DESCRIPTION

The Keeshond has been bred for centuries as the ideal family companion and watchdog. Their magnificent appearance and sense of loyalty have made them an appealing breed around the world. Their natural tendencies are such that no special training is usually needed for a Keeshond to act as a watchdog for his home, keeping it safe from intruders. The Kees descended from the same arctic strains that produced the Samoyed, Spitz and the Norwegian Elkhound . Correct pronunciation of the breed name is caze-hawnd, but the Americanized keys-hawnd is also acceptable. Most Kees fanciers will cringe, however, if you mistakenly pronounce, or spell, the last syllable as "hound". Plural of Keeshond is Keeshonden, the "en" ending signifies plural in Dutch. A Keeshond is happiest around people, and will willingly accept any stranger that its owners accept.

TEMPERAMENT

The typical Keeshond has an outgoing personality. It is outwardly affecti onate with its family and will accept strangers readily once the owner has showed no concern for the strangers presence. The Keeshond makes an excellent watch dog, that is, will bark a stern warning any time a stranger approaches the household or one of its members. The Keeshond rarely bites, however, and therefore does not make a good guard dog. The Keeshond is a very trainable breed, but has a mischievous streak that often results in embarrassment for the owner. Some Kees have done very well in obedience competitions, but most trainers will tell you about the "jokes" their dogs have pulled on them in the ring.

Keeshonden are friendly by nature to both people and other dogs. Their demand for affection is moderate to high. The pack-oriented nature of the Keeshond means that they do better when included in the family (pack, from their point of view) than when left outside by themselves. As befits their Northern ancestry, they may enjoy spending periods outside - particularly during cold weather - but their "place" should be inside with the rest of the pack.

The Keeshond is known as the "Smiling Dutchman", which is often displayed as a curled lip or submissive grin. Certain breeds have a propensity for this behavior, the Keeshond is one of them. The grin is a sign of submission and often used as a greeting for people the dog is particularly fond of.

HISTORY

The Keeshond is a very old breed and there is little doubt that the fact it was never intended to hunt, kill animals or attack criminals accounts for its gentleness and devotion. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Keeshonden were used as watchdogs, good-luck companions, and vermin controllers on river boats, farms and barges. They were known as Wolfspitz (Germany), Chiens Loup (France), Lupini (Italy), and Keeshonden (Holland). During the 1700's, in Holland, Cornelius "Kees" de Gyzelaar, a leader in the Dutch Patriot revolt against the reigning House of Orange, kept one of these dogs as his constant companion.

The Keeshond became the symbol of the Patriot Party. This is the basis for the breed name as "Kees' dog", which in Dutch would be "Kees hund". The Patriots' were defeated, however, and many Keeshonden were destroyed to disavow any connection with the failed rebel party. The only Kees that remained were a few on barges and farms. The breed was not revived until nearly a century later through Baroness van Hardenbroek and Miss J. D. Van der Blom. Throughout the late 1800's, Keeshonden had appeared in England under the names of "fox-dogs," "overweight Pomeranians" and "Dutch Barge Dogs." This British dog was the progeny of the German Wolfspitz crossed with a percentage of Dutch imports. After the turn of the 20th century, Mrs. Wingfield Digby and Mrs. Alice Gatacre aroused great interest in England and in 1926 an English breed club was formed with "Keeshond" as the official name. With rare exceptions, the Kees in the United States are derived from British breeding.

The first American litter was bred in 1929 by Carl Hinderer of Baltimore, MD. The first Keeshond was registered with the American Kennel Club in 1930 in the Non-Sporting Group. The Keeshond Club of America, as it was later named, was organized in 1935. Mrs. Virginia Ruttkay pioneered Keeshond breeding in the Eastern US, founding her kennel in 1946. Mr. and Mrs. Porter Washington of California purchased their first Keeshond in 1932, providing foundation stock for many successful Western US kennels.

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