Hareswith Golden Retrievers

& Kooikerhondje

The Home of English Goldens in France

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Kooikers

The Breed Standard

General Appearance

Orange-red parti-coloured dog with a nearly square body with length slightly more than height at shoulders. High head carriage. An untrimmed coat with well feathered tail.

Characteristcs

Temperament friendly, good natured and alert. A sporting and companion dog whose purpose is to work as a duck decoy and control vermin. Self confident, keen, swift and tough.

Head and Skull

Skull moderately curved. Length of skull and muzzle approximately equal. Stop clearly visible in profile but not too deep. Muzzle slightly wedge shaped, not too deep. Well filled under the eye. Lips closely fitting and well pigmented. Nose black.

Eyes

Deep brown, almond-shaped, surrounded by orange-red hair. Black eye rims. Friendly and alert expression.

Ears

Medium sized, set just above eye level, carried close to the cheeks without fold, never flying. Well feathered, black tips which develop with age, highly desirable.

Mouth

Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, ie upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaw.

Neck

Well muscled, of moderate length. A slightly heavier coat around the neck is highly desirable.

Forequarters

Well laid shoulder with upper arm well angulated and of approximately equal length. Elbow lies close to the body. Strong, slightly sloping pasterns. Forelegs straight of sufficient bone, moderately feathered.

Body

Length of body from point of shoulder to point of buttock slightly longer than height at withers. Strong level back. Chest reaching to the elbows with well sprung ribs. Sufficiently developed forechest. Slight tuck up.

Hindquarters

Strong and well muscled, moderately well angulated and hind legs parallel when viewed from the rear. Slightly sloping croup. Hocks well let down. Well feathered to mid thigh.

Feet

Small, compact and slightly oval.

Tail

Tail set follows line of croup, reaching to the hock. Carried at or above the level of the back. Never curled. Well feathered with white plume.

Gait/Movement

Flowing and springy with good extension and rear drive.

Coat

Medium long, slightly wavy or straight, not curled, close fitting. Hair texture not too fine, well developed undercoat. The coat on the head, front part of the legs and the feet should be short. Well feathered tail, moderate feathering to underline and back of legs, never below the hocks.

Colour

Patches of clear orange-red on white with orange-red predominating on body. White blaze preferred. A few black hairs intermingling with the orange-red colour and slight ticking are acceptable but less desirable. A black tail ring where the colour changes to white is permitted.

Size

Height : Dogs 37 - 42 cms Bitches 35 - 40 cms

Faults

Any departure from the foregoing points should be regarded as a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Note

Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

The Kooikerhondje was originally both a working dog and pet. They were much in evidence around Duck Decoys, but were generally used as all purpose working dogs, guard dogs, rat and mice catchers, mole hunters and of course pets. The Kooikerhondje is essentially an intelligent, active and agile dog of spaniel type with a very happy character.

At home, the Kooikerhondje is a very adaptable and his behaviour ranges from the modest to the very playful and fun loving dog that he is. Kooikerhondje will bark if strangers approach their territory, and they are very alert. Off the lead the Kooiker can show his agility and his speed. They love water and are usually excellent swimmers. They are extremely adaptable and versatile. taking as much or as little exercise as suits you. They are equally happy to go for a slow stroll around the block or go for a long hike around the fields.

The Kooikerhondje is an attractive medium size dog varying height between 35 - 40 cms. The colour varies from orange to deep chestnut red plates on a white background, with black tips to the ears, known as earrings.

The earrings should preferably be long in mature adults. The legs are lightly feathered. The tail is well feathered and should be predominantly white. The coat is of medium length and is thick. The eyes are almond shaped, dark brown in colour with a friendly expression. The ears are set close to the head, with the distinctive black ‘earrings’ being a particular feature.

The coat is waterproof and does not contain a lot of dirt. Once the coat dries, dirt can simply be brushed out. Maintenance is very easy, there is no requirement to strip or clip a Kooikerhondje. A regular brushing with a good quality brush is all that is required. During the moulting season it is essential to brush them daily to keep the house free of hair. The coat is naturally waterproof due to the grease contained on the hairs and this grease will be lost if you bath your Kooikerhondje too often. They are naturally very clean and do not need baths very often.

Kooikers are usually greedy and can very easily put on weight, so it is best to keep a watchful eye on the waist line. Most Kooikers should weigh between 9 - 11 kgs. There is no breed specific food, but a good quality food to meet the nutritional requirements for small to medium breeds should be given.

Kooikers get on well with other dogs and cats provided that they are introduced to them when they are very young. They are not friendly to all and sundry and are reserved towards those they do not know. However, family and friends will get a very enthusiastic welcome. They like plenty of exercise so do not ration them to a walk a day whilst leaving them shut up for the rest of the time. They are intelligent and eager to learn and sensitive to the tone off voice, which means that a tough approach is not necessary, however the handler must be firm other wise over leniency will bring out the breed’s dominant trait.

The Kooikerhondje