Schipperke, << SKIHP uhr kee, >> is a dog of Belgium. It is also called the barge dog or little skipper, because it once guarded canal barges and hurried the horses that pulled them. The dog has a foxlike head with small, pointed ears. It has a heavy black coat with a longer ruff (frill of hair) on its neck. Some schipperkes are born without a tail. In many others, the tail is docked (cut) to less than 1 inch (2.5 centimeters). The schipperke weighs about 15 pounds (7 kilograms).
