Stabyhoun

The Stabyhoun is a sporting dog breed from the Netherlands and is among the top five rarest breeds in the world. Although it is excellent as a tracker, pointer, retriever, cart dog, and watchdog, these days it is popular as a companion animal or family pet. Its other names in Dutch are Stabij, Stabijhoun, Fryske Stabij, and Beike, while in English it’s also known as the Dutch Stabyhoun, Stabij, or Frisian Pointer.

Different Types of Stabyhoun and Stabyhoun Mixes

There is one standard for the breed, although there are a few different colors. The coat can have a slight wave but should never be curly, which would indicate crossbreeding, nor should it be tricolor. Spotting and roan are acceptable. The most common coat color is black and white, while less common colors are brown and white and orange and white.

The breeding of purebred Stabyhouns is tightly regulated. Some examples of Stabyhoun mixes are crossbreeds of the breed with a Kooikerhondje, Wetterhoun, Flat-Coated Retriever, Golden Retriever, Border Collie, Kai Ken, Sealyham Terrier, or Braque du Bourbonnais.

3 Pros and Cons of Owning Stabyhouns

Evolution and Origins

The Stabyhoun hails from the forested province of Friesland and was first mentioned in Dutch literature in the early 1800s. With its name meaning “stand-by-me dog” or “stand-by-me hound” from the Frisian words stabij and houn, it was originally the dog of small landowners, day laborer farmers, and dairy farmers, and used for hunting foxes, birds, rats, moles, European polecats, and small game.

The Stabyhoun is related to the Drentsche Patrijshond and Heidewachtel breeds. In the early 20th century, the Stabyhoun was often crossbred with Wetterhoun dogs until 1938, when breeders began to develop them separately to ensure the uniqueness of each breed, with both breeds officially recognized in 1942.

The first record of Stabyhouns being born in the United States was in 1994. While its popularity has grown across North America and Europe, the breed remains rare, with the worldwide population estimated in 2025 to be around 6,000 dogs.

Size and Weight

The Stabyhoun is a medium-sized semi-long hair dog with an average withers height of 21″ for males and 20″ for females, or about 19 to 20″ at the shoulder. Males weigh about 50 to 55 pounds fully grown, while females weigh about 45 pounds fully grown. Stabyhoun puppies weigh 7 to 8 pounds on average at 8 weeks of age and are typically fully grown between 12 and 15 months.

Common Health Issues

Like other dog breeds, the Stabyhoun has unique health issues for prospective owners to consider. The breed does not have common health problems and lives 12 to 15 years, which is more than average. It is a generally very healthy breed, with many owners adhering to the careful breeding rules according to breed associations.

Some congenital conditions may occur, such as joint dysplasia, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), epilepsy, and Type 1 von Willebrand Disease (vWB). Epilepsy was an issue in the past, but not anymore. Some documented conditions are hereditary cataracts, radius curvus, cancer, and steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA), with most having uncertain heritability.

Temperament

The Stabyhoun is a sporting breed used for hunting, as a cart dog, watchdog, and family pet. As such, it has traits of protectiveness, loyalty, obedience, willingness to please, and intelligence. It has a sensitive and calm temperament with a patient, peaceful, tolerant, gentle, and friendly personality that makes it great around people, strangers, children, other dogs, and other animals.

Among its working traits is the ability to be a soft-mouth retriever, meaning it gently carries the game in its mouth. It’s also great at tracking, pointing, guarding, and pulling carts, although its versatility means it doesn’t have a specialized skill.

How to Take Care of Stabyhouns

All dogs have unique needs for their care, especially puppies, and the Stabyhoun is no exception. Diet, care, environment, and exercise are very important for prolonging its health and lifespan. Prospective owners should be prepared with knowledge about the breed.

The Best Dog Food

Stabyhouns, especially puppies, have certain health considerations and nutritional needs that other dog breeds might not. Hence, new owners should consider these factors when choosing the food they will feed their pets.

Stabyhoun puppy food: Puppyhood is a crucial time for the dog’s development, and the Stabyhoun is a medium-sized breed. Although it is active, the wrong food or overfeeding can cause it to gain weight. Therefore, the food should be specifically formulated for puppies as well as AAFCO-compliant. It should also focus on animal protein as its first and predominant ingredient, plus whole grains and vegetables. This will provide the fiber and the variety of vitamins and minerals it needs.

You can supplement their diet with fish oil for skin, coat, eye, and brain health. Look out for calcium and phosphorus levels, too, because too much can cause rapid growth and lead to joint dysplasia later in life. A raw diet with the aforementioned nutrients is a possible option.

Stabyhoun adult dog food: Stabyhoun adult dogs need food that is formulated not only for their medium size but is also for active dogs. This will keep them healthy and fit through the years as they age. Adult dogs one year of age or older usually need one large meal or two smaller meals a day.

Also, realize that Stabyhouns are vulnerable to the heart condition patent ductus arteriosus. So you should know about the link between legumes in dog food and heart failure in dogs, and think about going for legume-free dog food.

Maintenance and Grooming

A semi-long, silky coat is characteristic of the Stabyhoun. However, its fur is self-cleaning, although it does shed. It needs bathing on the rare occasion it is very dirty or smelly, thanks to its skin oils, and needs regular grooming to remove tangles, control shedding, and fur trimming according to the breed standards.

Training

The Stabyhoun is intelligent and emotionally intuitive. It takes well to early training and enjoys having jobs to do. Although it can be stubborn, gentle, and consistent, steady training reflects well on the dog. Harsh training or yelling will stress it out and make it shut down, and not addressing its tendency to be a “velcro” dog will lead to separation anxiety.

Training it for good recall is important, so it doesn’t stray too far. Also, it can have a high prey drive. This breed is a natural watchdog and will be on alert to bark and let you know about noises and anything strange. On the other hand, it has a low tendency to chew, nip, and herd.

Exercise

A small dwelling, such as an apartment, is not a suitable environment for the Stabyhoun, which needs a lot of room to move around and play. Some amount of physical activity every day is necessary. At a minimum, it needs long walks a few times a week in addition to daily stimulation and movement. Swimming is ideal, and it’s their favorite activity. It likes to dig trenches in yards and will become destructive without proper enrichment. If you have an uncovered pool, it could be difficult to avoid swimming in it at every opportunity.

Puppies

People usually get Stabyhoun puppies at 8 weeks of age. The breed’s socialization window starts to close at 12 weeks, so socialization should begin right away. This means allowing the puppy to see, hear, and experience as many different things as possible in order to associate them with pleasure.

As for purchasing, a Stabyhoun puppy is hard to find and can cost anywhere from $3,200 to $4,000, depending on the breeder, less common coat colors, and whether you are importing it from overseas. The average set price by the American Stabyhoun Association is around $4,000.

Stabyhoun and Children

The Stabyhoun is excellent with children, being very friendly, tolerant, and loving to play. Like many other breeds, it is initially reserved with strangers, including child strangers.

Dogs Similar to Stabyhouns

Some dogs that are similar to Stabyhouns include Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, Bourbonnaise Pointers, Schapendoes, Wetterhouns, and Kooikerhondjes.

• Schapendoes: Also called the Dutch Sheepdog, the Schapendoes is likewise from the Netherlands, but specifically from the province of Drenthe. The herding and farm dog also shares its medium size and black and white coat.
• Wetterhoun: Wetterhoun is from the Friesland province of the Netherlands and is also called the Frisian Water Dog. It also has in common with the Stabyhoun a similar color, build, and appearance, medium size, and use as a hunting dog. Differences include larger size, curly fur, and skill in hunting otters.
• Kooikerhondje: The Kooikerhondje, also called the Dutch Spaniel or Dutch Decoy Spaniel, is another Dutch breed and a working dog. It is small, used for luring ducks, has an orange and white coat, and is common in paintings by the old Dutch masters Rembrandt and Jan Steen.

Famous Stabyhouns

Being such a rare breed of dog, you wouldn’t expect to hear about a famous Stabyhoun, let alone one outside the Netherlands. Suffie is a dog owned by Judy Wiltsek of Mill Spring, North Carolina. Wiltsek became an advocate for the breed, stating that it’s one of the most emotionally intelligent breeds she’s ever experienced, thanks to Suffie. She joined the ASA and hopes to breed Suffie.