The country of origin is Belgium.

It is thought that the Schipperke originated in the Duchy of Brabant (now the provinces of Antwerp and Brabant), more specifically the towns of Brussels and Louvain. In Flemish dialect Schipperke means ‘little shepherd dog’. Already about in 1690 the Schipperke was the favourite dog of common people and cobblers (shoemakers) of the St. Gery quarter of Brussels. It was renowned as a catcher of mice, rats, moles and other vermin. It became fashionable thanks to the Belgian Queen Marie-Henriette, wife of Leopold II, who in 1885 acquired ‘Blak’, the winning Schipperke at the Brussels show that same year.

General appearance:

The Schipperke is the smallest shepherd dog in the world. Average height at withers 32 cm and average weight 4 to7 kg, although, according to the standard, a weight between 3 and 9 kg is allowed. It is a shepherd dog of small dimensions, with a tapering muzzle and small erect ears. Some characteristics of the Schipperke make it very distinctive and really unique. The conformation or anatomical structure is robust. The coat is solid in colour – most commonly black, but can be cream, (chocolate and dark grey have been known but are very rare and are NOT accepted inb the breed ring) and the hair on the body of medium length. The coat forms an outstanding ‘ruff’ (long hair around the neck), a ‘mane’ (long hair on the top of the neck), a ‘frill’ (long hair on the forechest) and ‘culottes’ (longish hair at the rear of the thighs).
Schipperkes come in a range of colours but they are predominantly black, although the cream colour is becoming more popular.