Origin

In 19th century the Schipperke evolved in Flanders. This breed was generally bred by Renssens who was a canal boat captain and this dog was used to hunt rats. Gradually this breed became popular to many Belgium families and in 1880 this breed was first introduced as a show dog.

General Description

This breed is not very big in size. The Schipperke is about 12 inches in height. They are not at all bulky and they look really athletic. They have a medium sized fatless body and they are also very fast. The Schipperke has a round shaped head and a small pointed muzzle with a black nose at the tip. Their eyes are hazel in colour and round shaped. They have sharp teeth enough for a scissor bite and a short neck. Their ears are triangular in shape and stand straight on their head. They are basically a spitz like breed and they have a fluffy tail totally curled on their back. Their chest is broad and they have muscular limbs and legs. More or less they look like spitz. They have a long coat and they are mainly found in black colour.

Character

The Schipperke is a very cute breed and love to be attached with their family. They love human interaction a lot and should not be left alone for a lengthy period. They are very much loyal and devoted to their masters and kids are great companions of them. They do not like strangers at all and they also bark a lot at strangers. The Schipperke is also good to other animals and they are too intelligent. That is the reason they are easy to train. This breed is very much protective of their families and they have a really bad habit of excessive barking.

Temperament

The Schipperkes are very connected with their families and can become your sole companion. They are very good and friendly to small children and love to draw attention of people. This breed is very suspicious and love to bark as they use the sound as an alarm whenever they feel necessary. They don’t love to be left alone for a long time. Leaving them alone for a long time may make them behave in destructive activities. They not at all like strangers and always have a tendency of suspecting them. Very much protective of their family and their own belongings. They are easy to train as they are very intelligent. The Schipperke is also good to other animals.

Training

The Schipperke is an intelligent breed so it should be easily trained but yet sometimes it is difficult as the breed get bored of thing very quickly. They should be trained with firmness, politeness and consistency.

Health

Generally the Schipperke suffers from some genetic problems like CHD, epilepsy, cataracts, thyroid, PRA etc. They have a life span of 12-15 years.