Schapendoes

FCI:

Dutch Schapendoes - Group I. - Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs, Section 1 - Sheepdogs with working trial. Recognized in 1971.

General Appearance:

Dutch Schapendoes´s with nice body and soul. When it works tough, agile and very fast, manifests remarkable intelligence and considerable autonomy. Character is attentive and courageous, cheerful, lively, hardworking, vivacious, friendly and very responsive.

Temperament/ Behaviour:

It likes learning, but when it does not want to respect the owner, it plays the tricks with owner, the owner must always attract this dog and it must be the most important in each situation. It will help in the significantly positive stimulation. Education must be sweet, but totally consistent. Schapendoes needs a owner´s  patient, quiet and steady.

It has defensive abilities and not aggressive protector of the owner and owner´ s property. Sharpness is totally unknown for this breed, vigilance it was not missing. It loves "its family" and it is fully committed. It is very social, and therefore not constantly to keep in outdoor pens, suffers a lot. This breed is very nice with children, and because it is very playful, it is able to play with them tirelessly for hours. Compatible seamlessly with other dogs and other pets, if it was in young age socialized well.

It claims for movement is quite substantial, long walks are necessary. In any case, it must also provide the possibility of various other activities (playing with a ball, retrieving, trained in agility or another suitable dog sport) to discharge energy. Then at the home it is calm and satisfied. It must regular have any work, if possible, every day, for this breed it is very beneficial. it gladly  participates in occasional long day of hiking. If it does not respect the owner, it is better walk on leash, it tends to run away. It is suitable for people rather sporty.

Body:

Schapendoes is a long-haired dog, lightweight, well-balanced, harmonious construction of the height at the withers 43-50 cm in males and 40-47 cm in females.

Head seems wealth of hair at first look, a larger and wider than it actually is. Skull should be above almost flat, with a reasonably significant longitudinal front furrow and the very prominent zygomatic arches. The frontal slope should be clearly declining; the muzzle from the base forward slightly narrower, but it is deep, and at the end fairly broad, slightly rounded. Teeth must be normally developed, scissor bite. Zygomatic arches are strongly arched.

The eyes should be big enough and round and placed in orbit by facing forward rather than sideways. Iris colour is brown, the whites of the eyes should be seen only when the dog looks clearly to the sides. The expression is a reasonable, honest and lively.

The earlobes are set fairly high and are neither large nor fleshy. They should be freely suspended; they should not be stored above the upper line of the skull. They are amply feathered and mobile. The neck is strong, dry and head high. The body length should be slightly larger than the height; the skeleton must be light and flexible. Topline body is heavily muscled loins arched. The pelvis should be significantly skewed.

The tail should be long, heavily furred, with a "flag" on the bottom. Its bearing is considered very typical. The rest is suspended; the trot is carried slightly above and slightly curved arched upward moving from side to side. Galloping, it is stretched horizontally backward while jumping and serves as a rudder. In alertness can be carried high, but they should never be stiffly erect over the back.

The chest should be deep, ribs moderately well sprung, the last reach far back. Tummy tuck should not be too much. The forelegs are straight, lighter bones and properly angled so that dotted the chest. Pasterns should be flexible.

The hindquarters must be adequately bent hocks and short insteps. Feet are flexible, relatively large, wide, oval-shaped, enclosed with strong, flexible padded and abundant feathering between fingers. Dewclaws should be deemed admissible. Movement should be light and flexible and economical. When work is more frequent, gaits gallop trot.

The coat is thick with sufficient undercoat, aft length of at least 7 cm or more. It is slightly wavy, curly hair is not permitted. Guard hairs cling tightly to each other; they are fine and dry, but not silky. Where the hair is long, it tends to stand off in tufts, which gives it to the volume, particularly at the rear of the body. Longer hair on the crown forms a "crest" and muzzle moustache and beard.

Allowed is any hair colour, preference is given to blue-gray to black. The coat requires regular care because it tends to be fuzzy. It must be comb, comb long hair by comb and then comb pins shorter and denser, to remove any dead hair.

Faults the above requirements shall be considered defects and evaluated according to the degree of expression. Disqualifying fault is nervousness or aggression.