Dutch Shepherd Dog

Dutch Shepherds need to be kept both physically and mentally exercised. They need to be walked or jogged daily, where the dog is made to heel beside or behind the human holding the lead, as instinct tells a dog the leader leads the way, and that leader needs to be the human. Because they want to work, run them through a regular drill at least twice per week. They make great jogging companions. Let your dog run beside a bicycle, or take it into the woods or open countryside where it can run to its heart’s content.

The short-haired variety needs occasional combing, with the exception during the shedding period in the spring and fall when a daily thorough brushing is needed. The long-haired variety needs to be groomed about once a week, or more frequently depending on work and environment. The rough-hair variety needs to be thoroughly brushed once a week, and twice a year the dead hair will need to be hand stripped.

The Dutch Shepherd is an active and versatile breed. They compete in dog agility, obedience, Rally obedience, flyball, dock jumping, disc dog, tracking, search and rescue, nosework, weight pulling, along with protection sports such as Schutzhund, French Ring, Belgian Ring, mondioring, PSA and others. In The Netherlands it is still employed as a herder and the instinct is still strong in the breed.

The Dutch Shepherd is a large, well-proportioned, well-muscled dog, with a powerful, well-balanced structure, an intelligent expression and a lively temperament. The length of the body exceeds 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.

Dutch Shepherds are loyal, reliable, alert, watchful, active, independent, intelligent, and intuitive. Obedience and discipline can be achieved with remarkable results. Gifted with a true shepherding temperament, they can supposedly work willingly together with their owners and can deal independently with any task they are assigned, being neither aggressive nor shy. They have a strong character and independence passed down from their herding ancestry.