Hollandse Herder -Dutch Shepherd Dog

The Hollandse herder was bred in the Netherlands as a sheepdog but nowadays is kept mainly as a companion and guard. It is relatively unknown outside its native country, where it is used as a police dog, as a guide dog for the blind (seeing eye dog) and occasionally for farmyard duties. It comes in three coat types: short ilaired, long­haired and wire-haired. The long­haired variety is almost extinct, and the wire-haired is not greatly favoured; the short-haired type IS the one most widely known.

Origin and history

The Hollandse Herder is closely related to the Belgian Shepherd Dog, and they are of similar origin. It has. however. developed as a separate breed in its native Netherlands, where it has always been extremely popular.

Hollandse Herder - Dutch Shepherd Dog Puppies

Good points

  • Excellent guard
  • Hardy
  • Intelligent
  • Sound temperament

Take heed

  • No drawbacks known

Size

Height at the withers: dog 23-25in (58.5-63.5cm); bitch 21112-24'l2in (54.5-62cm). In the case of the long­haired only, the minimum is lowered to 21'12in (54.5cm) for dogs, 21in (53cm) for bitches.

Exercise

Needs plenty of exercise to keep In good health, basically because of ItS origins as a working dog. As a consequence it is not well suited to a confined city existence.

Hollandse Herder -Dutch Shepherd Dog Information

General appearance

A Solid, sturdy dog, nottoo heavy; muscular, strong, symmetrical, always attentive and always in movement. The Dutch Shepherd has an intelligent expression and shows great aptitude for working with sheep.

Colour

Short-haired Yellow, chestnut, brown, gold and silver streaked. The streaks should be sharp and distributed well over the entire body, as well as on the back of the thighs and tail. The streaking must involve the hair from root to tip. Too much black in the outer coat is a fault. The mask should be black.

Wire-haired:

Yellow, red-brown, ash blue, streaked, grey-blue, pepper­and-salt.

Long-haired:

Chestnut, gold or silver streaked.

Head

In good proportion to the body without being coarse, it gives the impression of leanness. Of moderate length, rather narrow (but not of the Greyhound type), more or less conical in shape. The muzzle is a little longer than the skull. The bridge is straight and parallel to the skull line; the stop is barely perceptible.

The head of the wire­haired variety IS squarer than for the short-haired. The tip of the nose IS invariably black. The lips are well closed over the gums. The teeth are strong and regular and meet In a scissor bite.

Tail

In repose the tail is carried low with a slight curve, the tip not reaching the hocks. In action it is carried high but not rolled and without tending to either side.

Feet

Close, with well-arched toes; nails preferably black. The pads are soft and elastic, preferably black In colour.

Hollandse Herder -Dutch Shepherd Dog Feeding & Grooming

Grooming

Regular brushing will keep the coat In good condition. The short-haired variety does not require as much attention as do the wire-haired or the long-haired dogs. The latter two must be brushed two or three times a week if their coats are to remain handsome.

Feeding

Recommended would be 20-330z (587-936g) of a branded, meaty product with biscuit added, or 3-5 cupfuls of a dry food, complete diet, mixed in the proportion of 1 cup of feed to '12 cup of hot or cold water.

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