Dutch Shepherd

The Dutch Shepherd is a sheep-herding dog hailing from the Netherlands, in use by shepherds and farmers for keeping flocks in line. These dogs are naturally occurring shepherd dogs in rural areas of the Netherlands, and officials first wrote the breed standards in 1898. Initially, the Dutch Shepherd’s coat could be any color. In 1914, the rules were adapted to allow only brindle coloring to better distinguish the dog type from Belgian Shepherds and German Shepherds. Dutch Shepherds maintain the same characteristics as they have had over a century ago and stand apart from other shepherd breeds due to their coloring and head shape.

These dogs are lively and intelligent and carry a strong herding instinct. They can make independent decisions on the fly. They are slightly obstinate, requiring an experienced trainer to bring them to heel, and a lack of training can lead to stubbornness. As a result, they will make their own decisions without proper training. These animals are competent workers and fiercely loyal to their families. They display an aptitude for all kinds of tricks, work, and sports. 

3 Pros and Cons of Owning a Dutch Shepherd

Size and Weight

The Dutch Shepherd female’s average height ranges between 18 and 22 inches, with males capable of growing about two inches taller. Males can weigh up to 70 pounds when fully grown, and females weigh about 60 lbs.

Common Health Issues

Interestingly, the Dutch Shepherd enjoys a bill of health relatively free from common health conditions compared to other shepherd family members. As an athletic breed of medium size, the most common issues afflicting them are hip and elbow dysplasia and other joint conditions. A Dutch Shepherd can also develop inflammatory bowel diseases and other digestive problems, or atopic skin diseases. Choosing a diet with plenty of nutrition and optional supplements can help boost skin and joint wellness.

Of course, it all boils down to the breeder from which you acquire your pup. A conscious breeder will test to make sure there’s no family history of genetic diseases and that your dog is set up for healthy success.

Temperament

With proper obedience and discipline training, Dutch Shepherds can accomplish amazing feats, such as serving as search-and-rescue dogs or partnering with law enforcement. These dogs are loyal, reliable, and ever-watchful of their families and flocks. Their shepherd temperament makes them love to work as a team with their owners and can deal as independent agents for any task they receive. However, it’s essential to give these dogs a strong sense of structure and hierarchy, or they’ll perceive a lack of leadership in the pack and step in to assume the role.

How To Take Care of a Dutch Shepherd 

If you recently adopted or purchased a Dutch Shepherd or a new puppy, there are many factors to keep in mind when considering how to give them a healthy and happy life. From a highly active lifestyle to plenty of space to run about, these dogs have breed-specific factors that need to be addressed.

The Best Dog Food

Dutch Shepherds are highly active and require ample, well-balanced nutrition from whole-food ingredients to reach their peak health. However, determining just how much food to give your dog can be challenging and require some trial and error before landing on a consistent measurement. Many good dog foods for Dutch Shepherds provide optimal serving sizes based on your dog’s weight and age, but a vet can help you fine-tune and offer an ideal diet for your pup.

Ideally, your dog can access an environment with plenty of physical stimuli and exercise and will avoid weight gain. Most owners discourage free-feeding to prevent the likely joint pain and other health issues associated with overweight dogs. 

Maintenance And Grooming

According to breed specifications, Dutch Shepherd coats can either be gold brindle or silver brindle and appear in long or short lengths or rough textures, each with its own grooming requirements. Short-haired dogs only require the occasional brushing, with a switch to daily during seasonal shedding in the spring and autumn. Longhaired dogs require more regular grooming, about once a week, and should be kept clean depending on their work or environment. Rough-haired shepherds should be combed once per month and stripped twice yearly as needed.

Regardless of variety, these dogs should have their nails trimmed regularly to avoid cracking or painful overgrowth, which can cause walking or joint issues. Periodically clean their ears to keep them infection-free, and brush teeth once a day to keep their breath fresh and their mouth free of gingivitis.

Training

Dutch Shepherds are impressively intelligent, love a challenge, and are eager to prove their smarts. Shorter training sessions go a long way, inspiring the dogs to become more driven as the tricks and work demand more mental energy. Lacking obedience training, dogs will become highly independent and make decisions that often conflict with their masters’ wishes. With proper training, however, these shepherds excel at tricks, agility, dog shows, law enforcement, scent detection and tracking, herding, and many more fields of work and sport.

Exercise

Farmers originally trained the Dutch Shepherd to be an all-purpose agriculture dog, so it needed to be able to herd, guard, and follow instructions. These dogs don’t like being lazy at home; they want to work together as partners to accomplish tasks. They require high levels of energetic exercise, ideally more than an hour a day, which will soothe any anxiety and make them an excellent member of any active family.

Puppies

Puppy Dutch Shepherds are adorable creatures and perfect for families actively attentive to their dogs. They do best in large homes with experienced dog owners who know how to train with positive reinforcement and have no shortage of work to teach. New dog owners can successfully train a Dutch Shepherd puppy with consistent work and practice; however, research whether the dog’s care needs fit your family’s lifestyle.

Dutch Shepherd And Children

These dogs are excellent family members and fit well with children and other pets. As long as they have plenty of space to exercise in and loads of mental and physical stimulation, Dutch Shepherds are patient and tolerant companions to young kids. However, most dogs should be supervised around young children or those with little exposure to dogs, as a constantly prodding toddler may test even these dogs’ patience.

Dogs Similar to the Dutch Shepherd

The Dutch Shepherd is closely related to several shepherd breeds, including the German Shepherd, Malinois, and White Swiss Shepherd.

• German Shepherd: The difference between these two shepherd types is their coat coloring, lifespan, and country of origin. German Shepherds are much more popular and available and, as such, fetch a more reasonable price.
• Belgian Malinois: The fur coloring and texture are the key differences between the Belgian Malinois and the Dutch variety. 
• White Swiss Shepherd: Also called Berger Blanc Suisse, these dogs stand apart from their Dutch counterparts thanks to their snowy white fur and country of origin.