General information about the dutch shepherd

History

Origin
In similar manifestation like today the Dutch Shepherd is known possibly since beginning of the 18th century. His forefathers come from the provinces of Brabant, Veluwe, t'Goii and Drenthe where they protected the sheep still from a little bit more than 100 years in the extensive moor areas and dunes. Except they were held by the shepherds also on the farms of this region and fulfilled there variously useful functions all around house, court and cattle.

In the province of Drenthe the shepherd was done by the village municipality and was paid. He had to fetch early in the morning the sheep and bring back them in the evening again healthy. Pastureland was moor belonging to municipality. In Drenthe and t'Goii the shepherds stood in high respect and were asked by the farmers often even as herbal-expert “cattle doctors” around advice. In other regions of the Netherlands this was different – here the Dutch Shepherd were often done by the farmers. Then their wage was quite low and hardly reached to the survival. The dog was here not only a sheepdog, but also in addition there to improve the scanty food slip of paper of his man something while he helped him in the poaching.

Beginning of the pure breeding
Only in the last quarter of the 19th century the interest in the local dog races awoke in the Netherlands. In April, 1874 the first Dutch Shepherd dog on an exhibition appeared in Amsterdam. In 1875 the first race description was provided and in 1878 the dog was called Dutch Shepherd (Hollandse Herdershond). With it some confusion was donated, the “Dutchman” a Dutch Shepherd and was spread, actually, not in the whole kingdom.

In contrast to Germany and Belgium the Dutchmen never took properly the initiative for the pure breeding and thus a farm dog and sheepdog remained of the Hollandse Herdershond. In 1898 club (NHC) was founded of the Nederlandse Herdershonden and fixed the first race signs. However, one had only one vague image as they should look. In 1906 the standard was reworked thoroughly, because over and over again too light, small and greyhound-like dogs appeared. From originally six varieties another three were left: Short hair, Rau's hair and long hair.

Big attention had given of the NHC from the outset to the preservation of the use ability of the race. With the disappearance of the flock of shephs and the change of the big moor areas in arable land, the dogs lost to a great extent her hereditary scope of work. Thus the lovers of the race looked around after another “occupation” for her dogs. In 1907 a circular dispatched of the NHC to the police commissioner's offices and really they put some dogs as trace dogs. In 1960 recognised the FCI the Dutch Shepherd as an independent race.

The long-haired Dutch Shepherd
Stepchildren of own race remained long time the long hair sheepdogs. During the beginning years of the NHC there was practically only one single long hair breeder of meaning – P. Drost from Haarlem. When he emigrated in 1908 with his kennel “Van Haarlem” in the USA, it became quiet around the long hair Dutch Shepherd. He disappeared almost completely and was already valid as extinct.

In 1939 a throw saw long hair Dutch Shepherd the light of the world with the breeder Dr. W. v.d. Akker in Zeist. Dr. v.d. Akker had come back some time before as a retired veterinarian from the colonies where he had bred German sheepherds. After he had become in 1937 a member of the NHC, he made a mistake to the rescue of the long hair sheepdog. He started to look straight for these dogs. In 1939 he came to the possession of a bitch of unknown descent whom he called “Adri van het Own country”. Father of this throw was the Rough Falco which probably came from Brabant. Falco had been purchased in 1933 by the queen's mother Emma as a guard for the castle in Soestdijk. Unfortunately, setbacks were not missing: Falco died in 1940 in the chaos of war, a much-speaking bitch from the throw of 1939 became cross, two dogs discovered anew died of dust. But Dr. v.d. Akker did not surrender and found new dogs over and over again. In 1951 he presented his dogs on an exhibition of the NHC in Utrecht. When he died in 1979 at the age of 96 years, the long hair sheepdog on a continuance of about 200 dogs had grown.

Present
The Dutch sheepdog never was a fashion dog and remained spared from sport and exhibition breeding being to a great extent. This has been good for the race. He still embodies strongly the type of the original cooker use dog. An fenced garden and short walk are not sufficient for this active, enterprising and weatherproof dog. Against it he is suited excellently for the people who want to work with her four-legged friend. Thanks to his versatility and his learning zeal he is trainable in almost all sections: he has proved himself as an accompanying dog, Sanitäts-dog, protective dog and rescue dog as well as in Agility and Flyball. Nevertheless, representatives most by far live as family dogs and her more of course, but not excessive protective desire makes them good guards of house and court. All Dutchmen are quite robust and healthy dogs who reach just like that an age from 12 to 15 years.

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Quelle: SCHS