TRANSLATION: N.H.C. (Nederlandse Herdershonden Club, 08.07.2008)

ORIGIN: The Netherlands.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF VALID ORIGINAL STANDARD : 28.07.2009.

UTILIZATION: Companion dog and Sheepdog.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs.
Section 1 Sheepdogs. Without working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
Originally the main function of the Dutch Shepherd Dog was that of a shepherd’s dog in the countryside. From early times, the Dutch had an arable culture that was – among other things – maintained by flocks of sheep. The dogs had to keep the flock away from the crops, which they did by patrolling the borders of the road and the fields. They also accompanied the flocks on their way to the common meadows, markets and ports.
At the farm, they kept the hens away from the kitchen garden, they herded the cows together for milking and pulled the milk carts. They also alerted the farmers if strangers entered the farmyard. Around 1900, sheep flocks had for the greater part disappeared in the Netherlands. The versatile skills of the Dutch Shepherd Dog made him suitable for dog training, which was then starting to become popular. Thus he started on a new career as a police dog, as a search- and tracking dog and as a guide dog for the blind. He is, however, still capable of herding sheep. The breed’s first standard dates from 12 June 1898.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : A medium-sized, middle-weighted, well-muscled dog of powerful and well-balanced structure. A dog with lots of endurance, a lively temperament and an intelligent expression. Depending on the coat the breed is distinguished in the following varieties: short-, long- and wire haired.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: The length of the body (from point of shoulder to point of buttock) exceeds the height at the withers, approximately at a ratio of 10:9, as suits a trotting dog.
The proportion of the length of the skull to the muzzle is 1:1.

BEHAVIOUR/TEMPERAMENT : Very loyal and reliable, always alert, watchful, active, independent, with persistence, intelligence, prepared to be obedient and gifted with the true shepherding temperament. The Dutch Shepherd Dog works willingly together with its owner and he deals independently with any task which is assigned to him.
When herding larger flocks he must have the capacity to work together with several other dogs

HEAD : In good proportion to the body. Seen from above and in profile it is wedge-shaped. Its shape is rather elongated , without wrinkles; dry, with flat cheeks and no pronounced cheekbones. Because of the coat, the head of the wire-haired variety appears to look more square, but this is an illusion.

CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Flat
Stop : Slight, though clearly present.

FACIAL REGION :
Muzzle : Slightly longer than the flat forehead. Bridge of the muzzle straight and parallel to the top line of the cranial region.
Nose : Black.

Lips : Tight and well pigmented.
Jaws/Teeth : Scissors bite, strong, regular and complete.
Eyes : Dark coloured and medium sized. The eyes are almond shaped and slightly oblique. The eyes should not be set too wide and should not protrude.
Ears : Medium sized. When the dog is alert, the ears are carried high and erect.

NECK : Not too short, dry, without folds and gradually flowing into the body.

BODY : Firm, but not coarse.
Top line : There is a smooth, gentle transition from the neck to the top line of the body, in which head and neck are carried in a natural pose.
Back : Straight and firm.
Loin : Firm, neither long nor narrow.
Croup : Slightly sloping, not short.
Underline and belly : Slight tuck up.
Chest : Deep and long enough, not narrow, ribs slightly sprung.
Fore chest : Fairly well developed.

TAIL :
At rest, hanging straight down or with a slight curve. Reaches to the hock. In action, carried gracefully upwards, never curled or carried sideways.

LIMBS :

FOREQUARTERS :
The forelegs are powerful, of good length, well muscled. The bone is solid but not heavy. Always generally showing a straight line, but with sufficient suppleness of pastern.
Shoulder : Shoulder-blades well joined to the body and well sloping.

Upper arm : Approximately equal length to the shoulder-blades and well angulated with the connecting bones.
Elbow : Well attached.
Forefeet : Oval. Well knit, toes arched. Black nails and elastic dark pads.

HINDQUARTERS : The hind-legs are powerful and well muscled. The bone is solid but never heavy. Not excessively angulated.
Thigh and lower thigh : Of approximately equal length.
Hock : Perpendicular below the point of buttock.
Dewclaws : None present
Hind feet : Oval. Well knit, toes arched. Black nails and elastic dark pads.

GAIT/MOVEMENT : The Dutch Shepherd Dog is a trotter with free, smooth and supple movement, without exaggerated drive or stride.

COAT:

Hair :
Short hair : All over the body, quite hard, close-fitting, not too short coat with woolly undercoat. Ruff, breeches and tail plume are clearly visible.
Long hair : All over the body, long, straight, well fitting, harsh to the touch, without curls or waves and with a woolly undercoat. Distinct ruff and breeches.

Tail abundantly coated. Head, ears and feet and also the hind legs below the hocks are short and densely coated. The backsides of the forelegs show a strongly developed coat, shortening in length towards the feet, the so-called feathering. No fringes at the ears.
Wire hair : Dense, harsh tousled coat and a woolly, dense undercoat all over the body except for the head. The coat should be close.

Upper- and lower lip should be well-covered with hair, the whiskers and beard, and two well defined, coarse rough eyebrows that are distinct but not exaggerated.
Furnishings are not soft. The hair on the skull and on the cheeks is less strongly developed. In profile it seems as if the head has a more square appearance. Strongly developed breeches are desirable. Tail is covered all round with hair. The brindle colour may be less pronounced because of the tousled coat. The wire hair coat should be hand-plucked on average twice a year.

COLOUR :
Brindle. The basic colour is golden or silver. Golden can vary from light sand- coloured to chestnut red. The brindle is clearly present all over the body, in the ruff, breeches and tail. Too much black is undesirable. A black mask is preferable.

Heavy white markings on chest or feet is not desirable.

SIZE AND WEIGHT :
Height at the withers: Males : 57 - 62 cm.  Females : 55- 60 cm.

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect on the functional health and welfare of the dog and on its ability to perform its traditional work

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS :
• Aggressive or overly shy.
• Lack of breed-type.
• Any dog clearly showing physical of behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Let us now take you back to The Netherlands, some time before the 20th century. The countryside still boasts moors and an abundance of small farms. Agriculture abounds. In order to fertilise the land, the farmers kept sheep, which grazed on the moors. Early morning could see a shepherd collect sheep from the various farms that employed him. Each farm would turn out its own flock, to be added to the collective. The shepherd was entrusted with their care during the day and returned the sheep to their respective owners in the evening. In order to do this work properly, good dogs, which were versatile, accompanied the shepherd. The dogs needed to be able to herd, goad and guard, and even if necessary defend the flock from predators. They needed to be sturdy, hardy, obedient yet independent and most of all; they needed to be reliable.

A medium sized dog, fiercely loyal to its pack, highly intelligent and independent, yet totally trustworthy and reliable. It's coat black with streaks of grey or gold, big enough to ward off any predators, yet light enough to be carried on the shepherd's shoulders if necessary. Hardy and weatherproof, erect ears, intelligent, alert eyes.
This was a true working dog, on which the shepherd relied for his livelihood, his safety and companionship.

The origins of the breed that is known today as the Dutch Shepherd Dog can be found in its suitability for this type of work. Suitability bred conformity, and soon the shepherds on the Dutch moors were working with dogs that not only had the same skills, but also shared a common look.

At the end of the 19th century the country was in the grips of industrialisation. Chemical fertilisers were used more and more, and development of moors and replanting of forest grounds were the order of the day. Sheep, shepherds and their dogs almost all disappeared, they were no longer necessary
Fortunately this was not the end of the Dutch Shepherd Dog. With the advent of more prosperity, more people could afford to keep a dog for the love of the dog, instead of only for work.
Fearful that the breed would die out with the last of the shepherds, a group of enthusiasts came together and set up the first Breedclub for a Dutch breed. On June 12th, 1898, the Nederlandse Herdershonden Club (NHC) became a fact and the first Standard of Points was laid down. Thanks to these enthusiasts, the breed is still alive today.

A true working dog
True to its origins, the Dutch Shepherd Dog has established itself alongside such well-known working breeds as the German Shepherd Dog and the Belgian Shepherd Dog. The Dutch Shepherd Dog (Hollandse Herdershond for the Dutch) can be found herding sheep, guarding home and hearth, in rescue work, police work and as drugs detection dogs in international ports and airports. Several Dutch Shepherds have become renowned for their prowess and ability. "Heer Zwier van't Vrijbuitersnest" has returned to the dog's original occupation and works as a sheep-herding dog in Hoog-Buurlo. "Ellerd Azoer van Hollands Gasthuis" was active as rescue dog and was one of the dogs that were successfully employed in Armenia after the 1989 earthquake. "Artessa van Diepenalm" (affectionately known as Tess) is the bane of drug smugglers, as she works with her owner W. Sipman as narcotics dog for the Dutch Customs department. She even carries her own identity card with pawprint!

Development of the breed
After the Nederlandse Herdershonden Club was set up in 1898, the breed became "official". The oldest known Dutch Shepherd Dog that was entered into the Studbook was born in 1896. The NHC set itself the task of structuring breeding activities. Before the advent of the breedclub, the dogs were bred solely for their working capacities. And although the breed had evolved into a type on its own, there were no strict rules regarding type. Over the years the standard of points as first established has changed several times. These changes in the standard however, only served to refine what was already a known and established type. Such changes included the inclusion of too much white as a fault and the allowance for a gradual increase in the size of the breed. However, as photographs from the end of the last century and today will show, the type was already well established and has changed so little that it is often only the quality of the photograph that gives away the fact that it is over 100 years old. The dogs themselves have remained true to form, and many of them would do well in the show ring today.

Disposition
According to the standard of points, the Dutch Shepherd Dog is an ideal dog. The qualities the dog required for its work with the shepherds have been retained. However, proper training and education is required to allow this dog to develop its character to the fullest.
This breed is very social, has a great sense of the natural order in the pack and loves being in company, or rather, in its pack. The Dutch Shepherd Dog usually gets along well with children. This breed has an independent nature, can be slightly obstinate and has a mind of its own. This means that the owner has to give stable, strict guidance to the dog.
It is a family dog. Although it will equally consider each family member its own, it will be most loyal to the person that raises him. A consistent, gentle attitude to the dog is the ideal way to allow its many qualities to develop to the fullest. Do not try to raise the dog with a hard hand, it is very sensitive to atmosphere and emotions. The dog will be alert, happy and active in a home that gives him plenty of attention and lots of exercise. Daily walks or runs alongside a pushbike are the perfect exercise. A good relationship with its owner is the key to a happy family dog. The Dutch Shepherd Dog is still active as a working dog. It is used for agility, obedience, policework, rescuework, or of course its original job, herding work.