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Nederlandse Kooikerhondje

alert / friendly / quick
Sporting Group >>

Average sizes and life
expectancy of the breed.

Height

Males 16″

Females 15″

Weight

20 – 30 lbs

Life Expectancy

12-15 years

Breed Traits & Characteristics

Affectionate With Family
  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%
How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.
Good With Young Children
  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    60% 60%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.
GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS
  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    60% 60%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    60% 60%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    40% 40%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    40% 40%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    80% 80%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    60% 60%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    60% 60%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    80% 80%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    100% 100%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    80% 80%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    60% 60%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    80% 80%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

Affectionate With Family

  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%

How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.

Good With Young Children

  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    60% 60%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.

GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS

  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    60% 60%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    60% 60%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    40% 40%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    40% 40%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    80% 80%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    60% 60%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    60% 60%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    80% 80%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    100% 100%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    80% 80%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    60% 60%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    80% 80%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

About the Breed

The Dutch Kooikerhondje is vivacious, agile, self-assured, good-natured, and vigilant. In the home, the breed is loyal, easygoing, and pleasant. He is a true sporting dog in the outdoors, being keen, fast, tough, alert, and enthusiastic. He enjoys working and does so cheerfully if he has enough perseverance and stamina.

The Kooikerhondje (Koi-ker-hond-yuh)’ the little white and orange dog with a large heart’ is an athletic, eye-catching gentleman with a smooth all-weather coat of white with red patches. They are easily identified by their huge, black-tipped ears and the lavishly feathered tail they proudly wag. The breed possesses the robust bone structure of a serious hunter, yet the overall picture is of a beautifully built dog with smooth, flowing lines and lively movement.

What To Expect When Caring For a Nederlandse Kooikerhondje

Owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, and deserve much more. When you take a dog into your life, you need to understand the commitment that dog ownership entails.

Health

expectancy. The Kooikerhondje is prone to a variety of hereditary illnesses due to its small starting population. To promote genetic variety within the limited gene pool, good breeding procedures to lower inbreeding coefficients are recommended. Knowledge of disease genetic lines within the breed, combined with proper breeding procedures, helps to prevent significant illnesses in the Kooikerhondje. Even with careful breeding procedures, the Kooikerhondje is susceptible to a range of canine diseases. The following are current health problems for the breed: 1. PMN (Polymyositis) 2. Renal diseases 3. Epilepsy
Recommended Health Tests From the National Breed Club:
  • Blood test for Von Willebrand's Disease (vWD) for carrier status - submitted to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA)
  • Blood test for Hereditary Necrotizing Myelopathy (ENM) for carrier status -submitted to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA)
  • Eye examination - certified through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA)
  • Patella Evaluation - certified through OFA
  • Hip: certified through OFA

Grooming

Aside from regular weekly grooming, a bath every now and then will keep the Nederlandse Kooikerhondje clean and looking his best. Grooming your dog may be a fantastic bonding experience for both of you. To avoid overgrowth, splitting, and cracking, the nails should be clipped on a regular basis with a nail clipper or grinder. Ears should be checked on a frequent basis to eliminate wax and debris buildup, which can lead to infection. Teeth should be brushed on a regular basis.

Exercise

A clever, lively, cheerful, devoted, sweet companion in the home and an athletic, driven, eager, busy explorer outdoors.

Training

The Kooikerhondje is a cheerful, intelligent and lively but not hyper companion. The nature of the historic work for this small sporting breed means that they have prey drive and energy along with the sensitive character of a spaniel. They can be very determined, and are best trained with a firm attitude and gentle methods. The cheerful personality, athletic build, intelligence, and eager-to-please attitude makes the Kooikerhondje a highly trainable dog. However, their drive and determination means that they do need that gentle training to fulfill their promise as charming household pets and sporting companions.

Nutrition

The Nederlandse Kooikerhondje should do well on high-quality dog food, whether commercially manufactured or home-prepared with your veterinarian's supervision and approval. Any diet should be appropriate to the dog's age (puppy, adult, or senior). Some dogs are prone to getting overweight, so watch your dog's calorie consumption and weight level. Treats can be an important aid in training, but giving too many can cause obesity. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not. Check with your vet if you have any concerns about your dog's weight or diet. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.

History

The Nederlandse Kooikerhondje is a very old breed that may be found in paintings by Dutch masters dating back to the late Middle Ages. Prior to the invention of gunpowder, the breed was used in “Eendenkooi,” or man-made duck-trapping pond systems. These “Duck Decoys,” as they were dubbed in English, were not to be confused with carved wooden imitation ducks, but rather hand-dug ponds ranging in size from 3 to 10 acres. The breed was also associated with Prince William of Oranje, the founder of the Dutch Monarchy, whose “Kooiker” Kuntz was credited with saving the Prince’s life when assassins attempted to kill him.

After WWI, the breed began to decline as better fowling guns allowed hunters to shoot ducks more easily. The Duck Decoys were less profitable, making the effort to maintain them less appealing, and their demise coincided with the demise of the miniature orange-red and white dog used to entice the ducks.

The Baroness von Hardenbroek van Ammerstol set out to preserve the species in late 1939 as part of her silent resistance to the annexation of the Netherlands. She sent peddlers who came to her estate with a black-and-white image of the breed and a scrap of fur on their way. When the peddler discovered a dog that appeared to meet the Baronesse’s specifications, she rode her own bicycle to visit the canine. In this way, she met Tommy, a babe from the extreme north of the Netherlands who formed the foundation. From 1942 through 1976, the Baroness bred 52 litters under the name Walhalla.