Showsight - October 2021

VIEWPOINTS FROM SOME OF TODAY’S BREEDERS Speak Up!

The opinions expressed are those of the individual breeders and are being provided here to encourage conversation among all purebred dog fanciers for the purposes of promoting the sport and preserving all AKC-recognized breeds.

4. What advice would you offer SHOWSIGHT Magazine about providing breed-specific information about your breed? How can we help to educate the general public as well as inform breeders, exhibitors, and conformation judges? Our breed is a silhouette breed, and that unique silhouette is created by the coat pattern. This coat pattern comes in four parts; the ruff, the jabot, the cape, and the culottes. The jabot is so unique to the breed that in AKC’s list of definitions, it specifically mentions the Schipperke. This should be the first point on which the Schip- perke is judged. In 1935, one of the most important early breeders of Schipperkes, Isabel Ormiston, wrote the following list for the breed, and it still holds true for today: List of Points in Order of Importance: 1. General Appearance: A thick-set lively little dog with plenty of coat and outstanding ruff and culotte. Forming an individ- ual silhouette not closely resembling any other breed. 2. Coat: Heavy ruff, standing out, undercoat on body slightly shorter, culotte long as ruff. Slightly harsh. 3. Head: Fox-like with moderate stop. Teeth level (scissors is preferred today, but a Schip should never be penalized for a level bite, as it was once preferred). 4. Expression: Keen, Questioning, Lively, Not Mean 5. Ears: Small, Erect, Triangular 6. Eyes: Dark, Brown, Oval Rather than Round, Not Prominent 7. Body: Short and Thick Set. Back Level or Slightly Sloping Down Toward Rump 8. Chest: Broad and Deep 9. Hindquarters: Muscular, Hocks Well-Bent 10. Legs: Strong but Rather Lightly Boned, with Small Round Feet

DAWN BANNISTER 1. Tell us a bit about yourself. What is your breed and how long have you been breeding? How many litters have you produced and how many champions? I have been involved in the Schipperke breed for just over 30 years, and I have produced almost 50 AKC Schipperke champions, including one with a full tail. I have also sent a few Schipperkes overseas, where they have become top winners in their own coun- tries. I have not counted how many litters I have had over the years, but I have only a few litters per year when I do breed. I have pub- lished two historical collections on the breed, ( The Historical Schip- perke, Vol I and II ) totaling over 700 pages of original history, and I am working on the third book now, which will likely be big enough to be broken into two books. I also publish an online magazine on the Schipperke breed, SchipTales International , which we have pub- lished into three separate books so far. 2. In your opinion, what is the current condition of your breed overall? Has your breed changed in ways that you consider to be positive? Any negative changes? Schipperke numbers have dropped in recent years. While many breed numbers have gone down, Schipperkes have been placed among the groups with the highest drop in numbers, and this is worrisome. Many of our older breeders have passed on, and sadly, we have lost some very dear ones in just the last few years, and not enough new people have stepped up into the breed. I support optional tail docking (choosing to no longer dock myself ), as have many other very experienced and successful breeders in Schipper- kes, and this means that I support Schips with natural tails... AND docking. I believe the best way forward for the breed is that which preserves the greatest genetic diversity available in the breed. Dock- ing is an issue that is not going away, and the best way forward is to promote a stance that includes as many fanciers as possible, no matter which position they personally choose for their breed- ing program. On this note, I would say to the judges that if you see a Schipperke with a tail in the ring, please be kind and polite to that exhibitor no matter how you feel about the issue; some of them might be longtime breeders, and some might be new people who could be too easily intimidated. Our breed needs to keep both of them. We need every single fancier at this point. Judges have asked me how I think they should judge the breed, and my answer is simple: When you are trying to decide your winner, ask yourself, “If the dog I choose is the one used for breeding, will the breed be better off in 20 years, or not?” 3. Do you think your breed is portrayed accurately online and on social media? How is it represented correctly? How is it misrepresented? The history of the Schipperke breed as it comes from Belgium is two-fold. Pre-WWI, they were a barge dog, a ratter, classed as a Ter- rier, and promoted as a small guard dog and overall working dog. After WWI, some breeders from Belgium changed their stance and re-classed the Schipperke as a herding dog. Because of this, there is a lot of confusion about the true history of the breed, and this is reflected in various places online.

11. Shoulders: Muscular and Sloping 12. Neck: Short, Arched, Rather Thick

I’ve included a diagram that was published in the AKC Gazette in the 1930s and was used in judge’s education programs as late as 1995. While it isn’t an ideal Schipperke, it was used to illustrate some of the important points, and it should still be of interest today.

LINDA BRANTLEY 1. Tell us a bit about yourself. What is your breed and how long have you been breeding? How many litters have you produced and how many champions? I have been breeding and showing Chow Chows for most of my life. My parents started showing Chows in the early 1960s, and with my wife, Linda, we have produced more than 200 champions, several Best in Show winners, and National Specialty winners.

SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2021 | 179

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