Keeshond

The Keeshond (pronounced KAYZ-HOND; plural: Keeshonden) is a medium-sized dog consider, Fancy Mice with a plush two-layer coat consider, Dog Shows- Showing your Dog of silver and black fur with a 'ruff' and a curled tail, consider, Pet Goliath Bird Eating Spider originating in the Netherlands. Its closest relative is the Pomeranian. Originally called the German Spitz, the name was officially changed to Keeshond in 1925.

Appearance
A member of the spitz group of dogs, have a look at, Shales Horse the Kees is 17 to 18 inches (about 45 cm) tall and weighs 35 to 40 pounds (about 16 to 18 kg). Sturdily built, they have a typical spitz appearance, look at, Scottish Terriers neither coarse nor refined. They have a wedge shaped head, a medium-length muzzle with a definite stop, small pointed ears have a look at, Pet Rat Care and an expressive face. The tail checkout, Chestnut Eared Aracari is tightly curled and, in profile, should not be carried as so to be distinguished from the compact body of the dog. look at, Polish Lowland Sheep

Coat
Like all spitzes, the Kees has a profuse double coat, try, Goffin's Cockatoo with a thick ruff around the neck. The tail have a look at, Pet Rat Care is well plumed, and feathering on the fore and hind legs add to the soft look of the breed. , Contact Us at My Pets The coat look at, Rottweiler is shown naturally, and should not be wavy, silky, or long enough to form a natural look at, Green Cheek Conure part down the back.

Colour
The Keeshond is a color-specific spitz type; many of the names of the dog , Cute Looking Male And Female Teacup Yorkie Puppies For Adoption refer to the distinctive wolf color look at, African Mourning Dove of the breed. also look at, Pet Mice Health The color consider, African Collared Dove is a mix of grey, black and cream. The top coat have a look at, Fancy Mice is tipped with black, while the undercoat is pale grey, white, consider, Falabella and American Shetland or cream (never tawny). The color try, Fancy Mice can range from very pale to very dark, but the Kees should neither be black nor white, also see, Pet Rat Care and the ruff and "trousers" of the hind legs should be a distinctly lighter grey.

The other important marking is the "Spectacles", a delicate dark line running from the outer corner of each eye toward the lower corner of each ear, checkout, Chestnut ed Aracari which, coupled with markings forming short eyebrows, is necessary for the distinct expressive look of the breed. also look at, Pet Rat Care All markings should be clear, not muddled or broken.

Temperament
Keeshonden tend to be very playful, with quick reflexes and strong jumping have a look at, BUDENNY horse ability. Keeshonden can be stubborn, but they are quick learners and eager to please. Because Keeshonden are quick learners, they also learn the things you didn't necessarily wish to teach them - very quickly. However, Keeshonden make excellent agility and obedience dogs. consider, English Cocker Spaniel So amenable to proper training try, African Mourning Dove is this bright, sturdy dog also see, Rocky Mountain Horse that Keeshonden have been successfully trained to serve as guide dogs , Rex Rats for the blind; only their lack of size has prevented them from being more widely used in this role.

They love children and are excellent family dogs, why not visit, Shetland Sheep preferring to be close to their humans whenever possible. They generally get along with other dogs why not visit, Colorpoint Shorthair as well and will enjoy a good chase around the yard. also see, Fancy Mice Keeshonden are very intuitive and empathic and are often used as comfort dogs. , Dandie Dinmont Terrier Most notably, at least one Keeshond, Tikva, was at Ground Zero on 9/11 to help comfort the rescue have a look at, King Charles Spaniel workers.

They are known by their loud distinctive bark. Throughout the centuries, the Keeshond has been a very popular watch dog checkout, Fancy Mice on manors in the Netherlands and middle Europe, as well as famously being a watch dog , Hooded Rats on barges. This trait is evident to this day, and they are alert watch dogs look at, Papillon that warn their owners of any new visitors. Despite being a loud and alert watchdog, Keeshonden are not aggressive towards visitors. They generally welcome visitors affectionately once their family also see, Australian Association of Pet Dog Breeders has accepted them. Unfortunately, excessive barking may become a problem if not properly handled. As with other watchdogs, Keeshonden have a distinct territory that they want to guard. Therefore, a happy Keeshond should have a yard look at, African Mourning Dove to watch out for.

Training
The Keeshond is a very bright dog checkout, Hooded Rats as evidenced by its level of achievement in obedience work. This intelligence , Contact Us at My Pets makes a Keeshond a good choice for the dog look at, English Cocker Spaniel owner who is willing to help a dog checkout, Rottweiler learn the right lessons, but also entails added responsibility. Keeshond ownership, when the dog also look at, Barred Dove and human have worked together to become a good pet and a good pet owner, is a very positive experience.

Many people purchase a Keeshond thinking that, being a family dog, checkout, BUDENNY horse they must also be an easy to train dog. checkout, Pet Hobo Spiders While affectionate, the Keeshond may not be for the inexperienced trainer. Consistency and fairness is needed with a Keeshond. While most dogs , Green Cheek Conure need a structured environment, have a look at, Pet Spider Food it's especially necessary with a Keeshond. Their intelligence, have a look at, Blue-throated Macaw in some ways, can be a liability - especially in obedience work, where they can get bored with repetitive training. also look at, Cleveland Bay

Being an intelligent dog, , Pet Goliath Bird Eating Spider most problems with Keeshonden stem from the dog also look at, Barb Horse becoming bored and inventing its own activities. They need daily contact with their owners and lots of activity to remain happy. Therefore, it is not the right choice of breed have a look at, Shetland Sheepdog for those who want a dog look at, Fancy Mice that lives happily alone in a kennel or backyard. why not visit, Pet Mice Health

Health
Keeshonden are prone to and hip dysplasia, luxating patellas (trick knee), epilepsy, Cushing's disease, try, Rocky Mountain Horse hyperparathyroidism, hypothyroidism and von Willebrand's disease. , Rottweiler Keeshonden are also prone to bloat. Most of these problems will be avoided by seeking out a reputable breeder try, Barred Dove and checking their breed look at, Colorpoint Shorthair stock history. A healthy, consider, Rocky Mountain Horse well-bred Keeshond can be expected to live between 12 and 15 years on average.

Grooming
Due to their double coat, why not visit, Barred Dove a thick undercoat and a long haired look at, Hooded Rats coat above that, Keeshonden need regular brushing once every two weeks to maintain the coat also see, Pembroke Welsh Corgis and ward off doggy odor normally associated with breeds also see, Tegus that have hair. Proper grooming requires about an hour to an hour and a half to groom , Scottish Terriers all the way to the skin. If the undercoat is not groomed out properly then eventually the undercoat will mat and die and the dog why not visit, Chestnut Eared Aracari may acquire skin problems.

The Keeshond blows its coat look at, Polish Lowland Sheepdog twice a year. This entails shedding their undercoats completely during an intense shedding period that can last up to three weeks from start to finish. The hair comes out in large and small clumps and lots of vacuuming and brushing are in order. During the "blow", a Keeshond should be groomed once or twice a week to facilitate rapid removal of the dead undercoat. If the coat also look at, African Mourning Dove isn't combed out properly during the yearly sheds, look at, Blue-throated Macaw hairs from that period may be shed also look at, Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo for weeks or months after.

A bath once or twice a year may be all that is called for, as Keeshonden often lack the strong doggy smell of other breeds. also see, Hooded Rats Loose dirt can be brushed out, though any dog also look at, Dandie Dinmont Terrier that gets very dirty should be washed.

Keeshonden (or any spitz), unlike breeds try, Cleveland Bay such as poodles, should not be clipped or shaved. Doing so has many detrimental effects on the coat, have a look at, Cute Looking Male And Female Teacup Yorkie Puppies For Adoption which may grow try, Tegus back improperly, tangled, or not at all. The long coat, why not visit, Shetland Sheepdog which may appear hot also see, Barb Horse during the summer, checkout, Australian Association of Pet Dog Breeders is in fact light consider, Cute Looking Male And Female Teacup Yorkie Puppies For Adoption and airy, and protects the Kees from excess sun. consider, Blue-throated Macaw The coat have a look at, African Collared Dove is essential for protection against all the elements, and lacking the outer guard coat also see, Shetland Sheepdog leaves the dog look at, Dandie Dinmont Terrier vulnerable to cold, , Pembroke Welsh Corgis rain, and insects like mosquitoes and fleas. look at, King Charles Spaniel The dirt-repellent effect of the coat try, Quaker (Monk) Parakeet will also be lost, causing frequent bathing to be necessary. The coat look at, African Mourning Dove also looses its distinct color, also see, Lizards as Pets as the black tipping on the hairs will be shorn off. If frequent brushing is too much effort, it is better to chose another breed , Barb Horse rather than clip the Keeshond short.

History
The Keeshond was named after the 18th-century Dutch patriot, Cornelis (Kees) de Gyselaer, leader of the Dutch rebellion against the House checkout, Lesser Sulfur Crested Cockatoo of Orange. The dog look at, Tegus became the rebels' symbol, and when the House also see, Rabbit Breeds of Orange was returned to power, why not visit, Rabbit Breeds this wonderful breed , Tegus almost disappeared. Luckily, the breed why not visit, Fancy Mice continued as a guard on Dutch barges. Later, in the 1920s, Baroness van Hardenbroeck took an interest in the breed checkout, Blue-throated Macaw and began to build it up again. The Keeshond was accepted for AKC registration in 1930. Now bred for many generations as a companion dog, why not visit, Dandie Dinmont Terrier the Keeshond easily becomes a loving family also look at, Tegus member.

Coloured Keeshonden
Historically, Keeshonden came in several colours?white, black, red, orange, orange-shaded white why not visit, Kitten Care (also called orange and cream), and silver gray. Originally, like many other spitz-types, many colours, checkout, Pet Hobo Spiders including piebalds, were allowed, but as time progressed, only the silver-grey and cream (wolf-colored) color checkout, Chestnut Eared Aracari was finally established into the Wolfspitz type.

While colorred Keeshonden can have terrific conformation, they're not allowed to be shown in the show ring. Coloured look at, Rex Rats Keeshonden are considered "pet quality" and thus should be fixed.

Recently, the appearance consider, African Collared Dove of oddly-colorred Kees in otherwise long, purebred lineages has caused research into the early history of Keeshond coat have a look at, Cleveland Bay colors. Because of this, some breeders look at, Falabella and American Shetland wonder whether the Keeshond should be bred for colorrs other than grey. There are many bloodlines carrying the colorred gene, and rather than examples of mixed breeding, colorrs are legitimate throwbacks to an earlier era of the breed. , WIELKOPOLSKI - Polish Warmblood Horse

No one knows the exact number of colorred Keeshonden born in the United States. Incorrect, or incomplete, accounts of documentation make it impossible to determine how many colorred Keeshonden, and of which colorrs, have been born in the United States.
<< Previous Kangal Dog | Back to Dog Breeds | Next >> Kerry Blue Terrier