Breeds / Large
Wetterhoun puppies
Loyal, self willed and fond of water, the Wetterhoun is a rare Frisian water dog with an oily curled coat, warm with its own family and reserved with strangers.
The facts
- Size class Large
- Country of origin Netherlands
- Adult weight 22.7 to 34 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 50 to 75 lb
- Adult height 55 to 58 cm
- Energy level Not published
- Grooming Not published
- Coat type Medium curly
- Typical lifespan 13 years
- Good with children Reliably good
- Good with other dogs Reliably good
Where these come from:
- akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
- fci.be for country of origin
No published figure for energy level and grooming, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.
About the Wetterhoun
The Wetterhoun is a Frisian water dog from the northern Netherlands, bred to hunt otter in the canals and lakes and to double as a farm guard. It is a solidly built dog covered in tight curls, with a curled tail carried over the back and a coat that is naturally oily and sheds water. Character is loyal and good natured with its own household, rated top of the scale with children and other pets, and notably reserved and self willed with strangers, which is the guarding half of the job showing through.
The breed is rare enough that the Dutch parent club has introduced an outcross programme to widen the gene pool, so ask a breeder about it. Grooming is easy, and the oily coat should not be bathed often, since washing strips the waterproofing. Daily exercise matters for body and mind, and swimming suits this dog better than almost anything else. Training calls for firmness without harshness, because a Wetterhoun will argue. Newcomers usually underestimate how much early socialisation the guarding side of its nature needs.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Wetterhoun 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 large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its 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 dysplasia, screened by hip evaluation of breeding stock
- Ear infections in the drop ears, common in a water dog and found on regular ear checks
- Inherited eye disease, picked up by an ophthalmologist evaluation
From Wetterhoun breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/wetterhoun/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Wetterhoun puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Wetterhoun.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 22.7 to 34 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other large breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.