Dutch Shepherd

History

Originating in the 1800s south of the Netherlands, the Dutch Shepherd remains the same as it did then, as a wonderful working and herding breed for any farm owner. Unlike the Belgian Shepherd, the Dutch Shepherd did not gain the popularity in the USA that some would of hoped for. This breed makes an excellent all around working dog including but not limited to, agility, police work, farm work and guard dog.

Appearance

Both males and females measuring 21-24 inches in height and weighing between 50-70 pounds, the Dutch Shepherd is a large breed. Available in three different coat options including long-hair, short-hair, and wire-haired. This breed has a severe wedge shaped head that immediately fades into a severe scissor bite. Two thin, triangular ears stand strong on the top of their head. The Dutch Shepherd has 4 very tall, long and thin legs, and a medium length tail that is slightly curved upwards. Overall, the Dutch Shepherd has a solid, muscular and thin body build that is truly built for speed and agility. Available in a limited amount of color options for all three coats, this colors include brindle, fawn, gold, and grey. All shade variations of these few colors are common.

Temperament

The Dutch Shepherd is a working breed, so it is important to note with any working breed that the breed in general requires a daily task and job in order to be mentally and physically happy. Recommended only in adult households or with older children due to their "herding" instincts, and preferably in house holds without other pets. The Dutch Shepherd is an excellent listener and learner so training will not be a hard task. This breed requires a long daily walk along with other outdoor activities. If this breed does not receive enough mental and physical exercise, they will become anxious along with acting out with ill full behavior. Recommended only for farm living situations, the Dutch Shepherd is an excellent watch dog as well.

Grooming

Short-hair : Daily brushing is required and bathe when needed. This variety is an average shedder. Long-hair : Daily brushing is required to reduce the chance of matting. Professional grooming is recommended every 4-6 months. Bathe when needed. Wired-hair : Daily combing is required as well as professional grooming about two or three times yearly. Bathe only when needed so you do not damage the oils in their hair protecting their skin.

Special Notes

Please fully educate yourself about the Dutch Shepherd prior to adding one to your family to ensure you are able to make a life long commitment to your new addition. A properly installed fence is highly recommended to allow your dog to roam freely and safely while outdoors. Do not add this breed to your home unless you are able to provide life long physical and financial care. All dogs originate from wolves (Canis Lupus). Each breed of dog was originally created by mixing different breeds together in an effort to bring forth certain characteristics. Once a breeder has created acceptable “breed characteristics” within their bloodline and these “breed characteristics” have shown to be reliably reproduced in the offspring for three (3) generations, the bloodline may be upgraded from the category of “foundation stock” to “pure-bred”. The same “pure-bred” breed standards vary from different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders. Dog DNA testing companies can have accurate results for a specific bloodline of a small colony of dogs. However, there are tens of thousands of different bloodlines in the world which have not yet been tested for marker baseline results by Dog DNA testing companies as of 2017. For this reason Dog DNA testing companies do not guarantee the 100% accuracy of their breed lineage results and will also show different marker results for the same pure-bred breed in different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders.