of our breed that shares this distinction with no other dog. One should be able to see these areas while the dog is on the floor. A peak at that area of the standard describes, with those pesky adjectives, as a “curious, interested in everything around him, confident and indepen- dent” creature. When introducing potential owners I often tell them that the Schipperke is like a cross between a two year old and a raccoon. They are into everything and will tell you “No” a lot. • Trimming—As the Schipperke is a natural breed, only trimming of the whiskers and the hair between the pads of the feet is optional. Any other trimming must not be done. Occasionally a person will try to shorten the general appearance by scissoring some of the length of the culottes or along the undercarriage to assist in the appearance of a longer leg. This must never be done. I have been in the breed for 37 years and judging it for 22 and have never seen anyone that has cut in a coat pattern. It cannot be done, well, that isn’t correct; it can be tried, but will never be accomplished. Remember—a pelt, a specifically layered pelt. COLOR The outer coat must be black. Any color other than a natural black is a dis- qualification. The undercoat, however, may be slightly lighter. During the shed- ding period, the coat might take on a transitory reddish cast, which is to be penalized to the degree that it detracts from the overall black appearance of the dog. Graying due to age (seven years or older) or occasional white hairs should not be penalized. This is another very distinct area that is not gray. The color is to be black. The “transitory reddish cast” usually appears right before the dog totally drops its coat. Black is the only allowed color. Thus it is a DQ if not black. GAIT Proper Schipperke movement is a smooth, well coordinated and grace- ful trot (basically double tracking at a moderate speed), with a tendency to gradually converge toward the center of balance beneath the dog as speed increases. Front and rear must be in
“...THE STANDARD DESCRIBES, WITH THOSE PESKY ADJECTIVES, AS A ‘CURIOUS, INTERESTED IN EVERYTHING AROUND HIM, CONFIDENT AND INDEPENDENT’ CREATURE.”
shorter than the cape but longer than the hair on the sides of the body and sides of the legs. The coat on the rear of the thighs forms culottes, which should be as long as the ruff. Lack of differentiation in coat lengths should be heavily penalized, as it is an essential breed characteristic. • Texture—The coat is abundant, straight and slightly harsh to the touch. The softer undercoat is dense and short on the body and is very dense around the neck, making the ruff stand out. Silky coats, body coats over three inches in length or very short harsh coats are equally incorrect. • Pattern—Now we come to the all important coat pattern. Please think about the two words, Coat pattern. This is sometimes misunderstood. The pattern calls for specific lengths of coat. The various lengths create layers of hair. One layer does not blend into another layer. These layers are always specific and defini- tive, from beginning to end. The overall coat resembles an ani- mal pelt rather than dog hair. Think of how a pelt would feel as you run your hand through that coat. The layers addi- tionally are visually impressive as it is very much like seeing two different fab- rics sewn together. One fabric is shiny and sparkles like the sheen of satin. The second variety is like velvet. This velvet aspect of the coat possesses and implies density, not soft or silkiness. Velvet material additionally has a nap like cor- duroy. If you run your hand with the nap, the material shines, but run your hand in the opposite direction and you have a blunt denseness. The Schipperke had its begin- nings with tailors, shoe makers in the communities in and around Belgium.
The varieties of layered coat each pos- sess a specific name. The names initi- ate from the French language. “Ruff”, visualize the tight high ruffle found on the shirts of the aristocratic noblemen from the 1600s. This ruff is one spe- cific length. The next and longest layer is the cape. Imagine a black cape worn by noblemen and at the side of a man’s shoulders the cape’s ties drape down. This tiny distinctive length of hair is lon- ger than the hair length in front and the hair found on the dog’s side. This tiny strip stops at the elbow. This is how I choose to envision the unusual aspect of the cape. The jabot (pronounced zha-boh ) begins and extends across the chest and down between the front legs. Jabot is another French word and the exact definition is “a set of ruffles attached to the neckband and falling in tiers down the front of a man’s shirt”. The length of hair found running from the cape to over the rump lies flat. It can- not be brushed up. Think of it as a cow- lick. The culottes are found on the back of the rear legs. Culottes is yet another French word and refers to petticoats. Notice all of these terms refer to cloth- ing items. Visually, I see a rather vain person in his finest dress, with nothing out of place. This person’s demeanor is what is found in a Schipperkes tem- perament. All of these French terms describe the various areas of coat found in every dog. Think of the Collie. It has a ruff, cape, jabot and culottes, but the lengths are all blended together, not def- inite. The Schipperke coat textures are so totally different as well. It amazes me that man through careful breeding and selection created the very definite layers of coat that never blend from one to the other. Another way to visualize the pat- tern is to think of a freshly mowed lawn with the nap shown off by the direction of mowing. It is truly a treasured aspect
CONTINUED ON PAGE 241 S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , A PRIL 2017 • 239
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