, beginning back of the ears, and forming a ruff and cape, which gives the appearance of the withers being higher than the hindquarters, and a jabot extending down between the front legs. The coat is longer on the rear, where it forms a culotte, with the points turning inwards. The undercoat is dense and short on the body, and very dense around the neck, making the ruff stand out. The culotte should be as long as the ruff.
Head: Skull is fairly wide, narrowing at the eyes. When the ears are up in the alert position, the correct skull in profile will appear flat. Muzzle tapers, but not too much stop. The length of the muzzle from tip to stop is equal to the length of the skull from the stop to the occiput. Nose is small and black. Teeth strong and even. A level or scissors bite is acceptable. Eyes are very dark brown, small, oval rather than round, neither sunken nor prominent.
Ears are very erect, small and triangular, placed high. Strong enough not to be capable of being lowered except in line with the body.
Neck: Strong and full, slightly arched.
Forequarters: Shoulders muscular and sloping. Legs straight and well under the body, with bone in proportion to the body. Pasterns straight.
Body: Back strong, short, straight, and level. Chest broad and deep in the brisket, ribs well sprung, broad behind the shoulders. Loin muscular and well drawn up from the brisket, but not to such an extent as to cause a weak and leggy appearance of the hindquarters. Croup slightly sloping. Rump well rounded.
Hindquarters: Lighter than the foreparts, but muscular and powerful. Thighs muscular and powerful. Hocks well defined. Metatarsus short. Feet small, round, and tight (not splayed). Nails straight, strong and short.
Tail: Docked to no more than 1 inch (3 cm's) in length.
Gait: Unrestricted, free and vigorous. The Schipperke is tireless and quick to move in any direction. In a correctly proportioned and angulated Schipperke at a trot, the feet and legs converge as seen from the front or the rear, and each hind foot falls on or ahead of the print of the forefoot.
Faults: Any deviation from the Standard is considered a fault.
Disqualifications: Any color other than solid black, drop or semi-erect ears, overshot or undershot mouth.
Size:
12 - 18 lbs. (5.5 - 8 kg's.)
Temperament:
The Schipperke is active, agile, indefatigable, and continually occupied with what is going on around him. He is careful of things that are given to him to guard, very kind with children, and suspicious of strangers. He knows the way of the household, is always curious of what is going on behind closed doors, or about any object that has been moved, betraying his impressions by his sharp bark and upstanding ruff.
Health:
The Schipperke has no particular health problems, and individuals often reach the old age of 17 or 18 years. Nonetheless, inactivity, lack of exercise and over-feeding are very harmful, and can lead to joint and skeletal problems and heart, lung or digestive conditions.
The one minor caveat to the Schipperke's good health is MPS IIIB, a genetic mutation that occurs in at most 15% of the total breed population. The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has developed a test for the disease and began accepting samples in April 2003. Their website has more specifics. If you seek to acquire a Schipperke be sure to ask the breeder if they have tested for the condition. A large effort is underway by many responsible breeders to eliminate this fatal and debilitating disease from the population.
History:
Schipperkes were first recognized as a formal breed in the 1880s, their standard being written in 1889. Much of what is known of their origins and early history comes from Chasse et Pêche (French for "Hunting and Fishing") magazine, articles of which were translated into English and published by the English magazine The Stockkeeper.
The breed name of "Schipperke," officially taken in 1888, in English-speaking nations to mean "little captain". Beginning in the 1920s, however, it was revealed that in Belgium the name was actually a corruption of the Dutch word "Shapocke" or "Scheperke", meaning "little shepherd". Their resemblance to the Belgium Sheepdog (Groenenvael) is unmistakable. It has been suggested that the idea of "little captain" was an invention of the English, who mistook the Schipperke for a Dutch barge dog. With Belgium too often being mistaken for Holland which is in the Netherlands, not Belgium, some reports say they were found frequently as working dogs aboard barges in the canals, with three jobs onboard: security (barking vigorously when anyone approached the barge), keeping the barges free of vermin, and nipping at the towing horses' heels to get them moving to tow the barge. Due to their bravery and adventurous character, not to mention low center of gravity, Schipperkes are to this day known as excellent boat dogs, and are often found cruising the world aboard sailing yachts and powerboats. They are not prone to seasickness.
Before the name "Schipperke" was officially taken, the breed was also known colloquially as "Spitzke". It is thought that the name change was to distinguish it from the German Spitz. Schipperkes are widely and incorrectly known in the U.S.A. as "Belgian barge dogs."
It is often said that Schipperkes lived up to their name. In World War II, the Belgian Resistance used the dogs to run messages between various resistance hideouts and cells, and the Nazis never caught on.
Sources:
Schipperke Canada
Wikipedia
Pictures:
Photobucket