Dutch Shepherd Dog
Encyclopedia
The Dutch Shepherd Dog is a breed
of dog
. The breed is an old herding breed of Dutch origin. In the old days shepherds and farmers needed a versatile dog, a jack-of-all-trades, with few demands and adapted to the harsh and meager existence of that time.
From those working dogs the Dutch Shepherd Dog as we know it today was created. This background also explains the character traits which have been well preserved.
The length of the body (from point of shoulder to point of buttock) exceeds the height at the withers approximately in a ratio of ten to nine, as suits a trotting dog. The breed is similar to the German Shepherd.
Long hair: All over the body, long, straight, well fitting, harsh to the touch, without curls or waves and with a woolly undercoat. Distinct ruff and breeches. Tail abundantly coated. Head, ears and feet and also the hind legs below the hocks are short and densely coated. The backsides of the forelegs show a strongly developed coat, shortening in length towards the feet, the so-called feathering. No fringes at the ears.
Wire hair: Dense, harsh tousled coat and a woolly, dense undercoat all over the body except for the head. The coat should be close. Upper- and lower lip should be well-covered with hair, the whiskers and beard, and two well defined, coarse rough eyebrows that are distinct but not exaggerated.
Furnishings are not soft. The hair on the skull and on the cheeks is less strongly developed. In profile it seems as if the head has a more square appearance. Strongly developed breeches are desirable. Tail is covered all round with hair. The brindle colour may be less pronounced because of the tousled coat.
Colour
Brindle
. The basic colour is golden or silver. Golden can vary from light sand- coloured to chestnut red. The brindle is clearly present all over the body, in the ruff, breeches and tail. Too much black is undesirable. A black mask
is preferable. Heavy white markings on chest or feet is not desirable
The Dutch Shepherd is a high-energy, intelligent dog which requires a great amount of daily exercise. Lack of exercise can result in boredom and destructive behavior. They do best in a household with assertive people to give them leadership, consistency and guidance. Dutch Shepherds can be territorial and protective of their property and family.
. Dutch Shepherds and similar sized working breeds such as the Belgian Malinois are increasingly popular with police agencies because the Dutch Shepherd breed has not been subject to extensive breeding as has the German Shepherd. This can adversely affect the health and temperament of the individual dog as well as the breed. For example the preference for the German Shepherd's sloping back has resulted in a 19.1% incidence of hip dysplasia compared to a 6.2% incidence found among the Dutch Shepherds.
trials, obedience
, flyball
, Schutzhund
, tracking
, and herding
events. Herding
instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Dutch Shepherds exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials.
, Service Dogs Of America
, competitive obedience
, agility
, flyball
, and sheepdog trial
s.
This breed is very healthy but as with many large breeds they do suffer from some hip dysplasia and heart defects, however far less frequent than German Shepherds. In many cases hip and joint problems are caused by owners running or jumping juvenile dogs before they are done growing. A dog should be 1 year old before forced exercise or jumping is done to avoid possible joint and hip problems.
Dog breed
Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
of dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
. The breed is an old herding breed of Dutch origin. In the old days shepherds and farmers needed a versatile dog, a jack-of-all-trades, with few demands and adapted to the harsh and meager existence of that time.
From those working dogs the Dutch Shepherd Dog as we know it today was created. This background also explains the character traits which have been well preserved.
Appearance
A medium-sized, medium weight, well-proportioned, well-muscled dog of powerful, well-balanced structure, with intelligent expression and lively temperament.The length of the body (from point of shoulder to point of buttock) exceeds the height at the withers approximately in a ratio of ten to nine, as suits a trotting dog. The breed is similar to the German Shepherd.
Coat varieties
Short hair: All over the body, quite hard, close-fitting, not too short coat with woolly undercoat. Ruff, breeches and tail plume are clearly visible.Long hair: All over the body, long, straight, well fitting, harsh to the touch, without curls or waves and with a woolly undercoat. Distinct ruff and breeches. Tail abundantly coated. Head, ears and feet and also the hind legs below the hocks are short and densely coated. The backsides of the forelegs show a strongly developed coat, shortening in length towards the feet, the so-called feathering. No fringes at the ears.
Wire hair: Dense, harsh tousled coat and a woolly, dense undercoat all over the body except for the head. The coat should be close. Upper- and lower lip should be well-covered with hair, the whiskers and beard, and two well defined, coarse rough eyebrows that are distinct but not exaggerated.
Furnishings are not soft. The hair on the skull and on the cheeks is less strongly developed. In profile it seems as if the head has a more square appearance. Strongly developed breeches are desirable. Tail is covered all round with hair. The brindle colour may be less pronounced because of the tousled coat.
Colour
Brindle
Brindle
Brindle is a coat coloring pattern in animals, particularly dogs, cats, cattle, guinea pigs, crested geckos and, rarely, horses. It is sometimes described as "tiger striped", although the brindle pattern is more subtle than that of a tiger's coat...
. The basic colour is golden or silver. Golden can vary from light sand- coloured to chestnut red. The brindle is clearly present all over the body, in the ruff, breeches and tail. Too much black is undesirable. A black mask
Melanistic mask
A melanistic mask is a dog coat pattern that gives the appearance of a mask on the dog's face. The hairs on the muzzle, and sometimes entire face or ears, are colored by eumelanin instead of pheomelanin pigment. Eumelanin is typically black, but may instead be brown, dark gray, or light gray-brown...
is preferable. Heavy white markings on chest or feet is not desirable
Size
- Height: 57 – 62 cm (dogs) 55 – 60 cm (bitches)
- Weight: 28 kg (dogs) 23 kg (bitches)
Temperament
The breed standard disposition for this dog: affectionate, obedient, tractable, alert, faithful and reliable. The breed standard also mentions “intelligent expression and lively temperament”.The Dutch Shepherd is a high-energy, intelligent dog which requires a great amount of daily exercise. Lack of exercise can result in boredom and destructive behavior. They do best in a household with assertive people to give them leadership, consistency and guidance. Dutch Shepherds can be territorial and protective of their property and family.
Working Ability
The short-haired Dutch Shepherd is used extensively throughout Europe and the United States as a working dog, primarily in police service, including search and rescueSearch and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
. Dutch Shepherds and similar sized working breeds such as the Belgian Malinois are increasingly popular with police agencies because the Dutch Shepherd breed has not been subject to extensive breeding as has the German Shepherd. This can adversely affect the health and temperament of the individual dog as well as the breed. For example the preference for the German Shepherd's sloping back has resulted in a 19.1% incidence of hip dysplasia compared to a 6.2% incidence found among the Dutch Shepherds.
Activities
Dutch Shepherd Dogs can compete in dog agilityDog agility
Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles...
trials, obedience
Obedience training
Obedience training usually refers to the training of a dog and the term is most commonly used in that context. Obedience training ranges from very basic training, such as teaching the dog to reliably respond to basic commands such as "sit", "down", "come", and "stay", to high level competition...
, flyball
Flyball
Flyball is a dog sport in which teams of dogs race against each other from a start/finish line, over a line of hurdles, to a box that releases a tennis ball to be caught when the dog presses the spring-loaded pad, then back to their handlers while carrying the ball.Flyball is run in teams of four...
, Schutzhund
Schutzhund
Schutzhund is a dog sport that was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a breed suitability test for the German Shepherd Dog. The test would determine if the dog displayed the appropriate traits and characteristics of a proper working German Shepherd Dog...
, tracking
Tracking (dog)
Tracking is a technique in which dogs are trained to locate certain objects, such as a downed bird, using the object's scent. Many bird and rabbit hunters train their dogs in tracking. The scent hounds are generally regarded as having the best tracking abilities among all dog breeds.In dog sports,...
, and herding
Herding
Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group , maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. While the layperson uses the term "herding", most individuals involved in the process term it mustering, "working stock" or...
events. Herding
Herding
Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group , maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. While the layperson uses the term "herding", most individuals involved in the process term it mustering, "working stock" or...
instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Dutch Shepherds exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials.
Care
Exercise
Dutch Shepherds are very active dogs. They have a strong "work ethic," constantly wanting to work and move. Thus it is exceptionally suited for all types of dog sports, particularly schutzhundSchutzhund
Schutzhund is a dog sport that was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a breed suitability test for the German Shepherd Dog. The test would determine if the dog displayed the appropriate traits and characteristics of a proper working German Shepherd Dog...
, Service Dogs Of America
Service Dogs Of America
Service Dogs Of America is a dog sport that was developed in the United States in 2001 to offer training titles which could meet the needs of professionals concerning various types of service dog training such as protection and search and rescue....
, competitive obedience
Obedience trial
An obedience trial is a dog sport in which a dog must perfectly execute a predefined set of tasks when directed to do so by his handler. According the American Kennel Club obedience regulations...
, agility
Dog agility
Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles...
, flyball
Flyball
Flyball is a dog sport in which teams of dogs race against each other from a start/finish line, over a line of hurdles, to a box that releases a tennis ball to be caught when the dog presses the spring-loaded pad, then back to their handlers while carrying the ball.Flyball is run in teams of four...
, and sheepdog trial
Sheepdog trial
A Sheepdog trial is a competitive dog sport in which herding dog breeds move sheep around a field, fences, gates, or enclosures as directed by their handlers. Such events are particularly associated with hill farming areas, where sheep range widely on largely unfenced land...
s.
Grooming
The long-haired variety needs to be groomed about once a week, or more frequently depending on work and environment. The short coated variety needs to be brushed and combed several times a week during the spring shedding period. Other times of the year, they only need occasional combing. Over-bathing this breed should be avoided to prevent dryness in the coat which may cause the dog to chew or scratch.Health
This breed typically lives 12 to 14 years.This breed is very healthy but as with many large breeds they do suffer from some hip dysplasia and heart defects, however far less frequent than German Shepherds. In many cases hip and joint problems are caused by owners running or jumping juvenile dogs before they are done growing. A dog should be 1 year old before forced exercise or jumping is done to avoid possible joint and hip problems.