Members
Discover the Keeshond’s versatile charm. Dive into Mary Ellen Meyer’s expertise on this outgoing breed and its unique traits!
The Weekly Brief
The best of SHOWSIGHT editorials, weekly wins, and breeder commentary — delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning.
The Keeshond is a very outgoing breed, very social. They love everyone and think everyone has to pet them at least once or twice. They love people and are very loyal and fun-loving, and, of course, make great family pets.
The Keeshond is a double-coated breed with a long, harsh outercoat and a dense, softer undercoat. Having a Nordic-type, standoff coat protects them from the cold in winter and keeps them cool in the summer. Their coats are unique in the sense that when they get dirt on it, or if they were to roll in mud, when it dries it pelts off the outer guard coat. Brushing the coat keeps the coat clean and neat. Fitted coats are just as correct as profuse coats.
What distinguishes the Keeshond from similar breeds is their great personality, and their eagerness to please, along with their great versatility. Having their origin as barge dogs and farm dogs, they are a very versatile breed and great housedogs.
Of course, they are great family pets, excelling in Obedience, Agility, Rally, Fast CAT, Barn Hunt, Tracking, and more.
They are a moderate dog. Males should be preferably 18 inches, with a size variation of one inch either way. Bitches should be 17-1/4 inches, also with a one-inch over or under variance. This is what we would like to see our dogs be; however, we do not have a disqualification for size in our Breed Standard.
This is a unique breed and the hallmarks are our dogs’ spectacles, their unique dramatic markings, and their great outgoing personalities. Please remember, if you are judging this breed, they do not walk on their heads, coat, or color.
Everyone in this breed could probably write a book about their dog/dogs and some of the crazy things they have done. They keep our lives interesting, to say the least, and many do really smile at us. Sometimes I think they do that to let us know they are the boss and to show us we cannot really outsmart them—even though we might think we can.
Meet the Junior Handlers
