Dutch Shepherd

The Dutch Shepherd can easily become a sheepdog, police dog, companion, search, tracking, obedience dog.... The Dutch Shepherd is highly appreciated by the different police forces as well as the military who use him extensively for tracking, searching, ICR (canine sport), obedience, defense and guarding. This loyal dog is an excellent worker with boundless alertness and endurance. He is a magnificent companion with multiple functions.

Height 55 to 62 cm
Weight 30 to 30 kg
Life expectancy 13 to 15 years
Hair Loss High
Excercise Need High

Quick Overview of the Dutch Shepherd

Temperament

  • Excellent character
  • Vigilant and lively
  • Intelligent and faithful
  • Attentive to his surroundings

Appearance

  • Muscular and proportionate
  • Intelligent and lively expression
  • Tail falls at rest
  • Well-proportioned head and light stop

Health

  • Very sturdy and resistant
  • Rarely ill
  • No particular pathology
  • Appreciated life expectancy

Temperament of the Dutch Shepherd

Endowed with an excellent character, he has a very decisive side that will require a master that commensurate with his temperament. Vigilant, intelligent, lively, tenacious, loyal and very attentive to his environment, he is an excellent sheepdog, guardian and wonderful companion dog.

This hard-working dog has a great deal of energy that he must be able to spend as he pleases.

Breed Appearance

Dutch shepherd

Medium in weight and size, the Dutch Shepherd is quite muscular, well proportioned, and endowed with a powerful physique and an intelligent, lively expression.

Height

Between 57 and 62 cm (22.44 to 24.41 inches) for the male
Between 55 and 60 cm (21.65 to 23.62 inches) for the female

Weight

Between 30 and 30 kg (66.14 to 66.14 pounds) for the male
Between 30 and 30 kg (66.14 to 66.14 pounds) for the female

Color

His coat is usually brown or grey and is striped in a more or less significant way. A black mask is preferable and color marks may sometimes be less obvious in wirehaired dogs.

Hair

The shorthaired has a well adherent coat and the longhaired has a straight coat.

Morphology

The Dutch Shepherd's head is well proportioned to his body and has a light stop. His medium size dark almond-shaped eyes are well separated. His nose is black. His tail drops at rest, which may form a slight curve or a straight line.

According to the FCI breeds nomenclature, this breed belongs to group 1, section 1 and is #223

Characteristics of the Dutch Shepherd

Does this dog suit your lifestyle?

Every dog breed has its own characteristics. However, the actual character of a dog can vary from one to another within the same breed.

Find out if the Dutch Shepherd is your ideal dog breed with our quiz.

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Life in an apartment
Good first dog
Tolerates solitude
Tolerates cold weather
Tolerates hot weather
Affectionate
Friendly with children
Friendly with strangers
Friendly with other animals
Hair loss
Drooling level
Easy to care for
Robust health
Easy to train
Intelligent
Tendency to bark
Tendency to nibble
Protective
Instinct to hunt
Adventurous spirit
Energy level
Level of intensity
Need for exercise
Playful

Price and monthly budget

Price you can expect to pay for a Dutch Shepherd puppy: between 500 € / $ 1 / £1 and 1000 € / $ 1 / £1
These prices are indicative and may vary from breeder to breeder
Average monthly budget for a Dutch Shepherd: 110 € / $ 1 / £1
The monthly budget includes the average expenses for food and hygiene products (grooming, anti-parasite...)

Dutch Shepherd puppies near me

Tips About this breed

This medium-sized dog can live anywhere except in the city. He's not a city dog. He's more of a wide-open, rural type.

City dwellers who want to own such a dog will have to make sure to provide him with either the necessary space in a huge garden where he can run as he pleases, or several daily outings where he can spend his great energy.

This nice dog with a strong and rather decisive character must be well trained with a firm and steady hand. His early education is essential to avoid him becoming the leader of the pack. Violence and abruptness are to be proscribed because he tends to resist such interventions.

A great complicity during his education is necessary in order to make him confident and thus obtain total obedience. This dog with multiple qualities will be faithful and very attentive to his surroundings as long as he is loved and respected. He is a sensitive dog that has a great need for family affection. He must be able to be close to his family regularly.

Health of the Dutch Shepherd

Very robust, resistant and rarely sick, the Dutch Shepherd does not suffer from any particular pathology. He generally enjoys excellent health and life expectancy.

GROOMING

No special care is required for the shorthaired coat, but specimens with a longhaired coat should be brushed daily.

History of this breed

There are two varieties of Dutch shepherds, the short and the longhaired. Originally from the Netherlands, the Dutch Shepherd shares a very old and common origin with the Belgian Shepherd.

Born from a cross between local dogs and the Belgian Malinois Sheepdog, he appeared towards the end of the 19th century. He was then threatened with extinction and some Dutch breeders began to create his club and thus fix the breed in order to save him from total extinction.

Around 1980, the first specimens appeared on French territory. Those with short hair arrived in the middle of the 80s while those with long hair towards the end of this decade. In 1990, the French club was created but the numbers remains nevertheless rather limited.

Although the Dutch Shepherd is an excellent dog that can perform a variety of tasks and functions, he is still quite unknown and rather rare beyond the Dutch borders.

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