Breed

# Schipperke

The Schipperke is a non-sporting breed from Belgium, standing males 13 in · females 12 in at the withers, weighing 7–20 lb. Recorded lifespan is 13–15 yrs.

![A photograph of the Schipperke](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/schipperke.webp)

Breed group

Non-Sporting

Origin

Belgium

Height

males 13 in · females 12 in

Weight

7–20 lb

Lifespan

13–15 yrs

Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Schipperke is taller than 11% of the measured breeds, heavier than 9%, one of 22 in the Non-Sporting group, one of 4 from Belgium.

Compare the

Schipperke

with another breed

## Living with the Schipperke

Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Schipperke’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row.

Around people and other dogs

Affection with family

4 of 5

1 independent · 5 devoted

Good with young children

4 of 5

1 not suited · 5 very good

Good with other dogs

2 of 5

1 not suited · 5 very good

Openness to strangers

2 of 5

1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend

Watchdog / protective nature

5 of 5

1 unbothered · 5 vigilant

What they will ask of you

Energy

4 of 5

1 couch potato · 5 busy all day

Exercise needs

5 of 5

1 a short walk · 5 a job to do

Playfulness

4 of 5

1 only when invited · 5 non-stop

Barking

4 of 5

1 only to alert · 5 very vocal

Around the house

Shedding

3 of 5

1 barely · 5 constantly

Drooling

1 of 5

1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel

What they tolerate

Tolerates being alone

3 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Tolerates hot weather

2 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Tolerates cold weather

3 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Schipperke on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/schipperke/)[Schipperke on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/schipperke)

## Breeds that look like the Schipperke

A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Schipperke.

- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/kintamani.webp)Kintamani](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/kintamani/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/black-norwegian-elkhound.webp)Black Norwegian Elkhound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/black-norwegian-elkhound/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/mudi.webp)Mudi](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/mudi/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/tahltan-bear-dog.webp)Tahltan Bear Dog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/tahltan-bear-dog/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/croatian-sheepdog.webp)Croatian Sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/croatian-sheepdog/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lapponian-herder.webp)Lapponian Herder](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/lapponian-herder/)

Side by side

Height 0–38 in

1. Schipperke13 in
2. Kintamani19–22 in
3. Black Norwegian Elkhound18–19 in
4. Mudi16–19 in
5. Tahltan Bear Dog12–15 in
6. Croatian Sheepdog16–21 in
7. Lapponian Herder20 in

Weight 0–220 lb

1. Schipperke7–20 lb
2. Kintamani33–40 lb
3. Black Norwegian Elkhound35–44 lb
4. Mudi24–29 lb
5. Tahltan Bear Dog15–20 lb
6. Croatian Sheepdog29–43 lb
7. Lapponian Herder60–70 lb

Lifespan 0–20 yrs

1. Schipperke13–15 yrs
2. Kintamani~14 yrs
3. Black Norwegian Elkhound12–15 yrs
4. Mudi12–14 yrs
5. Tahltan Bear Dog10–12 yrs
6. Croatian Sheepdog13–14 yrs
7. Lapponian Herder10–14 yrs

Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust.

See the

Schipperke

on the breed map

Read about the

Schipperke

on Wikipedia
