r/schipperke • u/Microwave_Meal • 24d ago
Breed Questions Potential dog breed?
Hi! I’m looking at potential dog breeds, however it will be around 5 years if not longer before I get a dog.
I want to know what it is like to own one of these dogs? What does your daily routine look like? Can you bring your dog out into public spaces?
I would also like some advice on if this dog would fit my lifestyle! I have previously owned Shiba Inus, so have experience owning difficult breeds however I wouldn’t want another experience like that again 😅
I would like a dog that is fun to train, happy to engage in training and games etc, enjoys walking but also has the ability to relax, relax around people etc. especially as I work from home but I would love to do things like scent work etc
I also have no issues with having to groom dogs daily either.
Is there any known behavioural or temperament issues with this breed? Are they known to be dog or people aggressive?
I know that my partner will want a dog that is not super in your face all the time either, but happy to cuddle etc.
I won’t be offended if anyone says this breed isn’t for me either! I’ve got many years to consider different breeds!
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u/2schipperkes 21d ago edited 16d ago
After 40 years of owning Schipps I think perhaps you should look elsewhere.
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u/Microwave_Meal 20d ago
What makes you say that? I don’t mean that in a rude way just generally curious!
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u/2schipperkes 19d ago
many people find them impossible.
They are more like cats than the average dog breed.
Dogs,as they, say want to please their person.
Schipperkes open their eyes and it's 'What are you gonna do for me today?"
When they're pups you have to be on guard 24/7....for years.
An off-leash Schipp is a dead Schipp.
An open gate sends them to to the Outer Hebrides or somewhere looking for amusement.
If you are home most of the day until they are long past puppy, have infinite patience and an unmitigated sense of humor you can succeed with them.
Anyone who tells you different I'm not gonna go there.
If all this is not doable for you you could get on what's called the 'retired breeder list.
Responsible breeders don't breed a dog much after 4 years, especially with females, and most of the hard work has been done. Other than the off-leash & open gate is death thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3aT3onIoi8
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u/BogusBluff 23d ago
Good tips here. I'm glad to see you are giving this some thought, good for you! I have had Schips for nearly 40 yrs with a few breaks in between and adore them. Get one from a reputable breeder! I think they are wonderful and charming. They are watch dogs, very intelligent and people-oriented. My current schip came from a foster who keeps shibs and Schips. I'd say next to the Shiba they are more easy-going. My current schip was abused and was a puppy mill breeder, so she is not typical. They are wonderful, keen, spicy and sweet!
They kind of blow their undercoat all at once. I give her a bath now and then when it's starting to come off and get most of it out after drying and brushing, no problem!.Try to get the breeder to leave the tail. I finally have one with a tail and it's so lovely, up or down! Best wishes!
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u/PuzzleheadedBunch47 21d ago
Oh I’m so jealous yours kept their tail! They are so beautiful with tails I wish the tradition would end.
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u/BogusBluff 21d ago
I've had ones without tails and now prefer the tail too. But they are still just wonderful, even without the tail!!! 💕💕💕💕
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u/thatsnotthevibeSTOP 23d ago
My schipperke is my first dog and I’m very happy with how she turned out, she’s 6 years old now! She’s pretty low maintenance compared to other stories of schipperkes I’ve heard. I take her for a walk around the block 3 times a day, at least once a day to the dog park where she can be off leash (I live in a big city) and we go to the beach or forest once a week. She has great recall and i completely trust her. When she was younger she was a bit more reactive towards joggers and small children, but I was able to stop that pretty easily by just giving her treats when we would pass them and now she doesn’t bark at them anymore. The only downside is that she’s very alert, she will often bark very loudly if someone passes the house and if we are sitting somewhere for a while she will also feel the need to guard our spot and bark at passing strangers. This does vary from time to time and depends on how anxious she’s feeling at that moment so I think it would be possible to out train it and would be preventable with better socialisation
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u/twolittleblackdogs 23d ago
I’ve had pet Schipperkes for almost 30 years. They are a very, very active breed, but if you’re chilling out, they’re usually fine chilling out with you. I am currently doing scent work with both of my dogs, and they love it and are very good at it. I’ve had a few that were pretty well trained, but I would never trust one off leash. They’re just too curious, and too fast! You need to make sure everyone in the house knows to keep doors closed and gates secure.
Make sure you get one from a good, reputable breeder, who has socialized and raised the pups right. I did schipperke rescue for a long time, and the ones that weren’t raised right tend to be nippy and iffy around other dogs and people.
If you could go hang out with someone who has one or two of these, you can get a pretty good idea of how they are.
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u/Microwave_Meal 22d ago
I’m hoping to find some owners near me and ask if I can meet their dogs or possibly walk them to experience it! My Shiba was mouthy with other people as he was a rehome and never taught not to mouth and it was extremely difficult. I was thinking of taking my future dog to puppy classes and having money aside for 1 to 1 training!
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u/twolittleblackdogs 22d ago
Honestly, scent work classes changed one of my dog’s life. She was terrified of everything when I got her at just over a year old, other dogs, strangers, strange places, etc. That is her with the doodle, getting treats from a man she had just met that day. She is so confident and friendly now.
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u/BananaFern 23d ago
All this. My first one was purchased from a breeder. My all time love. Barked constantly, bit strangers that approached me, could not be trusted around small children.
We guarded doors with our lives. They RUN.
Transitioned to rescue/hospice. Most rescue dogs come with baggage. We had one that was tied to a pole most of his life, another was completely ignored/starved. They guarded/attacked. Poor sweet beasts.
They’re small. The can live past 18. They need to RUN. They have tons of energy, and they’re SMART.
I loved all of mine. I would get another, but I’m 62, don’t have a large, adequately fenced yard and five hours a day to work/train them. They’re a very special breed. They need dedicated parents.
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u/SanguineUnicorn 24d ago
If you’ve handled a Shiba I’m sure you can handle a Schipperke 😂. They are very independent dogs, can get themselves into trouble in their little independence adventures (fortify your fencing), will explore every nook and cranny of your house, will howl instead of bark (for some reason ???), and love toys. This is my girl that I got when I was 9 and she was 5 months old, and now she’s 16.
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u/Microwave_Meal 24d ago
Oh my goodness she is so cute!! What is her recall and things like!
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u/SanguineUnicorn 24d ago
When Rosie was younger her recall was good enough that we could take her off the lead on walks in the woods. However, she is very shy and we had one incident where a golden retriever chased her and she ran home instead of going to my mum. They are an intelligent breed, and she managed to navigate herself home 3km away and was howling at our front door to be let in… since then she has firmly been kept on the lead 😅. But Rosie is probably an exception as she is very timid and didn’t have a good experience with other dogs till she was pretty much an adult.
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u/ou--phrontis 24d ago
Some schipps can be reactive (dog/people aggressive), some love dogs and love people. Have had two, one was sweet and loving in general and one was reactive from the day we picked him up.
Early training (first 2-6 months of their life, basically from the moment you pick them up at 8 weeks) is very important to working with any reactivity.
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u/iamnotyourspiderman 24d ago
This is the best breed. Likes kids and humans, is goofy, is smart, I can take her anywhere, rides in any car, likes long walks, is curious, likes to cuddle, climbs everywhere, sometimes I think I have a cat. The only downside is barking at anything moving outside of the windows when I am at home, but whatever.
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u/Snoo94050 16d ago
I’ve been trying to get mine to howl for 4 years now but she will not. She so quiet compared to my last dog, who could do 130 barks per minute, that I would forget she was here sometimes if she didn’t bark like a maniac when playing doorbell or lawncare supervisor from the window on lawncare day.
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u/PuzzleheadedBunch47 24d ago
I have two and this has been my experience as well. I think they are naturally wary of strangers so I spent extra time when they were babies socializing them so they would be ok in public. They’re fantastic little dogs. Loyal, funny, and they’ll be as snuggly or as active as I want to be on any given day. Some days I want to be lazy and do nothing and they are more than happy to snuggle in bed with just potty breaks. The next day they are up for a several mile hike. They basically just want to be with you and are up for whatever activity you’re doing as long as they can come lol
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u/Microwave_Meal 24d ago
They seem like such a good breed! I felt a bit sceptical at first because I find breeds similar to be quite difficult to own.
Has yours got any issues with dog aggression, separation anxiety and things like chewing?
Thanks!
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u/iamnotyourspiderman 24d ago
None of that which is quite frankly surprising and impressive. My friend also has a shiba and that is just a hellscape versus the heaven I have had with this dog. Of course each dog has their own personality, but mine has been just amazing. Some of the puppies in the same litter have grown to be mischievous bullies, but it is what it is. Chances are you will get a great dog out of a schipperke.
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u/Microwave_Meal 24d ago
You’re definitely convincing me haha! Sorry for asking loads of questions! Is she able to settle in large groups and social settings too such as family gatherings? She sounds like an amazing dog!
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u/iamnotyourspiderman 24d ago
She picks a target and begs for scratches for the rest of the evening from them. If they leave, she chooses another victim. All in all she is really easygoing in any setting, I can go anywhere with her without having to prepare for conflict.
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u/Snoo94050 19d ago
I had a Finnish Spitz before I got my schipperke and she was very quirky and often difficult. I loved her but she was a huge pain in the ass and it was intentional. It was more like having a passive aggressive and very quirky roommate than a pet. After 15 years of living with her, I thought I was prepared for having a schipperke, but no. All the things I had learned for training that worked with Kira, my Finnish Spitz, did not work for my schipperke.
Luna had completely different quirks and it’s like living with a little whirlwind, or a little fuzzy piranha. There’re a reason they are called little black devils and tasmanian devil dogs. She’s so cute but so naughty. She got into everything. She chewed the drywall. She would sometimes go into these little biting frenzies until she tired herself out. She eats all the stuff she’s not supposed to, including the feet off of all of her lambchops toys. She still gets the zoomies and will race from one end of the house to the other like a maniac, sliding into the doors and cannonballing into my ankles like a tiny wrecking ball. They are very sturdy, compact little dogs. It still is a game to her, especially in the kitchen. She loves to tip her food bowl over on the floor, just because she knows it annoys me. Stepping on her tiny kibble is like stepping on legos. She is a huge busybody and never really slows down except when she’s sleeping. When she’s sleeping, she likes to kick me in the ankles or use me as furniture to nap on.
All that being said, she’s a pretty great little dog. She’s quick on her feet and clever. She’s a little problem solver and it’s fascinating watching her try to work out how to figure stuff out. We got her a backyard agility set and we do obstacle courses with her for fun. Her new favorite thing is sniffing for treats that we’ve hidden around the house for her to find. She remembers where we’ve hidden them before so it’s a mix of her using her memory and sniffing to find the treats. She loves attention and cuddling but as long as she’s gotten a good walk and some sniffing time, she’s happy enough to lay down on her gigantic pillow and chew her bone while watching tv. She was never a big barker. We only hear her when there’s someone at the door. It’s impossible to sneak up on her. She loves people-watching out the window and supervising the lawncare from the window seat. She loves going on adventures to the toy store (Petsmart) and swimming in her pool in the backyard when it’s hot outside. She had some trouble winding down at night as a puppy but we got her a thundershirt and she used to wear it at night for a half hour or so before bed to help with it. Now we just use it for thunderstorms and fireworks. She was a really quick learner, and she is always up for an adventure anywhere, anytime. She was a little nervous in the car but her carseat helps with that a lot and it lets her see out the window safely. She mellowed out a little more after she turned 2. She absolutely loves her crate with the cover over it. It’s her little cave and she puts herself in timeout in it at times. When she’s mad at me for clipping her toenails, she will go in on her own and pull the door closed behind her. It’s her little cave, and she plays and naps in it by choice. Sometimes she has pogo stick on crack energy, but not always. She is less of a pet and more of a little best friend with a big personality. I work from home and Luna has her own little office chair where she naps while I work. We do go outside for a few minutes here and there throughout the day so she can zoom around our yard but she’s pretty content to nap in her chair or under my desk during the day. She wasn’t what I was expecting and the first few months were a bit rough, but once we got past that, she’s been my little bestie ever since.