Schapendoes

The Schapendoes is a medium-sized herding breed from the Netherlands, bred to move flocks of sheep across open heathland. The job called for stamina and quick changes of direction rather than raw strength, and the breed still moves with a light, springy stride that covers ground with little wasted effort.

The coat is the feature most people notice first: long, slightly wavy hair that falls forward over the eyes and gives the face a soft, tousled look. Underneath sits a lean, athletic dog of moderate bone, closer in build to a working collie than to a heavy farm guard breed. Adults generally stand 40 to 50 cm at the shoulder and weigh 12 to 25 kg.

In temperament the Schapendoes is friendly, good-natured, and quick-witted. It bonds closely with its family and stays busy and cheerful through the day. South African owners who take part in agility or obedience clubs often find the breed a willing partner, since it likes having a problem to work out.

Who it suits

The Schapendoes fits a household that is home most days and prepared to give an hour or more of activity daily. It suits owners who want a dog to bring along on hikes, runs, or dog-sport training rather than a dog that is content on its own. The coat asks for a proper brushing routine, so factor that into your week. Because the breed is so people-oriented, it battles in homes where it would be left alone for long stretches, whether that is a full workday in a flat in Sandton or a smallholding with nobody home.

The Schapendoes developed in the Netherlands as a working sheepdog on the heathlands and small farms, kept by shepherds for what it could do rather than how it looked. Type varied a fair amount from one region to the next, since there was no formal standard guiding it for most of its history. The name is Dutch for sheep dog, a plain description of the job it did every day.

It belongs to a broader family of long-haired European herding breeds that also includes the Bearded Collie, the Puli, and the Bergamasco. All of these dogs carry a shaggy, weatherproof coat and a body built for agility over rough ground rather than for speed on the flat. For most of its history the Schapendoes was simply a regional farm dog, passed from shepherd to shepherd with little written record.

Dutch cynologist Pieter van der Sande took up the cause of the breed in the 1940s. Numbers had dropped hard during the Second World War, when many dogs were lost and organised breeding all but stopped. A small surviving group formed the basis of the recovery.

The Dutch breed club was founded in 1947, and a breed standard followed soon after. The Raad van Beheer, the Dutch kennel authority, recognised the Schapendoes, and the Federation Cynologique Internationale later did the same. South African interest in the breed is limited and mostly comes through FCI-linked imports and KUSA registration, since the Schapendoes remains most common in its home country.

The Schapendoes is slightly longer than it is tall, with a lean frame and moderate bone, giving an overall impression of a light, agile dog rather than a heavy one. The head carries plenty of hair, forming a topknot, moustache, and beard, and the long coat falls forward over the eyes. The tail is long and well feathered, carried low at rest and lifted when the dog is moving.

Coat and colour

The coat is what defines the breed. It is long, dry to the touch, and slightly wavy, with a dense undercoat that gives real weather protection, useful whether the dog lives on the Highveld through a cold, dry winter or copes with humid summers on the KwaZulu-Natal coast. Hair can reach 7 cm or more on the body and forms the characteristic furnishings on the face.

All coat colours are allowed under the standard, though shades from blue-grey through to black turn up most often, and some dogs carry white markings. The coat needs regular grooming to stop the wavy hair matting, particularly behind the ears, under the legs, and around the rear end.

The Schapendoes is an affectionate, lively dog that wants to be part of everything the family does, and it tends to follow its people from room to room. It is good-natured with children and, when raised and socialised properly, usually gets on well with other dogs.

With strangers it stays alert and will often bark to flag a visitor, but it is not a guard dog by temperament and warms up fast once the newcomer is introduced properly. Its herding background shows through in a watchful, busy nature that reacts quickly to movement, and without an outlet this can turn into chasing or circling anything that moves, cats, joggers, even the family's own children.

This is a breed that thinks for itself. It picks things up quickly but can be independent-minded, so training works best with owners who keep sessions varied and interesting. Left bored or under-exercised, a Schapendoes can turn to barking, restlessness, and chewing. Give it enough to do and enough company, and it settles into a cheerful, balanced companion.

Grooming

• Brush the coat properly two to three times a week to stop the wavy hair matting.
• Pay particular attention to behind the ears, under the legs, around the collar, and at the rear, where tangles start first.
• Bathe only when needed, then dry and brush the coat out fully so it doesn't mat while drying.
• Trim hair around the eyes and check the ears regularly for debris and moisture, especially after a swim in a dam or the sea.
• Keep nails short and check the paws after exercise on rough or stony ground.

Exercise

• Give at least 60 minutes of activity a day, split between walks and free running.
• Add mental work such as training games, scent work, or puzzle feeders.
• The breed does well at agility, flyball, and obedience, all of which use up its energy productively.
• Allow safe off-lead time in a secured area, such as a fenced camp or a dog park, so it can move at real speed.

Environment

The Schapendoes copes equally well with a house that has a garden or an active flat household, provided it gets daily exercise and isn't left on its own for long periods. The dense double coat handles cold, wet weather without trouble, which suits a Cape winter or a frosty Highveld morning, but the dog needs shade and water on hot days and should not be left out in the midday sun during a Karoo-style heatwave. Since it is so people-focused, it does best wherever it can spend real time with the family.

The Schapendoes does well on a complete and balanced diet formulated for active medium breeds. As a working-type dog its calorie needs rise with exercise and drop in quieter periods, so portions should be adjusted to keep it lean rather than fed the same amount year-round. Ribs should be easy to feel but not visible. Fresh water should be available at all times.

Treats and supplements

Keep treats to roughly 10 percent of daily calories at most, and count them as part of the day's food rather than as extras. Small, low-fat rewards work well for training. A healthy dog on a complete diet usually needs no added supplements, though a vet may suggest omega-3 fatty acids or joint support for an older or hard-working dog. Bring in any diet change gradually, over about a week, to avoid an upset stomach.

The Schapendoes is a hardy breed with comparatively few inherited problems for a pedigree dog. With good care, most live 12 to 15 years. The breed relies on a small but actively managed gene pool, so responsible breeders screen for the conditions known to occur. Buying from health-tested parents remains the single best way to cut the risk.

South African owners also need to factor in the local disease picture. Warm-climate parasites are more of a year-round issue here than in the Netherlands, and tick-borne biliary, caused by Babesia parasites, can make a dog seriously ill within days if untreated. A consistent tick-prevention plan matters more in South Africa than the breed's country of origin would suggest.

Preventive care

• Keep core and recommended vaccinations up to date.
• Run a year-round tick, flea, and worm prevention plan, given how common tick-borne biliary is in South Africa.
• Book annual veterinary check-ups, moving to twice yearly once the dog is a senior.
• Brush the teeth regularly and offer dental chews.
• Keep the dog at a lean weight to protect the joints.

The Schapendoes learns fast and enjoys having a job, which makes it a rewarding dog to train. It can also be independent-minded and bores easily, so repetitive drilling tends to backfire. Keep sessions short, varied, and upbeat, and stop while the dog is still keen rather than pushing for one more repetition. The breed responds well to activities that mix thinking with movement, such as agility and trick training. Broad, early socialisation with people, other animals, and everyday situations, from a busy shopping centre car park to a neighbour's chickens, helps this naturally alert dog stay confident and settled.

Basics

1. Start name recognition and a reliable recall in a quiet space from a young age.
2. Teach sit, down, and stay using food or toy rewards in short bursts.
3. Build loose-lead walking before the dog has the strength to pull hard.
4. Practise calm settling and short periods alone to prevent over-attachment.
5. Add a release cue and an interrupt cue to manage the herding instinct to chase.

Responsible breeding of the Schapendoes centres on temperament, working ability, and health, with real care taken over the breed's limited gene pool. Both parents should have hip scores and eye tests done before mating, and most breeders wait until a dog is physically and mentally mature, around two years old, rather than breeding from a bitch at her first season.

Gestation runs about 63 days. Litters usually hold four to six puppies, though numbers vary. The dam does most of the early work raising the litter, and gentle human handling should start early to build well-socialised puppies. Pups are typically weaned by seven to eight weeks and shouldn't go to a new home before that age, with many breeders holding them slightly longer. Early exposure to household sounds, sights, and calm handling sets up the breed's naturally friendly adult temperament.

Schapendoes registration and microchips in South Africa

South Africa has no single national law forcing microchips on dogs, though the SPCA chips as standard and rabies vaccination is required by law. What actually reunites a lost Schapendoes with you is a record, and that part is free: a United Pet Club profile carries your details beside the dog's photo for as long as you have him. Registering your dog takes a few minutes, with no fee attached.

The chip is a number; the registry entry is the story behind it. Capture your Schapendoes's 15-digit number in a free United Pet Club account and the story reads: this dog has a home. Every brand is accepted, updates never cost a cent, and the record stays searchable here and abroad. Microchip registration plus a free account does it.