us is not?), but are very eager to please. Due to this eagerness to please, they train rather easily to many commands, and are good house dogs with proper training. Schipper- kes do have a mind of their own (if you have not realized that yet), and so are not typically trusted o ff leash. Many times their curiosity gets the best of them and “o ff they go” after a squirrel, or even a leaf for that matter! Th ey tend to be appropriately sensitive and attentive, and need very little discipline. No dog should ever be hit for misbehavior, or any reason for that matter! It only takes a stern voice, and a “what did you do” for a Schipperke to show its sensitive side. Schip- perkes have this silly way of showing submis- sion, and it often comes in the form of a “grin or smile”. Th is is not them being aggressive, it is in fact the opposite. Often times, if a Schipperke takes something that they know they should not have, they give themselves away with a very guilty look on their face! Admittedly, this breed is not for everyone. Perhaps those of us who love this breed can be referred to as tenacious,
since Schipperkes can be mischievous and sometimes present their owners with a challenge. Despite this, most Schipperke owners will admit that they find this to be an endearing quality of this breed. Th ey keep us on our toes, and often o ff er up cause for many laughs. Most people who have once had a Schip- perke just can’t resist them, and admit that Schipperkes have fully taken their heart like no other breed of dog has. As you can tell from previous discussion, Schipperkes are mischievous and very intel- ligent by nature. If you are considering a Schipperke as a family pet that is certainly something that you should be aware of. Due to their intelligence and desire for adventure, they excel at many interesting activities. Aside from being great companions they do enjoy time spent outdoors and eagerly accompany their family on hiking adventures, boating excursions and similar activities. Although these activities may be fun for many, what if you want to do more with your Schipperke?
Schipperkes are very agile and their small size makes them very easy to travel with. Many Schipperke owners have had great joy training their dog for obedience, rally or agility. Th e Schipperke is very eager to please its owner and typically finds clearing the jumps and the full out running of some of this training to be fun. Some Schipperkes have been known to show skill in herding sheep while others like to use their ratting instinct in barn hunt trials where they are sent in to locate rodents. Th ere are many fun activities like fly- ball, Frisbee or dock diving that Schipper- kes may find fun and exciting. Like any of us, Schipperkes do like to have fun, but they certainly can be seri- ous “work” dogs. Many Schipperkes have been used as therapy dogs to visit patients in nursing homes or hospitals and some have even been used as service dogs for many things including alert dogs for seizure patients as well as service dogs for the hear- ing impaired. Th is certainly shows o ff their sensitive side and their attentive personality.
206 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , F EBRUARY 2014
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