An Expanded Interpretation of the Akc Schipperke
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The coat should be abundant and straight. “The Schipperke is an agile, active watch- shoulders to be well laid back and a slight Coats may take on a reddish cast during dog and hunter of vermin. In appearance bend to the pasterns when viewed from AN EXPANDED INTERPRETATION OF the shedding period, which usually occurs he is a small, thickset, cobby, black, tail- the side. The rear should APPEAR slightly twice a year (spring and fall) or in many less dog, with a fox-like face. The croup is lighter than the front but is well muscled breeders’ experiences – about two weeks broad and well-rounded with a tail that and in balance with the front. Extreme THE AKC SCHIPPERKE BREED STANDARD after they’ve been entered in a show! Pat- is docked. No tail is visually discernible.” rear angulation to be penalized. Suggested Provided by the Schipperke Club of America Judges Education Committee tern can still be seen even when the dog is Any deviation from the ideal described in height is 11-13 inches for dogs and 10-12 and as interpreted by June Moore, AKC Licensed Breeder-Judge out of coat. Silky coats, body coats over 3" the standard should be penalized to the inches for bitches. Quality always takes or very short harsh coats are equally incor- extent of the deviation. The docked tail is precedence over size! Faults common to all rect! Trimming of the Schipperke’s coat is an essential breed characteristic. breeds are just as undesirable in the Schip- lert and curious, the and skillful grooming, but this will usually not allowed! In recent years, there has been perke, even though they are not mentioned Schipperke has the heart show itself when the dog is moving. Head & Eyes a fashion of trimming the underline of the in the standard! of a terrier in the body of Schipperkes are slow to mature, and the When considering the Schipperke head dog (sometimes done to “neaten the under- Proper Schipperke movement is a a spitz and may be related “thickset” appearance becomes more obvi- and expression, the expression is question- line” and sometimes done to create the illu- smooth, well-coordinated and graceful to neither. Schipperke ous with age. It is not uncommon to find ing, mischievous, impudent and alert, but sion of longer leg on a short-legged dog), trot (basically double tracking at a mod- means “Little Captain” in the top-ranked specials dogs in our breed never mean or wild. The well-proportioned trimming or stripping out the coat on the erate speed), with a tendency to gradu- Flemish – or possibly the name comes from that are veterans. head, accompanied by the correct eyes and A rear to “create” a sloping topline and/or the ally converge toward the center of balance the Flemish word for shepherd. History is not ears will give the dog the proper Schip- Pattern & Color illusion of a square dog out of a dog that beneath the dog as speed increases. When clear as to the origin. In either case, the breed perke expression. The skull is of medium Correct pattern is an essential breed is long in body, and stripping or trimming viewed from the side, the front and rear developed in Belgium in the 1600s as ratters width, narrowing toward the muzzle. Seen characteristic! The adult coat is highly away the culottes. If a Schipperke adult is must be in perfect balance with good reach and guards on canal barges. At times, they in profile with the ears laid back, the skull characteristic and must include several walking away from the judge and the coat in front and drive in the rear. With good rode the backs or nipped at the heels of horses is slightly rounded. The upper jaw is mod- distinct lengths growing naturally in a spe- appears to be grey, the judge may want to reach in the front, the leg should extend to that pulled the barges along the canals. On erately filled in under the eyes, so that, cific pattern. The texture is slightly harsh check to see if that coat has been trimmed. the front of the nose. When driving from land, the dog kept rats out of shops. when viewed from above, the head forms a to the touch. The coat is short on the face, The outer coat or guard hair should always the rear you should see the pad of the rear Although the Schipperke’s impudent wedge, tapering smoothly from the back of ears, front of the forelegs and hocks. It is cover the undercoat – one would have to foot. In motion, the Schipperke’s topline character, foxy face, upright ears and thick Photo by Rusty Wells the skull to the tip of the nose. The stop is medium length on the body, and longer in lift the guard hairs to see this undercoat. remains level or slightly sloping downward coat denote a spitz-type heritage, breed his- definite but not prominent. The length of is a small, thickset, cobby, black, tailless dog, the jabot, ruff, cape, and culottes. The ruff In a letter recently sent to all AKC from the shoulders to the rump. Structural torians claim the dog descended from the the muzzle is slightly less than the length with a fox-like face. The Schipperke is often begins in back of the ears and extends com- Judges via the Standard it states, “The faults with toplines will usually be revealed Leuvenaar, a Belgian herding dog that also of the skull. The skull is slightly rounded referred to as a “big” dog in a small package pletely around the neck. The cape forms an Board of Directors of the Schipperke Club when the dog is moving. The Schipperke produced today’s Belgian Sheepdog. The when viewed from the side. The ideal eyes – especially in his own mind. When judg- additional distinct layer extending beyond of America is concerned by the current should “hold the silhouette” while gaiting. Belgian herding dog of those days weighed are small, oval rather than round, dark ing the breed, the dog should “feel heavy” the ruff. The first distinct line you see is the trend or ‘fashion’ toward trimming and/ When judging the Schipperke, the about 40 pounds, smaller than today’s ver- brown, and placed forward on the head. and have plenty of body under the coat. The ruff, the second line is the cape. The jabot or stripping being seen in the show ring. down and back is just as important, if not sion, and could well have been the ancestor The eyes should never be prominent or terms “thickset and cobby” refer to the body extends across the chest and down between Our standard’s section titled TRIM- more important than side gait since double of both breeds. It has been said that only bulging, but will sometimes take on a more and overall appearance of the dog. the front legs. The coat on the rear of the MING states: ‘As the Schipperke is a natu- tracking is such an important requirement the wealthy in those days could own the rounded appearance when the Schipperke The dog is square in profile and pos- thighs forms culottes which should be as ral breed, only trimming of the whiskers in the breed standard. Do not necessarily larger dogs, so the Schipperke was used as is excited or nervous. sesses a distinctive coat, which includes long as the ruff. The hair down the middle and the hair between the pads of the feet reward speed – a Schip with correct reach a “poor man’s herding dog”. The ears are small, triangular, placed a standout ruff, cape and culottes. All of of the back, starting just behind the cape is optional. ANY OTHER TRIMMING and drive has it at a nice, easy trot. It is best Whatever its origin, the Schipperke has high on the head, and, when at attention, these create a unique silhouette, appearing and continuing over the rump, lies flat. It MUST NOT BE DONE.’ The Schipperke to allow the handler to move his dog at the an interesting history. Initially owned by very erect. The following are less than ideal: to slope from shoulders to croup. This is is slightly shorter than the cape but lon- coat pattern and texture are intrinsic char- speed that is best for that particular dog. shopkeepers and tradesmen, the little dog The ear itself should not tip backwards or a silhouette breed! If the Schipperke does ger than the hair on the sides of the body acteristics of our breed. Trimming and/or forward, the tips should not point inward or had its own specialty show in 1690. That not have the proper coat and silhouette, and legs. Lack of differentiation in coat stripping will alter both. A correct, quality outward, belled ears, or long and thin ears. Disqualifications show and subsequent competitions fea- it is NOT an ideal Schipperke! The lengths should be heavily penalized, as it coat should be bred, not ‘styled,’ in hopes The bite must be scissors or level. tured elaborate copper collars designed for Our breed standard only has two dis- unique silhouette and coat pattern are is an essential breed characteristic! Coat of achieving the win. It is essential that the Both the scissor or level bite are EQUAL- the dogs. The breed didn’t catch the atten- qualifications: Drop ear or ears, and any what makes the Schipperke different from pattern is obvious in all Schipperkes, even breed standard, in its entirety, be adhered LY acceptable! Any deviation is to be tion of the upper classes until the mid- color other than a natural black.