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.
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
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.
Price and monthly budget
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.
