which the peasants with a meager income appreciated. The dogs stood out for their tireless work and the supple and agile way in which they took the obstacles in the heath. And their long fur that serves as a protective layer against all the 'dangers' on the heath, such as their bangs that protect their eyes against protruding branches or the long locks over their fur that provide an extra layer of protection in the cold or while working among the blackberries bushes.

Character
Just like the Border Collie, this breed can always be found to go to work, to experience new adventures and to work sporty with its owner. They are attentive, lively and alert and a bit stubborn. The Does not only goes through fire for its owner, but is also a real family dog ​​and this is also the main difference between the Schapendoes and the border collie. Where the Border Collie sees a boss within the family as boss, the Schapendoes is a real everyone's friend and they see everything and everyone as part of the family, they enjoy being together and being part of the family intensely. The Dutch Schapendoes is a breed that is also suitable for a beginner, but it should be remembered that these dogs are originally real working dogs that need the necessary challenge in the form of a nice long walk or dog sport. The Schapendoes is incredibly smart and eager to learn and needs a consistent but not too strict education. The Schapendoes is a fantastic breed if given the right challenge and satisfaction.

Health
In general, the Dutch Schapendoes is a fairly healthy breed, however, a number of hereditary defects have crept into this breed over the years, such as kidney failure & heart failure, which is something that the parent animals unfortunately cannot be tested for, however, by carefully sifting through the parent animals before a combination is even made, we try to keep the chance of these hereditary defects as small as possible. We do everything we can to give birth to healthy puppies with a chosen combination. Officially, older animals within this breed must only be tested annually for eye disease and abnormalities (ECVO), however, we personally choose to test our sheepdogs just as extensively as we do with our Border Collies, so we have an extensive DNA test done and our dogs are fully x-rayed (hd, ed, ocd & back). Precisely because we test our ladies extensively, we can look even more critically at a future male.

Life expectancy: 12–15 years. An adult male may be between 43 - 50 cm high and weighs around 20 kg on average. An adult bitch may be between 40 - 47 cm high and weighs around 15 kg on average.