Schapendoe History

A Brief History of the Dutch Sheep Dog

At the end of the last and beginning of this century, the Nederlandse Schapendoes (Dutch Sheep Dog)was found everywhere in the region of the Netherlands where there was heathland and flocks of sheep.  The shepards valued them for the tireless pleasure they took in their work and their intelligence.

The Schapendoes belongs to the wide ranging group of long haired herding breeds.  They are related to the Bearded Collie, the Puli, the Owczarek Nizinny, the Bobtail, the Briard, the Beramaser and the German Schafspudel of the variety which occurs in Hessen, Odenwald and the Niederrhein district.

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 - 1945 specimens of the almost vanished Schapendoes were used for breeding from wherever they could be found.  The breed club for the Nederlandse Schapendoes was founded in the 1947 and in 1952 the breed was provisionally recognized by the Raad van Beheer.  In 1954 the breed standard was written and a stud book was started.  Formal recognition following in 1971.  Since then only registered dogs have been used for breeding.

Most of todays 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 Federation Cynologique Internatinale (F.C.I.) recognized the breed.

In 1998 the "Debruyere" kennel of Raymonde Briere imported the breed to Canada and worked at having the breed fully recognized in the Herding group by the Canadian Kennel Club.  In November of 2005 the Canadian Kennel Club recognized the Shcapendoes in the Herding Group under the name "Dutch Sheep Dog".

As of March 2006 this breed was able to participate in all CKC activities.

In 2007 the American Kennel Club accepted the Schapendoes into it's Foundation Stock Service (FSS) program.  Schapendoes are permitted to participate in all AKC sponsored performance activities, except for conformation.