Kooikerhondje

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The Dutch Kooikerhondje has a colourful history.  He was introduced into Holland from Spain in the 16thC by Spanish soldiers who for 80 years occupied the Low Countries.  Prince William of Orange had  Kooikerhondje as a pet and it is reported that this dog saved him from an assassination attempt by  the Spanish by waking him up and warning him.  Following this incident, Prince William always kept one and they started to appear in paintings by the Dutch Masters.

The Kooikerhondje is a smallish dog, about 35 - 40cm and 20 - 24lbs with a distinctively rich colouring.  With a base colour of white he has clear orange-red patches, feathering on ears, throat and legs and a richly plumed tail.

His function was as a decoy dog; these dogs lured wild ducks into the mouths of decoys - traps which become progressively smaller until the trap is sprung and the birds are netted.  It is assumed that the waving plume of the tail as the dog ran back and forth triggers off some sort of response in the birds.

The Kooikerhondje has only been in the UK since 1985, and specimens of the breed are quite hard to acquire from their native land, so it has not had a real opportunity to develop here.  However, given the opportunity the Kooikerhondje could well become quite popular as he is a friendly, cheerful and neat little dog with a great fondness for human company.

To read the Kennel Club Breed Standard for the Kooikerhondje click here.

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Kooikerhondje Breed Clubs

KOOIKERHONDJE CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN      Ms Clarke    01280 812281

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Kooikerhondje Rescue and Rehoming

Contact  the Kooikerhondje Breed Club. They should be able to give you information about dogs requiring homes and procedures for re-homing; if you are in the unfortunate position of having to re-home your own dog, please go through breed rescue. They will not be judgmental and are best able to find the right permanent home for him.

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Puppies and dog breeders have moved to our newly re-designed Puppyfinder website where we have full page advertisements for puppies and the opportunity for breeders to have their own profile pages and blog. No designer breeds or puppy farmers, just breeders who care about their dogs as much as you do.

Adding Your Kennel

Ethical breeders are invited to register their kennel on Puppyfinder for just £10 pa, including litter listing, litters planned and stud dog.