Yeah! Wookie is finally home! Eight weeks seem to take forever when you’re waiting… We’re really grateful to the breeder for letting us visit so often…

We went to pick her up Wednesday the 23th of December, as to give her some time to get to know our home before the busy days around Christmas. She’s been a very good doggy in the car on the way home. Things outside seemed very interesting, she climbed on my arm to be able to look out the window even!

At home, everything was like a playground to her, of course… Especially the Christmas tree… She really liked the ornaments down below, but when you find her trying to catch them you must reprimand her, although it really was kind of cute… Funny thing is we bought her dozens of toys but those didn’t seem as interesting as our tree, the blankets on the couch or some of the surround system’s cables… In the mean time she’s starting to learn what’s hers and what’s ours, and she sticks to her stuff now…

Going to sleep was another obstacle we had to overcome. We had a little bench and the idea was to keep that bench in our sleeping room, to give her the feeling that she wasn’t alone. After half an hour of whining, she went to sleep, only to be up at five, some four hours later… and I hate mornings… a lot… The second night was even worse, she cried as if someone was killing her… And again, at five o’clock, “rise and shine you guys, I’m awake, here me?!”… We decided to give her a new place to sleep in the kitchen, ‘cause there really wasn’t much progress… But she likes the kitchen it seems, she’s been quiet for two nights now. I think she’s more comfortable with it because she used to sleep in the kitchen at the breeder’s too. She’s very happy to see us in the morning however!

After nine weeks, Wookie already is housebroken. Again, we have to thank the breeder for putting so much effort in teaching Wookie and her brothers and sisters all these little things. She does her thing on the newspaper we put out, and we’ll keep a dog’s box as we live in an apartment. It’s a good idea to keep a safety net in case of emergencies.

Today we went to the park. Wookie didn’t like the leash at all! At first she was really terrified, she wouldn’t move and looked pretty scared… But once she was at the park, things worked out fine. We’ll try a little walk every day from now on, just to get her used to it.

Anyway, she’s adorable, we really love her… Apart from biting our fingers and sleeping, she loves to play with foxie, one of the toys we got her before she arrived.

I think Wookie’s the best Christmas gift ever…!

So, Wookie is a Schipperke. But what’s a Schipperke?

It looks like this:

The Schipperke in the picture above is Cobe van de Moesdongen, Wookie’s father.

As you can see in the picture, Cobe doesn’t have a tail. Nowadays, all Schipperkes bred in Belgium have a tail, since docking is prohibited since 2006 due to the ratification of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals. The Schipperke’s tail is rather long, and it’s worn in a curl on the back of their back. Usually docking had a reason: either practically or esthetically. In the Schipperke’s case, the former is correct. A tail is somewhat a weak point, another animal can bite it.

The Schipperke’s history is not to be found on the water, as it’s name may suggest, but in the cities. The word “Schipperke” has long been mistaken for “little sailor”, the literal meaning in Dutch. Later on was discovered that Schipperke actually meant “little sheepdog”, “scheperke” in Dutch, but mispronounced, leading to the mix-up. The Schipperke is indeed the littlest sheepdog in the world.

As said, Schipperkes are Belgians, and their known history goes back to the 17th century. The Schipperke was typical of Brussels, it lived amongst the people and it was especially popular with leather workers. They used their Schipperke to show off their craftsmanship by making them brass or leather collars.
Also, Schipperkes were sometimes used as vermin catchers in the fields, because they are very fast and nimble animals.

These little guys do have a big ego however. They love to pretend they’re big, and they’re very active. Schipperkes notice everything, and when they think something’s going on, they immediately intervene one way or another. As a guard dog they can be interesting too, since they don’t hesitate to bark if something seems wrong. They don’t really like strangers, but if a Schipperke is socialized the way it should, they won’t get aggressive. You can always try and make it less nervous, but I’m almost certain you won’t be able to turn it into a lap dog!

Schipperkes have a black double coat. Underneath the stiff upper layer there is a fuzzy undercoat. Schipperkes need grooming almost daily, especially when they’re shedding their coat. They loose their undercoat two times a year, resulting in loose hairs in the upper layer.

Schipperkes are friends for life. They usually get about 13 to 15 years old.

Wookie the Schipperke is a webblog about a Schipperke named Wookie. For those not aware of the meaning of the term Schipperke, it’s a dog. To be more specific, it’s a little black breed with Belgian origin, like the author of it’s stories.

To begin with, let me tell you why I’m so in love with Schipperkes.
When I was little, I didn’t care much for dogs. In fact, I was afraid of them. If I would run into a dog on the streets, I usually crossed to the other side of the road… My sister on the other hand was totally in love with dogs. She collected all about them: pictures, books, stuffed animals, … you name it. But what she really wanted was to own a real dog herself of course.
My parents didn’t really like that idea, because they were sure that they’d have to take care it. Especially taking it out in the morning, or on cold and rainy days. My dad not in the least.

One day we went for a day out in Antwerp on a cold February morning. They have a big market there every Saturday and Sunday, where you can buy all sorts of things: from fruit and vegetables to clothes over (you guessed it…) doggies.(Not anymore nowadays by the way, it’s forbidden to sell animals that way now.)
And of course my daddy dear couldn’t resist after they asked my little sister whether she’d like to hold that cute black puppy…

Anyway, we took that puppy home and called it Goofy. A bit of a silly name, since it actually was a bitch and the real Goofy isn’t, but we weren’t really prepared on taking a dog home.
I didn’t like Goofy that much at first, I must admit. I wasn’t scared of them anymore, but I didn’t care for them either.

Little did I know than that Goofy would become my best friend later on. It was always there when I felt bad for a hug, it would really feel when I was down. We liked to walk and it could be with me for hours and hours and never grow tired of me. I think everyone that has ever owned a dog can understand how I feel about it. Goofy passed away about two years ago, and I still miss it sometimes.

But, to get back to Wookie, because this is actually Wookie’s blog…
Goofy was half-Schipperke, half-Terrier. But it looked more like a big Schipperke. So when we were looking for a new dog, a bit more planned this time, it didn’t really take me long to decide on the breed.

And so, about two and a half months ago, we found a dedicated breeder not too far away luckily. Wookie is three weeks old now, and it already stole our hearts, or more correctly, they have. I have to admit that Wookie is still a bit of an empty term, since we won’t get to choose out of the nest. It’s brothers and sisters will be spoken for first, so we’ll have to wait and see.

I’ll keep you all posted however… You’ll be able to follow Wookie’s adventures and our experiences all here!