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The schipperke originated in the Flemish provinces of Belgium in the 1600s.
The word 'Schipperke' is Flemish for little boatman or little captain. They were used as guard dogs for the boats and were great companions for the Belgium boatmen.
There are two theory's of the schipperke's arrival to the world.
The first is that it was brought apon Belgium by a traveling boatman. The Belgium people did not call the schipperke a schipperke but a Spitzke.
The other theory was that the schipperke was owned by traders and middle class people that wanted a small dog to keep the home safe from rats and burglers.
The schip is known to be a smaller version of the Belgium Shepherd.
The schipperke of then looks nothing of the schipperke of now. Back then the schip had a longer neck and was bigger. They looked nothing like poms as they may do now.
They still act as they used to, with their want to protect and love for there family. even though schips are known as ratters they can excellently get along with any animal. I have an assortment of pets(from rodents to felines to reptiles to birds) that my schip Teddy gets along with extremely well. they must be met at a young age though.
Head
The schipperke Skull is normally flat at the top but rounded at the back.
The face of a schipperke is fox like with an intelligent, questioning expression, always thinking and learning.
The snout is small and pointed like an arrow, always in others business.
The eyes of the schipperke are are oval rounded and all brown with just the dot of the black pupil, always watching every little thing.
The ears are always erect, triangular, and placed high to hear every sound.
Body
The schipperke has a fox like body with a broad and deep chest and very muscular, sloping, shoulders.
They have a strong, straight and level back, seeming higher in the front from main.
The legs are straight under body, slim with small feet.
They are born with either tightly curled tails, straight long tails or no tial. The tails must be docked for show standards but they look great either way.
The schip can come in many different colors but black is most common as it is the only color show standard in the USA.
All colors are show standard in the UK but only cream and black are in Australia.
The colors available are cream or tan, black, red or brown, and white(extremely rare, I've met one). There are no patterns on schips or more then one color(except white around the muzzle from old age).
Life Expectency
The schip is figured to live from 15 to 20 years. They are known to be one of the hardiest dogs to live so long.
Weight
Males~12-16lbs
Females~10-15lbs
Mainly depends on the dog as I've seen schips well over 20lbs without being fat.
Size
Males~10-14inches
Females~10-13inches
Theres not much difference in size but still varies in dogs. Some females may be much larger then some males and vise versa.
~Schipperke Scream--A high scream sounding like a terrified women(you'll know what I'm talking about, just try to clip their nails)
~Schipperke 0-60--After a long walk or bath, the schipperke just loves to run. The minute they get out of the bathroom or in the house, they run around the house like crazy with their front legs spread wide apart and their back legs close together. What a silly sight it is.
~On guard--The cobstant need to always look out for their family. The schip is a friendly dog but is always weary of strangers.
~Buffing--The low sound a schip makes when curious about something out of sight. It sounds exactly as if you were to say "brrf" exactly as spelt.
~Hmming--When schips want something, like to go out or some of your dinner, they sit and stare at you for a long period of time while making a low(or high) hmmming sound. Not humming, say it yourself as spelt "hmmming".
~Escape artists--Schips are extremely good escape artists. Be careful when opening the front door, they love to run. Don't worry though, schips being so smart, it is very easy to teach a schip to sit and wait for the leash to be put on before aloud out the door.
~Eyes-- One of the best thing about a schip is their beautiful eyes. There is many, many emotions a schip shows through their eyes. Once, Teddy tried lifting his leg on a slant and fell, you should of seen how embarresment he showed through his eyes.=D
~Infront--Everytime I go for a rare family walk with Teddy, I try to stay behind a bit so Teddy is not stepped on. Teddy goes nuts pulling and whining to be infront. Also when A friend and her dog walks with me and someones infront, Teddy mumbles things at my friends dog as if he's cursing everyone out. I've heard of this in many schips, quite odd.:)