Stabyhoun puppies

About the Stabyhoun

The Stabyhoun comes from Friesland in the northern Netherlands, where smallholders needed one dog that would point birds, retrieve, kill moles and rats, and watch the farm. They remain rare, with a small population carefully managed by their breed clubs. They stand 48 to 53 cm and weigh 18.1 to 27.2 kg, with a black, brown or orange and white coat of medium length. Stabys are gentle and even tempered at home, keen and quick outdoors, and strongly attached to their people.

Around an hour of daily exercise suits an adult, but the mental side matters more. Scent work, tracking, agility and training games keep a Staby settled, and boredom shows up as restlessness and noise. The coat is close to self cleaning and needs little beyond an occasional brush. They learn very fast and are sensitive, so harsh handling backfires badly. The AKC rates them five out of five with children, with supervision still expected. Buyers most often struggle with the wait, since litters are scarce.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Stabyhoun 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 is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. 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.

• Hip and elbow dysplasia, which breeding stock should be x-rayed and scored for
• Epilepsy, diagnosed by ruling out other causes of seizures
• Patent ductus arteriosus, a heart defect picked up by auscultation and echocardiogram in puppies
• Cerebral dysfunction, a rare inherited neurological condition tracked through breed club records

Your Stabyhoun 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 Stabyhoun.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 18.1 to 27.2 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 36 inch (36 x 24 x 26 in, 91 x 61 x 66 cm) for an adult of up to 27.2 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 Stabyhoun

Previous: St. Bernard · Next: Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Sources

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

Photo: Canarian, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.