The Dog Centre - for professional dog trainers in the UK

Keeshond

General Appearance

Short, compact body, confident carriage. Fox-like head with small pointed ears, alert expression, large ruff, well feathered tail curled over back.

  Below Average Above Key
Likelihood to wander     High  
Protectiveness   Medium    
Destructiveness   Medium    
Quietness Low      
Good with children   Medium    
Affinity to other dogs   Medium    
Size   Medium    
Lifespan   Medium   Below: < 10 years
Average: > 10 years
Above: > 15 years
Location   Medium   Below: Town only
Average: Town and Country
Above: Country only

Characteristics

Sturdy, intelligent and adaptable, ideal companion, good guard, shows boldly.

Temperament

Bold, alert, friendly with marked guarding tendency.

Head and Skull

Well proportioned, wedge shaped when seen from above; from side showing definite stop. Dark muzzle equal to length of flat skull. Neither coarse nor snipey. Nose black.

Eyes

Dark, medium size, almond-shaped, obliquely set. Well defined ’spectacles‘ shown as a delicately pencilled black line slanting from outer corner of eye to lower corner of ear, coupled with distinct marking and shading forming expressive short eyebrows.

Ears

Dark, small ivy-leafed in shape. Erect, velvety texture. Well set on head, neither too wide nor meeting.

Mouth

Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Lips black.

Neck

Moderately long and arched, covered with thick, profuse coat forming large ruff.

Forequarters

Shoulders well sloped. Straight front of medium width with good bone.

Body

Short, compact; length from withers to tail equal to height at withers, well sprung in rib. Good depth of brisket.

Hindquarters

Strong muscled, hindlegs straight when viewed from behind. Hock showing slight angulation when viewed from side, profuse light-coloured trousers down to hocks.

Feet

Well padded, round, cat-like, tight, cream in colour; black nails.

Tail

Moderately long, high-set, tightly curled over back, double curl highly desirable. Light plume on top where curled, with black tip, carried closely at all times.

Gait

Clean, brisk, straight and sharp.

Coat

Harsh, off-standing, straight. Dense ruff, well feathered on forelegs and profuse trousers, not feathered below hock. Soft, thick, light-coloured (not tawny) undercoat. Never silky, wavy or woolly, nor forming a parting on back. Any shortening of the coat which alters the natural outline should be penalised, with the exception of feet and pasterns which may be lightly trimmed.

Colour

A mixture of grey and black. Undercoat very pale grey or cream (not tawny). All shades of grey acceptable, body hairs black tipped. Shoulder markings well defined and all markings definite. Forelegs and hocks cream with no black below wrist or hock. Pencilling acceptable.

Size

Ideal height: dogs: 46 cms (18 ins); bitches: 43 cms (17 ins).

Excercise Requirements

Moderate

Grooming Needs

Considerable

Notes

Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum




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