Keeshond: Dog Breed Profile

The Keeshond belongs to the German Spitz group. It is a very attentive dog and is considered to be easy to train – provided patience, empathy, and loving consistency. Usually, he is suspicious of strangers, a pronounced hunting behavior is untypical. It is well suited as a guard dog.

Origin and history

The Keeshond is said to have descended from the Stone Age peat dog and is one of the oldest dog breeds in Central Europe. Numerous other races have emerged from them. The Keeshond group includes the Keeshond or Wolfsspitz, the Grobspitz, the Mittelspitz or Kleinspitz, and the Pomeranian. The Keeshond used to be a watchdog for inland waterway skippers in Holland. In many countries, the Wolfsspitz is known by its Dutch name “Keeshond”. The name Wolfsspitz refers to the coloring of the coat and not to a wolf crossbreed.

Appearance

Spitz is generally characterized by their impressive fur. Due to the thick, fluffy undercoat, the long topcoat looks very bushy and protrudes from the body. The thick, mane-like fur collar and the bushy tail that rolls over the back are particularly striking. The fox-like head with the quick eyes and the pointy little close-set ears give the Spitz its characteristic appearance.

With a shoulder height of up to 55 cm, the Keeshond is the largest representative of the German Spitz group. Its fur is always grey-shaded, ie silver-grey with black hair tips. The ears and muzzle are dark in color, the fur collar, legs and underside of the tail are lighter in color.

Nature

The Keeshond is an always alert, lively, and docile dog. It is very self-confident and only submits to clear, strict leadership. It has a strong territorial awareness, is aloof and reserved towards strangers, and is therefore particularly suitable as a guard dog.

Keeshond has a strong personality, so their training requires a lot of empathy and consistency. With the right motivation, this dog breed is also suitable for many dog ​​sports activities. The robust Keeshond loves to be outdoors – regardless of the weather – and is therefore predestined for a life in the country, where it can do justice to its task as a guard dog.

The long and dense coat tends to become matted and therefore requires regular grooming.