Schapendoes: A Brief Historical Summary
At the end of the last and beginning of this century, the Nederlandse Schapendoes was found everywhere in the region of the Netherlands where there was heathland and flocks of sheep. The shepherds valued them for the tireless pleasure they took in their work and for their intelligence.
The Schapendoes belongs to the wide ranging group of long haired herding breeds which have densely coated heads. They are related to the Bearded Collie, the Puli, the Owczarek Nizinny, the Bobtail, the Briard, the Beramasker and the German Schafspudel of the variety which occurs in Hessen, Odenwald and the Niederrhein district. All these similar dogs are smaller mutations of mountain dogs.
The canine authority, P.M.C. Toepoel, is the founder of the breed. During the Second World War, he roused interest in the breed. During the years from 1940 to 1945 specimens of the almost vanished Schapendoes were used for breeding from wherever they could be found. The Breed Club for Nederlandse Schapendoes was founded in the year 1947 and in 1952 the breed was provisionally recognized by the Raad van Beheer. In 1954 the standard was set up and a stud book was started. Formal recognition followed in the year 1971.
Since then only registered dogs have been used for breeding.
Most of today's Schapendoes come from 'Reeuwijk's' kennel of Mr. and Mrs. Backx-Benninck. The first Schapendoes arrived in France in 1985 and the first french litter was born in 1987, at the kennel of J. et D. Mellet-Coemades. In 1989 the Fédération Cynologique Internatinale (F.C.I.) recognized the breed.
In 1998, the 'Debruyere' kennel of Raymonde Briere, imported the breed to Canada and worked towards having the breed fully recognized in the Herding Group by the Canadian Kennel Club. In November of 2005 the Canadian Kennel Club, recognized the Schapendoes in the 'Herding Group' under the name of 'Dutch Sheepdog'.
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