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The scene
for these unlikely pageants was the Belgium capital of Brussels
during the 17th and 18th centuries. The city's cobblers were
a competitive group, and to promote their craftsmanship, the
shoemaker's guild organized contests for them to display the
elaborate copper work in their buckles and locks. For models
the cobblers decided upon the local herding dogs, whose thick,
elegant manes would present the perfect challenge for displaying
their craftsmanship. The shoemakers designed beautifully decorated
copper collars for the dogs. First prize in the popular Sunday
afternoon contests went to the collar with the lock that presented,
yet preserved, the glistening protrusion of black neck hair
on the schipperke's early ancestors.
Although
these pageants represented the glamorous side of life for
Belgium's herding dogs, they spent the rest of the week tending
flocks. Schipperke is usually translated as "little shepherd."
The root of the name is the old Flemish word scheper, meaning
"shepherd." Ke is a diminutive suffix, conveying the sense
of little in reference to the size of the dog. A 1356 wooden
carving located in the Belgian city of Leuven depicts a shepherd
dog with all the physical characteristics of a schipperke.
At the time, owning large dogs was prohibited for all except
the French ruling class, and this carving confirms that Belgium
farmers employed smaller, shepherd-type dogs to herd their
flocks of goats and geese.
Later,
when Spain ruled Belgium, the laws changed, and farmers began
breeding larger dogs for herding. By the end of the 1800s,
according to breed historians, black shepherd dogs were bred
in all sizes to accommodate different tasks. The largest were
the Belgian sheepdogs. The smallest - the schipperke - guarded
the hen house and killed the ubiquitous rats and mice.
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Straight
Story of a Tangled History
Another
interpretation of the breed's name is that it was derived
from schipper, the Dutch word for "skipper" or "boat captain."
Not altogether negating the schipperke's role as a shepherd,
the theory behind this interpretation is based on British
accounts of seeing schipperkes guarding Dutch canal boats.
Although schipperkes might indeed have served aboard these
boats as watchdogs and vermin catchers, the truth may be that
British observers really witnessed the Keeshond, a small Dutch
breed with an equally dense full coat and bristly ruff.
Throughout
the late 1800s, English dog fanciers became increasingly fascinated
with breeds indigenous to the European continent. In the same
way that British archeologists flocked to exotic lands to
claim native antiquities, the country's breeders and exhibitors
imported foreign dogs, including the Belgian schipperke. The
British schipperke club was founded in 1890, with a majority
of members' dogs imported from Belgium.
In the
United States, schipperkes were first imported in 1889 by
Walter Comstock of Providence, Rhode Island, and quickly took
on popular fad status. Unfortunately, as is often true, widespread
importation did not mean that the best specimens of the breed
were introduced into breeding programs. Until the 1920s, American
schipperkes were generally below standard in conformation,
health and temperament. Breed enthusiast F. Isabel Ormiston
rescued the breed from this downward spiral by importing several
Belgium dogs throughout the '20s and '30s and introducing
this superior breeding stock into American lines. From that
point on, the schipperke has retained the quality and character
of its heritage.
Schipping
Into The 21st Century
In 20th
Century Dog, a 1904 book that describes the "up and coming"
breeds of the day, the schipperke was described as "smart,
clean, obedient, vigilant, plucky and intelligent a dog as
any dog-lover could wish to have for a companion ... he is
an ideal dog."
Has anything
changed? Certainly not according to schipperke fans. If the
original dog was bred to herd, guard or hunt, the modern version
uses those same skills and instincts in obedience, agility,
flyball, therapy and even racing.
Physically
the schipperke is a small breed, about a foot high and typically
weighing 12 to 16 pounds. A glossy, black coat is the accepted
color in American standards, although European standards allow
color variations such as brown, blonde and cream. The coat
is short in the face, ears, front forelegs and on the hocks;
medium on the body; and longer at the ruff, cape (full neck
into the shoulders), jabot (chest and between front legs)
and at the culottes (rear of thighs). The schipperke is generally
a healthy breed - with Legg-Perthes, a skeletal disease causing
rear leg lameness, posing a minor concern along with some
allergy and eye-related problems. A healthy schipperke enjoys
a lifespan of 13 to 15 years.
Though
physically small, this breed is a mental giant. In fact, if
you put a schipperke with a couple of big dogs, the dog in
charge usually will be the schipperke. This little package
of dense black fur is fearless but unaggressive, happy to
please but not a pushover, a tad stubborn but a complete lovebug.
An excellent companion, schipperkes are ideal playmates for
children and keen watchdogs for the family home. They've been
known to alert the entire household at each arrival - whether
human, animal, vegetable or mineral. At the same time, if
asked to show interest in or make friends with a complete
stranger, they may act aloof or unimpressed.
The schipperke
owner has the task of translating those skills and instincts
into positive activity. Mary Cox of Shadow Schipperkes, who
is also the national rescue coordinator for the Schipperke
Club of America, thinks of the breed as a "cross between a
two-year-old child and a raccoon, both intelligent and independent.
They learn fast, but if what you teach them is not of any
interest to them, they may not obey instantly." Consistent
training with positive reinforcement helps direct this strong-minded
breed toward safer pastures. Cox recommends clicker training
and training with treats.
Exposure
to lots of things in different environments is healthy and
necessary for the curious schipperke who is naturally inclined
to check everything out. But at the end of the day, after
examining leaves, stones, toy trucks, a marauding squirrel,
a pile of clean or dirty laundry and every piece of mail,
the loyal and loving schipperke will have plenty of energy
left over to spend with each member of the family.
A
Tailless Tale
Aside
from the schipperke's thick ruff, the most striking feature
of the breed is its tail - or lack thereof, since the tail
is typically docked. There's no record explaining why or where
this practice started, but that hasn't stopped a plethora
of legends surrounding the practice, all basically untrue.
For example, some of these stories suggest the breed is born
tailless or that its lack of tail is a sign of the devil.
One fanciful version harkens back to the cobblers' collar
contests; after losing yet again, a particularly envious and
vengeful shoemaker supposedly cut off the tail of a competing
shoemaker's schipperke. How that single whack could affect
an entire breed is left unanswered. When left intact, the
tail naturally plumes and curves over a schipperke's back.
In Europe, a movement to eliminate tail docking is gaining
ground, and the practice has been outlawed in many countries.
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