The origin of the Keeshond breed, the standard of appearance, character and his health, advice on care, features of training, interesting facts. Price when buying a puppy. Keeshond dogs only in appearance resemble a wolf, but their character is wonderful and good-natured. They are true friends and companions. Energetic tetrapods for active people. Their unusual fluffy coat helps them feel comfortable in any weather. Therefore, if you are traveling to hot countries or want to relax in ski resorts, you can safely take your fluffy pet with you.
The animals of this breed have a well-developed intuition and even at the slightest danger they will warn you about it with their sonorous and loud voice. Four-legged friends love to talk. Returning home from work in the evening, you will know everything about what happened not only in your apartment, but also in the yard. In addition, Keeshondas are simply handsome - real show dogs. Of course, in order for them to look decent, you must take care of their attractive coat.
The origin of the Keeshond breed
How many rocks on the planet, as many countries, cities, regions, islands. It is believed that the origin of the Keeshond species began in the city of Dordrecht, a province of South Holland. The progenitors of this breed were called Danish barge dogs. They were the pets of sailors. Sailing with them on various ships, they exterminated the rats and mice that lived there in large numbers. If the ship lost its course, the dogs always indicated in which direction their native land was. With their loud barks, they warned the barges to collide with each other when there was poor visibility in bad weather.
The name of the breed originated in 1781. At that time in the Netherlands, a liberation movement suddenly began against the reign of William V of Orange. There was a camp of patriots of the uprising led by Cornelius De Kizlar. He had a favorite Spitz named Keyes. He became a symbol of movement. The uprising was defeated and ended in great bloodshed. Keenshond began to be considered not politically correct dogs. Such pets were used to determine which party a person belongs to. After these events, the breed was not bred for a long time. People were simply afraid, and then they forgot about her existence.
At the end of the 9th century, the Keeshondas gradually began to revive thanks to the Baroness Van Handom Breck. She was very impressed with these dogs, so she in every possible way contributed to their successful breeding in Holland. It took the Baroness about ten years to do this, and her efforts were not in vain. The current name of the dog was acquired in 1926. The first club was founded in 1933. At the same time, the initial standard for the variety was approved.
If this is your first time seeing these dogs, you may confuse them with the Wolf Spitz breed. These are their siblings. Both varieties belong to the Spitz group, but there is little difference between them. Keeskhond lived near the water and sailed on barges, and the wolf spitz never saw her at all, they were brought in to protect the owner's property. At the moment, the breed has a double name Keeshond-Wolfspitz. The International Cynological Federation does not recognize the Keeshond as a separate species and at all shows both varieties are compared in the same ring. In such a situation, the victory, as a rule, goes to the Keeshondas, because they have a more square body format and a thicker coat. They are called show dogs. Wolf Spitz remain working animals. For tiger trainer Pavlov, these dogs worked on belay - they controlled the behavior of predators in the enclosure, in the arena. At any moment they came to the rescue of the owner, and they always took the first blow.
Now the best representatives of Keeshond in the world, oddly enough, live in Russia, not in the Netherlands. They appeared there in the early 90s. In 1998, breeders of this breed took part in the world championship for the first time. Of the seven Russian keeshondas, five were among the prize-winners and became world champions, and the best puppy of Russian breeders was also awarded there. The Dutch did not expect and were pleasantly surprised that such wonderful specimens of their national breed could come from Russia.
Keeshond dog external standard
- Head. It looks like a fox - wedge-shaped.
- Muzzle. Moderate in length, dry and not too dense. The transition from the forehead to the muzzle is clearly visible.
- Nose - the nose is dark in color.
- Eyes at Keeshond they are medium, set slightly obliquely.
- Ears - small, upright, triangular.
- Neck. Medium length, strong. The high neckline merges smoothly into the well-defined withers.
- Frame square keeshond - short and compact. The back is short and straight, dropping slightly towards the croup. Rounded ribs short loin. The belly is slightly tucked up. The ribcage is deep and strong. Height at withers 46 cm, weight 25-30 kg.
- Tail. Lush, in a peculiar way lies on the back.
- Extremities. The forelegs are straight with strong bones. In proportion to the general constitution of the dog.
- Paws - round paws-lumps.
- Wool cover. A special structure - a well-developed guard coat and a thick undercoat, which creates a microclimate that isolates and protects the Keeshond from the influences of the external environment (it is not hot in summer and not cold in winter). On the ears, muzzle, and skull, the cover is short and soft velvety to the touch. Body covered with upright hair, slightly longer than on the head. The developed mane forms a beautiful collar. On the hind legs, it has lush pants and a tail, with long fluffy hair.
- The color of the animal. Wolf is a mixture of light and dark colors. The undercoat is creamy milky or beige gray. The guard hairs are black at the ends. The shade of the pants and mane is a little lighter. The muzzle is colored in a special way - the eyes are surrounded by light zones (glasses), a black nose and dark-colored ears. The underside of the tail is lighter, the tip is black. Legs with light-colored paws.
Keeshond's character
They are successful show dogs and pleasant companions. They do not have pronounced hunting and guarding qualities, but they have good intuition and a keen sense of smell. Your pet will always feel the danger and will notify you in time with a loud voice. Excellent companions on walks and participants in active recreation of their owners. Their coat is designed in such a way that they can withstand any bad weather and sudden changes in temperature. Therefore, Keeshond can be perfectly kept in a private house, taken with you on hikes and travels to different countries of the world. The animals are smart and loyal - a real sophisticated simplicity.
Keeshondas are very friendly by nature. They perfectly find a common language with people of different ages, also with many species of animals: small birds, turtles, hamsters, cats, etc. If a pet lives on a farm outside the city, it communicates well even with livestock: horses, goats, cows. Dogs of this breed have a very low level of aggression. Some of the most peaceful and tolerant of domestic dogs.
Perky, with a cheerful temperament and a desire to spend most of their time in games. Therefore, they are not suitable for the elderly and inactive people. Keeshond can be kept by athletic people who lead an active lifestyle. The dog is very mobile and you need to engage in not only training with it, but also create regular physical activity for it - especially until the age of three. These pets love to run, play ball and practice on the obstacle course.
Keyshund are very talkative animals. When the owners come home from work, the four-legged tell everything that happened to them during the day. And if you love your family friend, then be sure to learn to understand him. Contact between a person and his pet begins with play and general activities. Not every casehund can be bought for a treat - these are not corrupt dogs. But a good attitude, care, love can bribe him.
Representatives of the breed are very sensitive to the attitude of a person towards them. Some breeders compare them to winged angels. These animals have practically no flaws. The only difficulty can be the sonorous barking of the dog, because this was its initial purpose. It is necessary to stop and correct the pet's behavior in time, then there will be no problems.
Keeshond health
Keeshondas are canine centenarians characterized by good health and a strong immune system. Their average life span is up to fifteen, and sometimes even seventeen years. Naturally, in order to grow a healthy Keeshond, you need to take good care of it. First of all, it is a proper balanced diet with the addition of vitamins and minerals. Good walking and physical activity in the form of games. Animals are resistant to traumatic influences, but they also have some genetic diseases.
In rare cases, skin and heart problems are possible. Some individuals may have hip dysplasia, a pathology of the hip joint. It is manifested by pain and difficulty in movement. It is often poorly detected in the early stages. There are diseases of the patella - displacement relative to the normal position in the joint. They may suffer from hypothyroidism - insufficient production of thyroid hormones. All dogs with genetic diseases are culled and they do not participate in breeding work in order to avoid the birth of puppies with such disabilities.
Keeshond care tips
The most thorough and practically daily care is required for the hairline of the Keeshond. If you do not have time or desire for this, it is better just not to have a pet of this breed. Otherwise, you run your pet friend, and he will look obscene. The fur coat of these animals must be regularly looked after, only then they will look like show dogs.
- Wool. The frequency of water procedures is once a month or one and a half. First, the fur coat is combed out with a slicker with a special conditioner. Then the dog is bathed with typed shampoos. If necessary, even individual masks are sometimes made. The Keeshonda water treatment field is again combed with a massage brush and dried in the direction of hair growth with the warm air of a hair dryer. Finish the final hairstyle with a stainless steel comb. Between bathing days, so that the dog's hair does not fall off, it is regularly combed almost every day with an air conditioner. It is categorically not recommended to cut the bald head of Keeshond, because the structure of the coat changes very much. The hair becomes softer, easily falls off, can lose its protective function and the external feature characteristic of this particular breed.
- Ears. Clean only when contaminated with veterinary products. The easiest way is when the pet's auricle is filled with cleaning lotion, massaged and the animal, shaking its head, removes excess dirt by itself.
- Eyes at the Keeshond. They do not require special care. Wipe only as needed in the direction of the inner corner.
- Teeth. To prevent various diseases of the oral cavity, brush your pet's teeth with specialized products. They are purchased only in veterinary pharmacies and pet stores. You can give him specially invented bones to chew, which remove plaque.
- Claws. Since the keeshonda needs to be walked for a long time, their claws grind off themselves. If necessary, you can cut with claw scissors. Many breeders in the life of a dog are limited to only clipping the claws on the dewclaws.
- Feeding. Some owners prefer to feed their pet with natural food. Then the Keeshond should first of all receive lean meat (beef, lamb, chicken, turkey), offal (heart, lungs, liver) and cereals (buckwheat, barley, wheat) in the required quantities. Someone gives preference to feed. In any case, the diet of the Keeshond must be enriched with vitamins and minerals according to the age, sex and state of his body. All additives and feed must be of high quality, trusted manufacturers.
- Walking. Up to three years old, these dogs require quite frequent, good walking, various outdoor games and physical activity. You can go with them to specially equipped areas with obstacles. They will be happy to play ball or a flying saucer with you. They love to run with children. If you get such a dog, then the pet and your child will be very happy with communication with each other.
Training Keeshonda
Keeshund are very well trained, as they are extremely eager to please their master. The only point is that it is better to start the lessons with "young teeth". They can be easily taught in both intricate tricks and the usual animal obedience program. In 1983, in the United States of America, a dog of this breed won the track work competition. These animals have a genetically sonorous voice with which they inform their owner about literally everything. If you do not like the eternal barking, then you need to correct this behavior of your pet from an early age.
Interesting facts about Keeshonda
In the past, Keeshond ships were used in a very interesting way. When there were bad weather conditions, for example, fog, by their loud barking, it was possible to determine where the ship was and avoid a collision with it. Sailors greatly appreciated these dogs and considered them to be symbols of good luck. The ship on which the Keeskhond sailed always returned to their home harbor.
In modern America, they love this breed very much and are used in many areas. For example, for the identification of odors in the laboratory, because their nose is considered the standard of a dog's sense of smell. They work as police search dogs. Keeshondas also help hearing impaired people. With their strong bark, they warn them of danger. These animals participate in canistherapy sessions, a method of medical and social rehabilitation using trained dogs. They help to treat people with disabilities and people with non-standard behavioral characteristics of different age groups. Such sessions are good for improving mental, emotional and motor abilities. Thanks to their developed intuition, the Keeshond helped the firefighters to save people during the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 in the city of New York.
Price when buying a Keeshond puppy
Thoroughbred representatives of the breed should be purchased only in professional nurseries. Animals that participate in breeding work undergo strict selection. They must not only meet the correct conformation, but also be completely healthy, both psycho-emotional and physically. Dogs with genetic diseases are not allowed to breed.
Breeders are responsible for the quality of Keeshond puppies raised in the kennel. All dogs receive good care and nutrition, and are routinely vaccinated and dewormed. This will give you a healthy and beautiful pet. There are boys who are born with a marriage in the exterior. Such a puppy will be sold to you much cheaper as a pet. Well, if you want a girl for breeding, you have to fork out.
The average price for a pedigree Keeshond puppy will range from 19,500 rubles. up to 200 800 rubles - depends on the sex and exterior of the dog.
Wish you the best of luck in acquiring a four-legged friend for the whole family!
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