The Schafpudel – or Sheep Poodle – is not a new designer breed, nor is it new. Depending upon the source, it may not even be as much a breed as a landrace.  That said, old photos suggest a dog that has bred true for a very long time, and reference to it as a breed in its own right in respected volumes such as Dr. Bonnie Wilcox and Chris Walkowicz’s “Atlas of Dog Breeds of the World,” persuades us to treat it as a breed.

Schafpudel photo by Renate Heer and obtained from Wikicommons

The Schafpudel dates back to the early Middle Ages in Southern Germany, and that makes this breed one of the oldest German herding dogs on record. Sadly, it is also a rare and vanishing breed, even in its home country. Once upon a time, these dogs were used to move sheep throughout Germany and central Europe, particularly between Germany and Hungary where importing and exporting sheep was common. Even with the construction of a human-made boundary – the Berlin Wall –  Schafpudels worked the flocks in the former East Germany. When the Wall came down, however, Germany changed; the culture of shepherding vanished, and along with it, the need for sheepdogs.

An old photo of a German shepherd with two Schafpudels. Photo retrieved from the public domain.)

One hates to see an influential breed straining to survive, and the Schapu (as it’s know by its fans) was a dog that had an impact. Thought to have the Water Dog and Barbet in its own background, some cynologists have suggested the Schafpudel is in the ancestry of the Standard Schnauzer. With a wavy, Poodle-like coat inclined to cord, it may have also appeared in the gene pool of the Puli.  And finally, one look at its ears makes it easy to suspect dalliances with ancestors of the Pumi, as well, something the Pumi Club of America mentions on its history and origins website page (though not every Schafpudel appears to have high set ears). Certainly, the agricultural business that occurred between Germany and Hungary makes a distant relationship with these two breeds believable.

This is a medium sized hard working dog who is persistent and spirited.  With people he knows, the Schapu is loving, sensitive, and very people oriented, but he has a tendency to be initially reserved with strangers, another Puli attribute.

The Schafpudel doesn’t have national or international recognition, but in 2008, Germany’s Society for the Conservation of Old and Endangered Livestock Breeds listed the breed as “extremely vulnerable” to extinction.

As noble as rescuing one individual dog is, one could save an entire breed from extinction by at least investigating these at-risk breeds to see if any of them would be a good fit for person looking for a canine companion. As rare as the Schafpudel is, there are breeders in Europe who can be found with a simple Google search. If one is so inclined, however, we strongly urge you to do your homework both about the breed and the breeder. Not every breed is perfect for everyone, and not every breeder has high standards.

Image found unattributed on the Internet and we are happy to add credit upon receipt of information.