Here is my personal take on how to judge Schipperkes. The links in the text lead to corresponding pictures and diagrams. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to Emails me.
Judging the Schipperke
by Kent MacFarlane
History
The Schipperke is a unique and special little breed of dog. Its exact origins remain unknown, although the earliest written mention of the breed dates to the fifteenth century where it was written that two shoemakers quarreled over the trespasses of the first guildsmen’s dog onto the property of the second. The legend goes that angered by the frequent unwanted forays onto his land the second shoemaker caught the little black devil and cut off his entire tail. When the dogs owner and other Schipperke owners saw how attractive the little dog was without a tail, they all severed their dogs tails. Thus began the custom of removing the tails of Schipperke.
A great deal of debate has been spent in trying to determine whether the Schipperke has its’ origins in the Spitz breeds or in those Belgian breeds used as herding dogs. There are numerous assertions made in both directions. It is noted that an undocked Schipperke often carries its’ tail like a Spitz breed. However, anyone who has ever worked a Schipperke as a herding dog will attest to the breeds natural abilities in that endeavor. Chances are that the reality lies somewhere between the two.
The first Schipperkes were brought to the United States from Belgium by Mr. Walter Comstock of Rhode Island in 1889. Mr. Comstock showed the dogs a little but was completely unsuccessful as a breeder. In fact, after the bitch proved to be frequent run away, Mr. Comstock gave up on the breed altogether and gave the female away. This established a breed type that holds true to this day!
The first Schipperkes were placed in the AKC stud book in 1904. However, the breed began to gather momentum in the 1920’s. During these years a great debate was waged amongst the breed’s fanciers. The Ormiston sisters of Kelso Kennels in New Jersey felt that the breed should follow its’ Belgian roots. The Belgians call for a dog with more ruff and coat and allow only black in color. The other breeders and owners felt that the English type should be favored. These dogs have less coat and definition and also came in other colors, primarily a cream or sable color. The principal supporter of the English type dogs was George Cranfield of Santa Monica, California. Thus, from the beginning there was a rift between East and West coast fanciers. For a time there were two different national clubs, but in the end the Ormistons won out and in 1929 the Schipperke Club of America was founded and established a standard closely resembling the Belgian standard.
Confirmation
Outline/Silhouette
When judging the Schipperke it is most important to look at the silhouette. The outline of the breed is like no other and is the biggest single factor that separates the Schipperke from all other dogs. Most important is that the dog be square. The length of the dog from the chest to the rump should be equal to the height of the dog at the withers. This square is the foundation upon which the rest of the dog should be built. The standard calls for the dog to be "thickset." Here lies one of the most debatable points in the Schipperke standard. The standard does call for a dog that is cobby and thickset, but this does not mean that the dog should be course or overdone. It would be impossible for a clunky dog to function properly. Thus it would be more appropriate to state that the substance should be moderate but not slight. When judging the breed, you will more often see dogs with too little bone rather than dogs with too much bone, but as a judge, all other things being equal, the slighter dog should get the nod. This may seem a contradiction from the standard, yet the reasoning is two-fold. First, one must look at the origins of the breed and its’ current status in Belgium and Europe. Here you find a much more leggy and somewhat less substantial dog. The second reason goes to a tendency for coarse dogs to loose leg length and drift towards the appearance of dwarfism.
Body
The proportions of the length of body and leg should be directly tied to the dogs square appearance. Naturally, in a square breed, neither the length of leg nor length of body should appear excessive or lacking. While it is true that for the most part you will see dogs that are too long in the body, they should not be faulted more than a dog with a disproportionately short body. In fact, the longer bodied dog will typically be the better mover of the two and should prove to be favored over the short bodied dog. More often than not, you will find dogs that are more up on leg than short of leg. Here again, neither should be favored over the other. However, in this case the short legged dog, all other things being equal, should be faulted more than the leggy dog. This, like the question of substance, goes to the appearance of dwarfism and the historical appearance of the breed.
Coat
The coat of the Schipperke is one the defining factors in the overall appearance of the dog. Not only is the quantity and texture of great importance, the definition in the various lengths required by the standard is paramount. The ideal Schipperke will possess a double coat, abundant in quantity. The hair on the head is short and smooth. This same coat should be found on the ears and legs below the elbows and the hocks. Coat of a medium length should be found over the body except for the hair forming the ruff around the neck and extending down between the front legs on the jabot, the hair just behind the shoulders forming the cape, and on backs of legs creating the culottes. The hair on the culottes should be equal in length to that of the ruff. The amount of undercoat should be sufficient to both protect the dog from the cold Northern European climate and be able to support the ruff enough to create the proper appearance in silhouette. As a breeder of Norwegian Elkhounds I would say that a dog out of coat is not a dog out of type. This is not true for Schipperkes. Dogs shown out of coat will fail to appear as a Schipperke should. Coat is very much type in this breed, and a dog that is out of coat is not just lacking in one small area that makes up the overall function of the breed. The faults that will be seen the most are lack of undercoat and lack of definition. As stated, a lack of under coat will fail to properly support the guard hairs making up the ruff and thus will not produce the proper outline. More importantly, the dogs must have the proper definition in the various lengths of coat. Lack of definition, regardless of the quantity and quality of the coat should heavily penalized as this is one the defining characteristics of the breed. A Schipperke without proper definition is akin to Rhodesian Ridgeback with a faulty ridge.
Trimming
Schipperkes are a natural breed. The coat should not be trimmed in anyway. The whiskers and stray belly hairs as well as any fur that grows out between the pads of the feet may be cleaned up. However, any other trimming done to effect the definition of the coat or the overall silhouette of the dogs should not be done, and if detected while judging, the dog should be very heavily penalized. I have heard a story of one respected all around judge who felt that a dog exhibited by well known professional handler had been trimmed. The judge sent that dog and handler to a far corner of the ring and reviewed the rest of class. When she had completed her judging she placed the class, leaving the trimmed dog out of the ribbons, and told the handler that if he/she ever tries to pass a trimmed dog of on her in the Skip ring again, the next time she would throw out of the ring altogether. This was in my mind most appropriate. If you happen to find a dog in your ring that appears to have been scissored, you should automatically assume that it was done to cover up the worst imaginable fault.
I am sure that all off you are aware that black is the only allowed color in the breed. It is not uncommon to find dogs with a reddish tinge to the coat, especially during the time when the dogs is blowing coat. While any solid color other than black is cause for disqualification, this reddish hue should only be faulted to the extent that it detracts from the overall appearance of the dog.
Topline
The topline of the Schipperke should be level or slope slightly from the withers to the croup. The ruff will give a level topline an appearance of a slope and a sloping topline will be somewhat exaggerated by the ruff. It is best when judging the breed to physically examine the topline if any question arises in your mind. With any breed that carries this much coat, much can be done on the grooming table to hide topline faults from view.
Neck
The neck of the dog should correspond to the body of the dog. A long neck on a short bodied dog or vice versa would look terribly out of balance. This condition is not often seen. What is of more importance than the structure of the neck is the manner in which the neck is carried. The neck carriage should be proud and animated, showing the true spirit of the breed. Here again the ruff will give the appearance of a shorter neck and if you any question as to the true structure, please use your hands to find out.
The skip should be well bodied, not slim or slight. He should look like he can handle himself in any situation that he may encounter, regardless of his size. The chest should be broad and deep as well. It should extend down to the elbows. The fore chest should be noticeable beyond the front of the shoulders between the front legs.
Fronts
The fronts should consist of a set of well laid back shoulders and the front legs should come straight down from the body as seen from the front of the dog. Viewed from the side the front legs should be placed well under the body, appearing to support the shoulders and ruff assembly. Pasterns should be thick and strong and SLIGHTLY bent. The pastern that makes the front look like is going to buckle under the load of the shoulders should be heavily faulted.
Rears
The rear quarters should be well muscled with moderate rear angulation. The bone of the rear legs should be less than that of the front, but must not appear weak. Both lack of angulation and extreme angulation are undesirable and should be penalized. The legs should extend straight down from the hip through the hock to the foot when viewed from the rear.
Head
Another very important part of type in the Schipperke is the head. The dog should have a head that shows the handsome, dignified spirit of the breed. It should look like a big dog in small form, not like a toy head. To this end, the eyes take on a great role. To me the eyes are the single most important component in the make up of the head. The standard calls for the eyes to oval in shape and dark brown in color. The previous standard called for an almond shaped eye. To my mind, almond is a form of oval and should still be considered the ideal. A round eye is undesirable, but worst of all is a bulging or protruding eye. The round eye and the protruding eye go hand in hand. A properly shaped eye that bulges or is sunken is very rarely seen. Very light brown eyes, yellow, or black eyes are faults. There is no such thing as too dark a brown in color. The eyes are so very important because they are the vehicle that delivers the Schipperke expression.
The eyes should be placed on a skull of medium width that narrows towards the muzzle. From the side the skull should appear slightly rounded with the ears laid back. It should not appear domey. Viewed from above the head forms a steady wedge from the tip of the nose back to the back of the skull.
The ears should be erect and small triangles. When excited they should come very close together, otherwise they are carried more high on the head than down. Too high an ear placement is virtually unheard of, and more often the "corgi" type ear set will be seen. A drop or floppy ear is a disqualification. The most common ear fault seen is ones that are too large. Even if the they are strong enough to be carried properly and are placed well, a large ear detracts from the overall appearance of the ear and will be faulted.
The muzzle should be slightly shorter in length than the skull and should be neither stocky nor snippy. The stop should be definite without being prominent. The muzzle should not be squared at the end, like a Bull Terrier, nor should it be pointy like that of a fox.
Movement
In 1991, at long last, movement was added to the Schipperke standard. The dogs should move in a smooth, graceful and coordinated way. There should be no hackney or high stepping action and the dog should cover ground easily. The topline should hold itself steady, and no pitching or rolling should been seen. The front should move easily and effortlessly with the shoulders reaching out well. The rear should propel the dog forward without being choppy or stilted. Labored rear movement is often a sign of lack of rear angulation. When viewed coming at you proper front legs should come down straight from the elbows to the feet, with distance between the elbows being equal to the distance between the feet. At a slow trot, the feet should move straight forward, moving parallel with each other. As the speed of the trot increases the feet should converge toward the center of dog slightly. They should not approach or reach a single track. Paddling, swimming, or loose shoulder action should be faulted to its extent. Going away the hind legs should also move straight forward and parallel with each other. The feet should move the same as the front, same distance apart and converging toward center as the speed of the dog increases.
Judging Procedure
When judging the breed it is important to remember that the Schipperke is a total dog, not just any one trait or quality. It is best to have your class come into the ring and to take a good look at the silhouettes. Then have your class move around to get a good idea of side gait and the topline in motion.
Examine each dog individually on the table. Approach the Schipperke in a deliberate manor. The dog should not shy away from the judge. Do not examine the dog with a heavy hand and judges of larger stature should avoid leaning over the dog as Schipperkes are often intimidated by this. Now is a good time to get a good look at the head. The good expression on the table is nice, but do not fault a dog that a little pensive on the table. The skip is a breed that likes to feel in charge, and many dogs see this as a somewhat vulnerable time. Next, approach the dog and examine the bite. The standard calls for a level OR scissors bite. Any deviation from these should be faulted to the extent of the deviation. In years gone by, bites were a major issue but the generation of breeders preceding me did an excellent job of breeding good bites back into the breed. Badly overshot, badly undershot, and wry mouths should be very heavily penalized. Next, check the coat definition, quality and quantity. Give the front quarters a review and work down the back to the rear. Next have the dog move down and back. This is the best way to see the front and rear structure in action. Use the end of the down and back as your opportunity to get a good look at the dogs expression. Many Schipperkes are devoted to their handlers and owners so don’t be surprised if they pay no attention to a total stranger making funny noises, jingling keys, or jumping up and down on one foot. When viewing the expression the gaze should be strong and piercing. Put best, Schipperke expression shows in the eyes, not in the mouth. A gapping mouth, tongue flapping in a full pant is not proper expression. The best skips are those who look like the can see someone they love on the other side of closed door (thank you Mr. R. William Taylor.) Lastly, send the dog around one more time to enjoy their side gait again.
Sources
The Schipperke: An Illustrated Guide, Published by the Schipperke Club of America.
Schipperke Club of America, The Complete Schipperke, Howell Book House, New York City, 1993.
