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Schipperke Dog Breed Introduction
Schipperke ( pronounced “SHEEP-er-ker”) is a small-sized black-coated dog that was developed in Belgium in 1600. There are controversies of whether this breed is a Spitz that is closely related to the Pomeranian or it is a miniature Sheepdog. However, the Schipperke Club of America states that Schipperke was descended from Leauvenaar. This is an extinct black-coated sheepdog that was used for herding and following the wagons along the Belgian provinces. The progenitor of this breed was also used to develop Groenendael. A Schipperke is popular for its great watching capabilities.
Schipperke History | Origin
Schipperke was created in Belgium in the 17th century . It was developed from the now extinct Leauvenaar. This dog was bred down to meet the implemented restrictions on the dogs that Commoners could own. Schipperke was used for guarding the boats that plied the canals.
Initially, this breed was known as Spits or Spitske. It was given its current name when the breed club was formed in 1888. The breed’s name may mean ‘ little captain’ or ‘little boatman’ in the Flemish language. The Schipperkes became fashionable pets in 1885 after Queen Marie Henriette saw one at a Brussels dog show.
The first Schipperke was imported in the United States in 1988. The first breed club was formed in 1905 in the USA. However, it became defunct during the First World War. Effort by the breed’s fanciers founded the present Schipperke Club of America in 1929.
Schipperke Lifespan
A Schipperke is a long-lived breed that has a lifespan of 13 to 16 years. Although, some may live up to the age of 12 years.
Schipperke Grooming
Schipperkes have a double coat that shed moderately throughout the year. They require weekly brushing to remove dirt, loose hair, and promote new hair growth. This breed sheds heavily once or twice a year while blowing off the undercoat in Spring and Fall. When the dog is shedding excessively, use a shedding tool that reaches the undercoat. During the heavy shedding seasons, parents find warm baths useful to remove the undercoat.
A Schipperke is a relatively clean breed that needs a bath every 4 to 6 weeks unless it rolls off into something stinky. Use a hypoallergenic shampoo to bath the dog followed by a conditioner to moisturize the coat. After a bath, thoroughly rinse off the grooming products from the skin using lukewarm water to prevent skin irritation. Use a damp washcloth or canine friendly wipes to clean the eye corners. Trim the nails fortnightly using nail clippers to prevent cracking, splitting, and overgrowth.
Overly long nails are painful for your pet while running or walking. Brush the teeth of a Schipperke twice a week if not daily to remove tartar buildup using a tasty canine toothpaste and toothbrush. Clean the ears on a weekly basis using an ear cleanser solution and cotton balls. While cleaning the ears, check out for signs of ear infection such as odor, redness, or a dark discharge.
Schipperke Shedding
A Schipperke sheds at moderate levels all-year round. However, they experience heavy shedding seasons once or twice a year during Spring and/or Fall. Although, female Schipperkes tend to experience heavy shedding often as compared to males especially if intact.
Schipperke Coat
Schipperkes have a double-layered coat consisting of a topcoat and an undercoat. The Top coat is abundant, straight, and slightly harsh to the touch while the undercoat is soft, short, and dense. The top coat is abundant on the neck region forming a mane.
Schipperke Hypoallergenic
A Schipperke is not hypoallergenic breed. It has a moulting coat that sheds all-year round at moderate levels and heavily once or twice a year. A shedding coat allows dander and fur to spread around the house triggering allergies. Moreover, dog’s saliva, urine, and mucus have a protein allergen that aggravates allergies.
Schipperke Training
A Schipperke is an intelligent and independent dog that sometimes debates listening to owners. Therefore, they are not necessarily the best dogs for novice owners. They require a firm but gentle hand while training. For a successful training, parents should assume the role of a pack leader. These are also escape artists that should be trained and exercised while on a leash or in a securely fenced yard at all times.
This is a somewhat aloof breed that needs extensive socialization in order to be well-mannered, well adjusted dog. Socialization training starts from the age of 3 weeks until the age of 16 weeks. However this training should be a life-long process to ensure Schipperkes have a well-rounded temperament. Normally, owners take their puppies home from the age of 8 weeks. To socialize a Schipperke, expose it to a wide variety of people, places, animals, surfaces, sight, situations, smell, experiences, and sounds such as baby crying sounds, vacuum cleaners, sirens, washing machines, lawn mowers, and whistles.
Schipperkes can be aggressive with strange dogs and may get into fights. However, they get along well with familiar dogs especially from their own household. To curb this aggressiveness, owners should expose this breed to a wide variety of dogs from small-, medium- to large-sized dogs. Enrolling a Schipperke in a puppy class also serves as a form of socialization. These classes create a controlled environment where the dogs interact. Puppy classes are beneficial to parents too. They not only allow them to identify and correct bad habits but also have access to training information and assistance.
Schipperkes also thrive in training when positive reinforcements methods are used such as the use of toys, treats, petting, play time, and verbal praise. However, owners should refrain from the use of harsh correction methods such as yelling, shoving, beating, kicking, or use of choke or prong collars. Keep the training sessions for a span of 5 minutes distributed throughout the day. Make the sessions fun and challenging to avoid boredom and distraction. Start teaching basic commands words such as come, sit, stay, heel, wait, leave it, lie down, etc. one at a time until the pet is well-acquainted before proceeding to the next command word.
Quiet command word is a necessity for this breed. This is because their tendencies as watchdogs may easily turn into a habit of excessive barking unless taught otherwise. This breed need to be taught to come when called as soon as comes home from the breeder because of their urge to go exploring. Effectively housebreak a Schipperke by creating a feeding schedule, crate training, and potty training. Consistency and patience is key while training the dogs.
Schipperke Personality | Temperament | Traits
- Alert.
- Vocal.
- Curious.
- Reserved with strangers.
- Independent.
- Intelligent.
- Active.
- Energetic.
- Mischievous.
- Stubborn.
- Fearless.
- Devoted.
- Courageous.
- Protective.
- Loyal.
Schipperke Exercise
Naturally, Schipperkes are high-energy dogs that are curious and require much exercise. They may sometimes be very active running very fast and then breaking into quick agile crisscross patterns. Although, they can also rest for hours on end. A romp in a fenced yard and a daily brisk walk on a leash will provide the needed exercise.
Schipperke Barking
A Schipperke is a formidable barker that has no fear of intruders, despite its small size. Schipperkes are known for barking aggressively to sound an alarm. If the strangers are outside, a Schipperke will bark to alert its owner. Often this dog is the first to alert the household because their hearing is better than humans.
Schipperke Height
Male Schipperkes have a height of 11 to 13 inches ( approx. 28 to 33 cm ) while their female counterparts have a height of 10 to 12 inches ( approx. 25 to 30 cm ).
Schipperke Weight
Schipperkes may have a weight of 10 to 16 pounds ( approx. 4.5 to 7.3 kg ).
Schipperke Size
A Schipperke is a small-sized breed that has a weight of 10 to 16 pounds ( approx. 4.5 to 7.3 kg ) and a height of 10 to 13 inches ( approx. 25 to 33 cm ).
Schipperke Health Issues
Generally, Schipperkes are healthy and robust dogs that have a lifespan of 13 to 16 years. However, they are affected by certain health issues including thyroid problems, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, eye problems, luxating patellas, epilepsy, and MPS IIIB.
Apart from Schipperkes, other dog breeds include:
Schipperke Names
A Schipperke owner may decide to get a name for the puppy before taking it home from the breeder or a few days after the puppy has settled home to understand the personality and traits of the particular dog. Schipperkes owners may get name inspirations from the heritage of the breed, the distinctive solid black coat, personality, celebrity Schipperkes, books, songs, movies, food, nature, and historical figures.
Regardless of where the parent get the name inspiration, he or she should ensure that the name chosen will not make them embarrassed when uttered out loud in the public places. Schipperkes and other breeds better understand names that have vowels. If the owner settles with a long name, he or she should find a cute nickname for the energetic pup.
Avoid giving a pooch a name that rhymes with the command words to prevent confusion. If a Schipperke shares a name with any family member or guests that frequent your home, it may result to unnecessary confusion. Some of the names that Schipperkes owners give to their pets include:
- Katie.
- Simba.
- Middy.
- Flora.
- Winston.
- Chico.
- Bunny.
- Sandy.
- Babydoll.
- Gracie.
- Bailey.
- Poco.
- Zeus.
- Gus.
- Foxy, etc.
Schipperke Food
The amount of food that Schipperkes feed on depend on their age, activity level, metabolism, size, and body build. Puppies tend to eat small portions of food 3 or 4 times a day due to high metabolism rates from when they start weaning until the age of 6 months. From the age of 6 months, Schipperkes feed on two meals a day.
A Schipperke may feed on dry food, wet food, home made, or a raw diet depending on the budget and time of the pet parent. Regardless of the food type, parents should ensure that the dog feeds on a balanced diet to maintain a good health eventually allowing it to develop cognitively and physically. If a Schipperke parent decides to feed the pet with the commercial dry or wet food, he or she should ensure the first three ingredients are proteins from a known source.
The commercial dog food should neither contain preservatives, chemicals, additives, Meat by-products, generic meat products, nor fillers. The same goes to the snacks. Dry or wet food should also be formulated for small- sized puppies, adults, and seniors depending on the age your Schipperke. Check the physique of your pet to tell whether it is overweight or underweight.
If you can see the ribs, chances are the dog is underweight. Although, if the ribs are not visible but can be felt without pressing hard, a Schipperke has an ideal weight. If the ribs can’t be felt, the pet is overweight and should be exercised. Owners who want to switch to another quality food should gradually do this over a period of four weeks by mixing both new food and old food. As the weeks progresses, the amount of old food reduces as the new food increases until the Schipperke is only feeding on new food during the fourth week.
Schipperke Colors | Cream | Brown
According to AKC, a Schipperke should only have a solid black color. However, UKC( United Kennel Club) recognizes Schipperkes that have solid colors of black, ivory, cream, wheaten, chocolate, red, white, gold, and blue.
Schipperke Tail | With Tail
The natural tail of a Schipperke is long, spiraled, often curled up, and hairy. Some Schipperkes breeders have the tails of this puppies docked in the United States and Canada a day after birth.
Are Schipperke Hypoallergenic
No. Schipperkes are not hypoallergenic breeds. They shed throughout the year at moderate levels and heavily while experiencing seasonal change once or twice a year. Shedding allows dander and fur to spread around the house triggering allergic reactions.
Are Schipperkes Rare
Yes. Although Schipperkes are AKC recognized and they were developed in the 17th century, they are not as popular as other breeds.
Do Schipperke Shed
Yes. A Schipperke sheds all-year round at moderate levels and heavily while experiencing seasonal change in Spring and/or Fall.
Schipperkes Quick Facts
- Schipperkes have been described as large dogs in a small body since they have instincts of a guard dog( courageous, devoted, and protective).
- These dogs become very demonstrative and excited towards anyone who grabs a leash, as they know this means they will be going outside.
- Despite their small size, Schipperkes possess a sharp bark that scares away unwelcome strangers or burglars.
