The Dutch Shepherd
 |
The Dutch Shepherds are a Holland breed. They're known as the Hollandse Herdershond in Europe, and come in three varietys of the breed. There's a long, rough, and short coat. They were originally sheepdogs, and were also used by Dutch farmers as a general purpose farm dog. They are very similer to the Belgian Shepherd, except for the color.
There are three varieties of the Dutch Shepherd. These varities have been recognized in their present form since the early 1700's but they didn't gain notice until they were brought to Holland in 1870. The varieties are Shorthaired, which has a short, dense coat, the Longhaired which had a long, straight coat, and the Roughhaired has a medium-length coat that is thick and wiry. All three varieties come in blue and various shades of brindle, including grey, yellow, silver and red.
The Dutch Shepherd is an active, alert and courageous dog. He is intelligent and is a very quick learner. He is generally good friends in a family with children and gets along well with other pets, but tends to have a special person. Years ago the Dutch Shepherd was said to be "sharp", meaning he may bite quickly. The average Dutch Shepherd is now more tolerant but did not lose his courage. The Dutch Shepherd has proven to be a great utility dog and are often trained as police dogs. At present they are becoming more popular in the KNPV in Holland. In the United States they have found to be excellent Police dogs and are showing up in Schutzhund and French Ring Sport.
