|
|
|
Living With a Pack
of Schipperkes That cute little bear cub puppy came home with us a little over five years ago, and wrapped the entire family around her little paw. She was (and is) intensely curious - a schipperke will get into anything she can and she'll try the impossible with all her might. Schipperkes want to know how things work...Read More |
Breed
Profiles |
|
For example, our youngest pup, Sierra, must be held while Mom cooks the family's dinner, so she can watch and learn how to make chicken fried steak - and of course, she hopes she will get a morsel of food while she's so close to the counter. Most schipperkes patticake (or beg) by standing on their hind legs and batting the air with their front paws. It is very entertaining to owners and strangers alike. After about a year, we got another schip, and with two in the house, there is no need for outside entertainment. They will tear from room to room in hot pursuit of each other. Any furniture that can be climbed and mastered must and will be. My dogs' favorite spot in the entire living room is the top of the back of the recliners and sofa.
A puppy kindergarten class and all efforts to socialize the puppy before six months of age will eliminate this problem. Although schipperkes have a natural tendency to be reserved with strangers, they know no fear when it comes to other dogs or animals. Stormy, my oldest, was recently introduced to goats at an AKC Herding Instinct Trial. Even though they were at least ten times her size, she went right after the goats and earned her Herding Instinct Certificate. As far as grooming is concerned, I've heard everything from twice a year brushing and bathing to once a week. I've also been told that they don't shed. These dogs have a double coat, and all four of mine shed constantly. We sweep enough dog hair to make a sweater off our hard wood floors each week. The fine undercoat hairs float through the air and land everywhere from the refrigerator to the clean dishes in the cupboards, from tonight's dinner plate to the casserole dish I took to the Sunday school class pot luck dinner, and even in drawers in my desk at the office! If you cannot handle dog hair everywhere, please save a schipperke from the pound - don't get one! For our family, the hair doesn't matter because our schips have so much personality that we can overlook the nuisance - I just don't take food to social events anymore. These dogs are extremely intelligent, and can solve problems without any human help. They are also very determined dogs. Once they decide they want something; just like their human mom, they will do whatever it takes to get it. For example, one of our dogs was chewing a rawhide bone, and Stormy decided she wanted it. We were all relaxing around the living room, just enjoying watching her do her best to get it away from the other dog. When it seemed to us like she'd given up and gone on to another game, she surprised us all. She began to search under the edges of the couches and desk in the living room until she found the other dog's favorite toy - a tennis ball. Then she reached up on the edge of the chair where the other dog was enjoying the bone, tempting Trini with the tennis ball in her mouth, smiling as best she could, and dropped the ball on the wood floor. When the ball bounced off the floor, Trini jumped off the chair to retrieve the ball, leaving the bone behind. Stormy then jumped on the chair and began to chew on the bone, very proud of herself. The humans in the house roared with laughter at the cleverness of this little dog. Activities of this kind have continued in our home over the years, and I am sure that our home will never be without a schipperke. They are wonderful companions for home and for travel - watch out, though - they like to drive the car. They are very hardy and for the most part, healthy dogs - when given proper care and protected from the extreme harshness of outdoor confinement, a schipperke can live from eighteen to twenty-two years. I am personally looking forward to many more years of enjoying my little black babies. About the AuthorJune Moore is a member of the Permian Basin Obedience Training Club in Midland, Texas. She competes with her Schipperkes in AKC Obedience, Conformation, and Agility. She recently earned an International Championship on one of her dogs. June currently serves as the Policy and By-Laws Chair for PBOTC. For more information on the Schipperke check out the following:National
Breed Club: |
