Nederlandse Kooikerhondje puppies

About the Nederlandse Kooikerhondje

The Kooikerhondje is a Dutch sporting breed, used at duck decoys where their waving white tail lured birds down a netted channel to be caught. This is a medium dog of 38 to 41 cm and 9.1 to 13.6 kg, orange red and white, with a wavy double coat and heavy feathering on the ears, legs and tail. The character is cheerful and busy outdoors but quiet in the house, closely bonded to their own people, and often reserved with strangers until they have had time to decide about them.

This is a high energy, highly trainable dog that does well at agility, obedience and scent work, and they need daily activity to stay settled. Grooming is straightforward: a weekly brush through the feathering and the occasional bath, plus nails, ears and teeth. They are sensitive, so heavy handed training backfires and calm consistency works. Ratings with children and other pets are moderate, so supervise and socialise early. The thing new owners miss is how small the gene pool is, which makes thorough breeder health testing critical.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Nederlandse Kooikerhondje puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Hereditary necrotising myelopathy (ENM), detectable by DNA test
• von Willebrand disease type III, detectable by DNA test
• Polymyositis, an inflammatory muscle disease diagnosed by blood testing and muscle biopsy
• Kidney disease, monitored by blood and urine testing
• Epilepsy, diagnosed clinically once other causes have been ruled out
• Patellar luxation, graded on veterinary orthopaedic examination

Your Nederlandse Kooikerhondje puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Nederlandse Kooikerhondje.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 9.1 to 13.6 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 30 inch (30 x 20 x 23 in, 76 x 51 x 58 cm) for an adult of up to 13.6 kg; chew toys made for medium breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other medium breeds

More on the Nederlandse Kooikerhondje

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Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Nederlandse Kooikerhondje breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/nederlandse-kooikerhondje/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Burner83 / de wikipedia, CC BY 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.