About "Shepherd Dog","Sheepdog" and "Schipperke"

What is the difference between a "Shepherd dog" and a "Sheepdog" ? Is there a difference ? To answer those qestions, why not examine the words used in Belgium, the country of origin ?

In the spoken and written french language, people use always the term "Chien de berger". The litteraly translation is "Shepherd dog". The name of the first association founded in Brussels on the 29th of September 1891, was the "Club du chien de berger belge " (= Club of the Belgian Shepherd dog). The first Standard approved by the General meeting of 3 April 1892 used only the term "Chien de berger belge" (= Belgian shepherd dog). The first Standard divided the breed into three varieties : the long-haired, the short-haired and the rough-haired without regard to the colour of the coats.

What about the dutch language used in the North half of Belgium or the Flemish country ? The oldest book I found during my research is dated 1916 and published in Antwerp. The author, Jos. M. Panési was a trainer. He used always the word "herdershond" (= shepherd dog). Once he used "Onzer schaapherdershonden" (= our shepherd dogs of sheep"). There was also a time of dogs used for the guidance and guard of the flocks of geese. I have a document dated "3 september 1911" with the titel " Groote Koersen voor SCHAPERSHONDEN". The exact translation of "schapershonden" is "sheepdogs".

Very interesting are the articles published in the Flemish magazine "Cultura" in 1925/26 by Louis Hyughebaert (1868-1952), the godfather of our Malinois. He wrote the following : " Shepherd dog is used in the Netherlands, sheepdog in Belgium. I give the preference to sheepdog, firstly because the sound is better, secondly because the word is used by people language. In our Flemish country, people said usually " een schone scheper"(= a beautiful sheepdog)".

Effectively, when I am walking with my Malinois, people said mostly : "een Belgische scheper" (= a Belgian sheepdog) or "een Mechelse scheper" (= a Malinois sheepdog.).

Louis Huyghebaert explains also that our Belgian breed "Schipperke" (little black dog without tail) the diminutive is of the Flemish word "scheper". Effectively, if the literal translation of "schipper" is "boatman", the true meaning of the word "Schipperke" has a very different origin. According to the area, one pronounced it as "schaper, scheper or schieper ". This is still the case today. The final "ke " always indicates the diminutive. "Schipperke" is a little sheepdog and come not from the Flemish word "schipper" (= boatman). That is why today the "Schipperke " is rightly classified in the group of the sheepdogs.. The "Schipperke Club" was the first canine Club on the European continent founded in Brussels on the 10th of March 1888.

Jean-Marie Vanbutsele

	History

	About "Shepherd dog", "Sheepdog" and "Schipperke".