Keeshond

The Keeshond, the Netherlands' national dog, began life as a barge dog, and still has the knack of finding an out-of-the-way corner for itself. It is a loyal dog of sound temperament but needs a lot of grooming and tends to favour one member of the family. It is an excellent watchdog.

Origin and history

The Keeshond (plural Keeshonden) IS pronounced Kayshond. It has a romantic history. During the period of uncertainty that preceded the French Revolution, the Dutch patriots were led by a man named Kees de Gyselaer, a dog lover who owned a little dog of this breed. The dog, named Kees, became the symbol of the patriots, and gave the breed its name.

The Keeshond has never become very popular outside the Netherlands, despite Mrs I. Tucker's Champion Volknjk of Vorden being Best in Show at Crufts in 1957. It has, however, a staunch band of devotees who breed for soundness and quality. In common with other Spitz varieties, the Keeshond must originally have evolved in the Arctic Circle, and it has the traditional Spitz tail tightly curled over the back.

Keeshond Puppies

Good points

Equable temperament
Good watchdog
Long-lived

Take heed

Needs lots of grooming
One-person dog

Size

Height: dog 18in (46cm), bitch 17in (43cm).

Exercise

Average requirements.

Keeshond Information

General appearance

A short, compact body; alert carriage, foxlike head. Small pointed ears and a well-feathered, curling tail, carried over the back. Hair very thick on the neck, forming a large ruff; head, ears and legs covered with short thick hair. Dogs should move cleanly and briskly (not lope like a German Shepherd Dog), but movement should be straight and sharp. Dogs should show boldly.

Head and skull

Head well proportioned to the body, wedgeshaped when seen from above; from the side showing a definite stop. Muzzle should be of medium length, neither coarse nor snipy.

Colour

Should be wolf, ash-grey; not all black or all white; markings should be definite.

Tail

Tightly curled; a double curl at the end IS desirable. Plume should be white on the top where curled with a black tip.

Feet

Round and cat-like with black nails.

Keeshond Feeding & Grooming

Grooming

Regular attention with a stiff brush. A choke chain should not be used on this breed or it will spoil the ruff.

Feeding

Recommended would be 13-200z (369-587g) of a branded, meaty product with biscuit added in equal part by volume, or 1314-3 cupfuls of a dry food, complete diet, mixed in the proportion of 1 cup of feed to 112 cup of hot or cold water.