Cape and culottes may sound sartorial, but the words are part of the AKC breed description for the Schipperke. “Culottes” refer to the long and thick hair on the back of the dog’s thighs, while the long, thick hair that forms a triangle or cape-shape on the dog’s back starting at the base of the neck and covers the Schipperke‘s shoulders is called the “cape.”

Image: A portrait painting of a Schipperke from 1927 by French master Rene Delin (1877-1961) recently sold at Tresor Art Gallery in Belgium.