Schipperke breeders

About the Schipperke

The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) says the Schipperke was bred to keep vermin down on Belgian barges and also served as a watchdog, and gives the name's meaning as "little skipper" or "little boatman". Flemish owners were showing these dogs at Sunday beauty contests in the 17th century. Long a working man's dog, it became Belgium's most popular breed after Queen Marie Henriette took one as a pet in 1885. It reached England in 1887, with a breed club following in 1890, and the RKC places it in the Utility group.

Size and build

The breed standard describes a small, cobby, active dog with a sharp, fox-like expression, a short, straight back and small, cat-like feet. It sets no height, only a weight of about 5.5–7.5 kg (12–16 lb), and the RKC notes that the standard describes the ideal rather than every dog. A full tail is carried tightly curled over the back, but puppies can also be born visibly tailless or with a part-length tail. The RKC gives a typical lifespan of over 12 years, and The Schipperke Club says it is not unusual for dogs to stay active well into their teens.

Coat and grooming

The harsh, dense coat is smooth on the head, ears and legs, lies close on the body and stands up thickly round the neck as a mane and frill. Colours are jet black, or cream in shades from pale ivory through fawn and gold to light red. The RKC suggests grooming more than once a week; the breed club says an occasional brush is usually enough, although the coat is shed once a year.

Exercise

The RKC suggests up to an hour of exercise a day and says the breed can suit a flat with a small to medium garden, in town or country. The breed club says Schipperkes thrive on an active life alongside their owners.

Temperament and suitability

The standard calls for an intensely lively, alert dog that is amenable, intelligent and faithful. The breed club describes a big dog in a small body with a guarding instinct, protective and devoted, and so inquisitive that little at home escapes its attention. Most are clean and easy to house-train, the club says, though every dog needs training. It appears on our flat-friendly dogs and boat and narrowboat dogs pages; see all Utility group breeders.

Schipperke health tests

The Schipperke Club describes the breed as robust and hardy, with few health problems. The RKC's good practice step is prioritising genetic diversity, which its guidance links to using inbreeding calculators and limiting popular sires. At best practice it adds two DNA tests: one for mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB (MPSIIIB), a progressive disease that mainly affects the brain, usually showing as tremor and poor balance at two to four years old, and one for the T-box (bob tail) mutation.

One copy of the T-box mutation shortens the tail. The RKC says puppies with two copies are likely to die before birth, and any born have severe deformities, so the club says two bob tail dogs should never be mated. Since October 2008 the RKC has recorded natural bob tails on registration certificates if a vet's confirmation on practice headed paper accompanies the litter registration.

The club also encourages DNA testing for von Willebrand disease type 1, an inherited bleeding disorder, and keeps a UK register of MPSIIIB results; its health page reports carriers but no affected dogs in the UK. It also monitors epilepsy and Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, a hip joint disease seen mainly in small breeds, while stressing that neither is common. The Schipperke is in Breed Watch Category 1.

• Prioritising genetic diversity (RKC good practice)
• DNA test for Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPSIIIB) (RKC best practice)
• DNA test for T-box (bob tail) (RKC best practice)
• DNA test for von Willebrand disease type 1 (encouraged by The Schipperke Club; not listed by the RKC)
• Breed Watch: Category 1

Choosing a Schipperke breeder

A careful Schipperke breeder will have MPSIIIB and T-box (bob tail) DNA results for both parents and can explain how the pairing avoids mating two bob tail dogs. The Schipperke Club also encourages testing for von Willebrand disease type 1, so ask whether this has been done. Because the RKC's good practice step for this breed is prioritising genetic diversity, a thoughtful breeder should be able to tell you the litter's inbreeding coefficient, how it compares with the breed average and why they chose the stud. Expect questions about your household, other pets and routine, and expect to see the puppies with their mother. The club's breeders directory suggests contacting a breeder to book a puppy from a future litter, so be ready to wait. In England, a breeder needs a council licence to produce three or more litters within 12 months and sell any puppies, or to run a business breeding and advertising dogs, and must show the licence number in adverts.

• Can I see both parents' MPSIIIB and T-box (bob tail) DNA results?
• Have the parents been tested for von Willebrand disease type 1?
• What is the litter's inbreeding coefficient, and how does it compare with the breed average?
• Will any puppies have natural bob tails, and will that be recorded at registration?
• Can I meet the mother, and what help do you offer once the puppy is home?

More for Schipperke owners and breeders

• Schipperke: breeders
• Schipperke: puppies for sale
• Schipperke: stud dogs
• All Utility group breeds

Official sources

• Schipperke breed information (The Royal Kennel Club)
• Schipperke breed standard (The Royal Kennel Club)
• RKC: DNA test for MPSIIIB (mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB)
• RKC: DNA test for T-box (bob tail)
• RKC: genetic diversity, managing and maintaining
• RKC Health Test Results Finder
• RKC inbreeding coefficient (COI) calculator
• RKC: how to find a suitable mate
• Breed Watch Category 1 (The Royal Kennel Club)
• The Schipperke Club
• The Schipperke Club: about the breed
• The Schipperke Club: general health information
• The Schipperke Club: DNA testing
• The Schipperke Club: breeders directory
• GOV.UK: dog breeding licence (England)