TRANSLATION: N.H.C. (Nederlandse Herdershonden Club, 8.07.2008). Official language (EN).

ORIGIN: The Netherlands.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF VALID OFFICIAL STANDARD: 21.12.2019.

UTILIZATION: Companion dog and Sheepdog.

FCII-CLASSIFICATION: Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs. Section 1 Sheepdogs. With 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.

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

N.B:
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation, should be used for breeding.

Official Standard for the Dutch Shepherd

General Appearance: The first impression of the Dutch Shepherd is of a medium-sized, middle weighted, well-muscled dog of powerful and well-balanced structure. His carriage is natural and relaxed, but alert. He is a dog with lots of endurance, a lively temperament and an intelligent expression. The breed is presented in three coat types, short-, long- and rough-haired. The difference between sexes is clearly recognizable, especially in the shape of the head and build of body. Both male and female should be judged equally. Faults - Any deviation from these specifications is a fault. In determining whether a fault is minor, serious, or major, these two factors should be used as a guide: 1. The extent to which it deviates from the standard, 2. The extent to which such deviation would actually affect the working ability and welfare of the dog.

Size Proportion, Substance: Males should be 22½ to 24½ inches in height and females 21½ to 23½ inches, measured at the withers. The length, measured from point of breastbone to point of buttock, compared to the height, should be a 10 to 9 ratio. Bone structure is solid and moderate weight in correct proportion to his height, appearance well balanced, neither too light or too heavy. Males under 21 inches or over 26 inches shall be disqualified. Females under 20 inches or over 25 inches shall be disqualified.

Head: Size should be in proportion to the body. Is wedge-shaped seen from above and in profile. The skull and muzzle are equal in length. Expression - should be intelligent and lively, indicating alertness, attention and readiness for activity. Eyes - are dark colored and medium size, set slightly oblique, almond shaped and not protruding. Dogs with distinctly yellow or blue eyes shall be disqualified. Ears - are medium sized, stiff, and erect. Disqualification - drooping or hanging ears. Skull - is flat and never rounded. The stop is moderate and distinct. Muzzle – The bridge of the muzzle is straight and parallel to the top of the skull. The jaws should be strong and powerful. Nose - is black without spots or discolored areas. The lips should be tight and black, with no pink showing on the outside. Teeth - full complement of strong, white teeth, evenly set. Bite - is scissors. A level, overshot or undershot bite is a fault.

Neck, Topline, Body: Neck - is not too short, dry, without folds and gradually flowing into the body. Topline - 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. The withers are slightly higher and slope into the back, which must be level, straight, and firm from withers to hip joints. Body - Firm, but not coarse. Chest - Deep and long, not narrow, ribs slightly sprung. The fore chest is fairly well developed. Abdomen - Slight tuck up. Loin – Firm and short with moderate depth, Croup - is slightly sloping and moderate length. Tail - At rest, hangs straight down or with a slight curve. Reaches to the hock. In action, carried gracefully upwards, never curled or carried sideways. Cropped or stump tail are disqualifications.

Forequarters: Shoulder-blades are well joined to the body and well sloping. 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. The upper arm is approximately equal in length to the shoulder-blades and well angulated with the connecting bones. The elbow is well attached. Forefeet are oval, well knit, toes arched. Nails are black and pads are elastic and dark. Dewclaws are permissible.

Hindquarters: The hind-legs are powerful and well-muscled. The bone is solid but never heavy. Not excessively angulated. With a correctly angulated rear, a perpendicular line dropped from the point of rump will meet the top of the rear foot. The thigh and lower thigh are of approximately equal length. The hock is perpendicular. Dewclaws - none present. The hind feet are oval and well-knit with arched toes, black nails and elastic dark pads.

Coat: The dog is shown in natural coat without excessive grooming. Whiskers are present in all coat-types. The short-hair coat is uniformly quite hard, close fitting, and not too short coat with a woolly undercoat. The ruff, breeches and tail plume are clearly visible. The long-hair coat is long, straight, and well fitting, harsh to the touch, without curls or waves also with a woolly undercoat. The ruff and breeches are distinct and the tail abundantly coated. The head, ears, feet and hind legs below the hocks are short and densely coated. The backsides of the forelegs show a strongly developed coat, the feathering shortening in length towards the feet. There are no fringes at the ears. The rough-hair coat is dense, harsh, tousled coat with a woolly, dense undercoat all over the body except for the head. The coat should be close fitting. The upper and lower lips should be well covered with hair, with 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. The tail is covered all round with hair. The brindle color may be less pronounced because of the tousled coat. The rough hair coat should be hand-plucked on average twice a year.

Color: Brindle. The base color is golden or silver. Golden can vary from light sand color to chestnut red. The brindle may be black or a dark brown and is clearly present all over the body and in the ruff, breeches and tail. A small amount of white on chest or toes is permitted. Too much black is a fault, as well as heavy white markings on the chest or feet. A black mask is preferred. Disqualification - Solid white markings elsewhere than on tips of toes, chest, or frosting on muzzle.

Gait: Dog is a trotter with free, smooth and supple movement, without exaggerated drive or stride. The Dutch Shepherd tends to single track at a fast gait; the legs, both front and rear, converging toward the center line of gravity of the dog. The backline should remain firm and level, parallel to the center of motion, with no crabbing.

Temperament: The Dutch Shepherd should reflect the qualities of loyalty and reliability, alertness, and watchfulness. He is 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. He should not show fear or shyness nor viciousness by unwarranted or unprovoked attack.

Disqualifications: Males under 21 inches or over 26 inches. Females under 20 inches or over 25 inches. Yellow or blue eyes. Drooping or hanging ears. Cropped or stump tail. Solid white markings elsewhere than on tips of toes, chest, or frosting on muzzle.

Approved January 11, 2016
Effective January 1, 2017

Herding Dog Group

The goals and purposes of this breed standard include: to furnish guidelines for breeders who wish to maintain the quality of their breed and to improve it; to advance this breed to a state of similarity throughout the world; and to act as a guide for judges.

Breeders and judges have the responsibility to avoid any conditions or exaggerations that are detrimental to the health, welfare, essence and soundness of this breed, and must take the responsibility to see that these are not perpetuated.

Any departure from the following 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 upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

History

The Dutch Shepherd, native to Holland, was originally a sheepdog, and was also used by Dutch farmers as a general purpose farm dog. Currently enjoying resurgence in popularity in its homeland, it is also being used as a companion and guard dog.

The Dutch Shepherd is very similar in coat types and physical characteristics, except for color, to the Belgian Shepherd Dog. The brindle color pattern is the only acceptable pattern in the Dutch Shepherd.

The Dutch Shepherd was recognized by the United Kennel Club on January 1, 1995.

General Appearance

The Dutch Shepherd is a medium-sized, well-proportioned, well-muscled dog, with a powerful, well-balanced structure, an intelligent expression and a lively temperament. In proportion he is slightly longer than tall, with the length of the body exceeding the height at the withers in a ratio of 10:9.

The Dutch Shepherd has three coat types: short coat, long coat, and rough coat.

Characteristics

He is alert, devoted to his owner, obedient, and eager to please and oblige. He is a good guardian, is very faithful and reliable, undemanding, with plenty of stamina, is vigilant, active and is gifted with a typical shepherd temperament. He may be somewhat reserved and should be well socialized.

Head

The size of the head is in proportion to the body. It is wedge-shaped, smooth, and dry. The head of a rough-coated dog appears to be more square, but this is an illusion.

SKULL

The skull is flat. There is a slight stop.

MUZZLE

The muzzle is slightly longer than the skull. The top of the muzzle is straight and runs parallel to the top of the skull. The lips are tight.

TEETH

A full complement of strong, white teeth meet in a scissors bite.

Faults: Overshot bite. Undershot bite.

NOSE

The nose is black.

Fault: A nose that is not black.

EYES

The dark, medium-sized, almond-shaped eyes are placed somewhat obliquely.

Faults: Round eyes. Bulging eyes.

EARS

The triangular-shaped ears are small rather than large. Placed on top of the head, they are carried somewhat forward and firmly erect.

Faults: Soft ears. Spoon-like ears. Cropped ears.

Neck

The neck is clean and not too short. It flows gently into the withers.

Forequarters

The powerful, well-muscled forequarters have good bone. The shoulders lay well back. The upper arm is of good length.

FORELEGS

The forelegs are straight, with sufficient spring to the slightly sloping pasterns.

Body

The body is firm. The ribs are well-sprung. The chest is deep, but not narrow. The underline of the brisket flows gradually into the underline.

The short back is straight and powerful. The firm loins are neither long nor shallow. The croup is not short, nor does it slope excessively.

Hindquarters

The powerful, well-muscled hindquarters have good bone. Stifle angulation is normal, without exaggeration.

HIND LEGS

The hock is moderately angled, enough so that the rear pastern is perpendicular to, or slightly less than, the ischium. There are no dewclaws on the hind legs.

Feet

The feet have well-arched, close-knit toes. The pads are firm and dark. The nails are black.

Tail

When at rest, the tail hangs straight or is gently curved, reaching to the level of the hock. When the dog is in action, the tail is carried gracefully upwards. It never curls up over the back nor falls sideways.

Faults: Curled tail. Docked tail.

Coat

SHORT COAT

The outer coat is rather hard, smooth, and close-lying all over the body A too-short coat is not desired. There is a woolly undercoat. A ruff, trousers, and feathered tail are clearly evident.

LONG COAT

The long, sturdy hair is straight and close-lying all over the body There are no curls or waves. There is a woolly undercoat.

The head, ears, feet, and the hind legs below the hock are covered with short, dense hair. There is no feathering on the ears. The back of the forelegs are feathered, which gets shorter toward the feet.

The tail is well-covered with long hair.

ROUGH COAT

The entire body is covered with a rough, harsh, tousled outer coat. There is a dense, woolly undercoat. The hair on the head forms eyebrows, which must be strong and off-standing. The hair on the cheeks and ears is less strongly developed. Both the upper and lower lips must be well-covered with hair, forming a moustache and a beard.

Well-developed trousers are preferred. The tail is abundantly feathered.

Color

Must be brindle. Brindle is defined as a black or very dark streaked or striped effect, with hairs of a lighter background color.

Very small white accents may occur on the breast and/or on the feet.

SHORT COAT & LONG COAT

Brindle, on either brown or gray ground; and brindle all over the body, including the collar, trousers, or tail. A black mask is preferred.

ROUGH COAT

Brindle, on either brown or gray ground; and brindle all over the body, including the collar, trousers, or tail. A black mask is preferred. Compared to the other coat types, the brindle is less pronounced in the outer coat.

Faults (all coat types): Too much white on the breast. Too much white on the feet. Wrong colors. Mis-markings.
Serious Faults: White stripes or white spots on any part of the body other than the breast or feet.

Height

Height range for males is from 22½ to 24½ inches. Height range for females is from 21½ to 23½ inches.

Gait

Movement is smooth, supple, and normal. The legs are not brought forward in a tied way, neither floating not far-reaching.

Disqualifications

(A dog with a Disqualification must not be considered for placement in a conformation event, and must be reported to UKC.)
Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid.
Viciousness or extreme shyness.
Solid black body patches.
Albinism.