The words of Mrs. Heard are words of wisdom, and if only those breeders of the Schipperke would cease from coddling, the constitution, always a hardy one, could be materially strengthened. The writer breeds a few litters every year, and never provides any artificial warmth for the dam and her puppies. The kennels are all outdoor ones.

When the Schipperke was first introduced in this country it was heralded as a tailless breed. Nothing, however, could be more erroneous. That some puppies are born tailless is perfectly true; but the majority are made so artificially, the docking being best performed when the puppies are but a few days old. Formerly it was the practice to remove every vestige of the tail; now by the description the "merest stump" is allowed, though the possession of even the merest stump militates against a dog's chances in the show-ring. Many docked specimens, too, seem to lack an important characteristic- the rounded rump that was such a feature of the old-time dogs. They have, in fact, a straight-backed, Terrier-like appearance, instead of the guinea-pig-like hindquarters that should obtain. Then, again, it will be noted that the foxy type of head that also was a characteristic of the earlier imported Schips is fast disappearing, together with the dark brown, hazel eye, the tapering, pointed ear, well-sprung ribs, dense, abundant coats that English and Belgium standards alike suggest should be found.

As well as the rounded rump, other features that give character to the Schipperke are the mane (the prolongation and thickening of the coat in the neck vicinity), and the culotte (thigh-breeching) of the Belgian fanciers. The mane is seen to the greatest advantage when the dog is excited, and is far more pronounced in the males than in the females. Schipperke fanciers that wish to preserve the mane should not allow their dogs to wear collars longer at a time than is necessary to accustom them thereto. Nor should the collar at any time be of the flat kind; the round or rein collar is far preferable.

Black is the only colour that is allowed in a Schipperke, and now and then one finds a queer-coloured puppy in a litter - a throwback to an ancestor in a country where other colours are common- or less often a pure white, or a black heavily marked with white. Puppies with a few white hairs are often met with, and though it handicaps, does not disqualify a dog. In puppies such white hairs are sometimes shed at the first moult and not again renewed.

The head of the Schipperke, it cannot be too well borne in mind, should be wide and flat, and all puppies and adults showing round skulls should be carefully avoided, as also should those whose eyes, alike as to colour and shape, do not agree with the description published below. As, too, it is desirable to make as much possible, when showing a Schipperke, of the mane and culotte, a little extra grooming to emphasise these will not be lost. So far as the mane is concerned, it is well to brush this the reverse way, so that it stands well out.

To Mr. G. R. Krehl attaches not a little of the kudos for bringing this active, alert little dog before the notice of the English dog-loving public, alike by means of his imported specimens and his contributions upon the breed. Other earlier fanciers and breeders of the Schipperke that may be named are Mr. W. R. H. Temple, Mr. E. B. Joachim, Mr. Woodiwiss, Messrs. Singer and Hill, Mr. Bendle Moore, Mr. Fuller, and Mrs. Heard, two of whose dogs that in the past have gained fame for their owner are illustrated.

The description of the breed that is appended should enable a novice to judge with a fair amount of accuracy the chief points that should be found in even a young puppy. As with all erect-eared varieties, the Schipperke is born with ears down; but in the most promising puppies there are soon evidences of the ears being erected. Until, however, the teething process is over, it is not possible to say with certainty how this or that ear will be eventually carried.

The promoters of the St. Hubert Schipperke Club have agreed to accept in toto the native standard, and for that purpose have translated the points as published by the Schipperke Club in Belgium. The original text and sense are strictly adhered to, and the translation is as close and literal as it is possible to be, consistent with using terms that are understood by English breeders.

The following is the standard for judging the Belgian Schipperke, as translated and drawn up for the St. Hubert Schipperke Club, together with some "Supplementary Notes" by Mr. G. R. Krehl: -