Eyes - are dark colored and medium size, set slightly oblique, almond shaped and not protruding. Dogs with distinctly yellow or blue eyes shall be disqualified. Ears - are medium sized, stiff, and erect.
Dutch Shepherd ears are large and pointed and stand upright on their wedge-shaped heads. A Dutch Shepherd puppy will have floppy ears, but they'll perk up over time as the muscles and cartilage develop. Dutch Shepherd eyes are almond-shaped and typically brown or gold.
Dutch Shepherd Breed History
Although the Dutch Shepherd's origins are somewhat muddied, it is suggested that they descend from the same herding dogs that also created the Belgian Shepherd and German Shepherd. He was originally bred in the early 1800s in the southern part of the Netherlands.
The main differences between a German and Dutch Shepherd are their size, coat, lifespan, popularity, country of origin, and price. German Shepherds are larger with shorter lifespans, a wide variety of coat colors, and immense popularity, which leads to most breeders charging less for puppies.
German Shepherds usually have brown eyes. This color is the most common and recognized by the breed standard. When many people breed German Shepherds, they aim to breed dogs with brown eyes. The brown-eyed gene is dominant.
Most dogs have brown eyes, but there are breeds with pale blue, speckled, golden, or hazel colored eyes. The rarest color of all is green. Dog eye color changes as they age.
Eyes - are dark colored and medium size, set slightly oblique, almond shaped and not protruding. Dogs with distinctly yellow or blue eyes shall be disqualified. Ears - are medium sized, stiff, and erect. Disqualification - drooping or hanging ears.
Look for a brindle coat color.
Although the dog has 3 different coat types, the Dutch Shepherd should always be a brindle color, with a silver or golden (varying from a light sand to a chestnut red color) base, and either dark brown or black-colored brindle that is present all over the dog's body.
Once nearly driven to extinction, the Dutch shepherd is a rare breed of dog from the Netherlands. At first glance, the Dutch shepherd is easy to confuse with his German cousin, but there are distinct differences between the two breeds, both physically and in temperament.
Although it is not a widely known breed, the Dutch Shepherd is a loyal companion and competent working dog used for obedience, dog sports, herding, tracking, search and rescue, and as a police dog.
Training and socialization, along with exercise, are extremely important. These dogs need physical and mental outlets for their high energy and stamina to prevent negative behaviors. Luckily, they're easy to train. Because of the family loyalty and high energy, avoid kenneling your Dutch Shepherd whenever possible.
German Shepherd ear taping is something that many GSD puppy owners do not take seriously until it is much too late. Shepherd ears can come up on their own anytime between 4 weeks and 6 months.
They make good family dogs as they are playful, affectionate, and active. Although it will equally consider each family member its own, Dutch Shepherds are often "one person" dogs, being the most loyal to just one person.
The Dutch Shepherd blue brindle coat coloring can be just as striking as the gold brindle. The UKC breed standard (the Dutch Shepherd is not an AKC breed) calls for coat colorings of "Brindle, on either brown or gray ground", so the blue (which is really gray) is acceptable in conformation showing.
Dutch Shepherds are known for their intelligence and all-around competency in just about everything, including agility, acting as watchdogs, search and rescue, herding, field training, police work, guide dog duty, and just being a family companion.
The Dutch Shepherd is very intelligent and hardworking. His loyalty and friendliness make him especially suitable for dealing with children. Due to its short coat, it can adapt to any climate. Its jaws can bite with a bite force of 224 PSI.
It's estimated that there are about 500 wire-haired Dutch shepherds in the world, and only a handful are in the United States. Are Dutch shepherds cuddly? This breed is very affectionate, so a Dutch shepherd will always nudge you for belly rubs.
Liver German Shepherds are among the rarest, so you're unlikely to find one at a shelter or rescue center. Most liver GSDs are produced by “designer or specialty breeding programs,” but they do sometimes appear “randomly in litters of regular breeding programs.”
Isabella-colored German Shepherds, also known as lilac German Shepherds, are the rarest of the rare when it comes to GSDs. Their pigment is the result of the recessive combination of blue and liver that comes from their parents.
Labs, Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers are also known to have spots on their tongues. In fact, over 30 breeds are prone to spotted tongues.
Key Differences Between a Dutch Shepherd and Belgian Malinois. The key difference between a Dutch Shepherd and a Belgian Malinois is their fur. Dutch Shepherds vary in fur length, while Belgian Malinois dogs are always short-haired. They also vary a bit in size, lifespan, temperament, barking, and drooling.
Dutch Shepherds are brindle in color. Their base color is silver or golden. In golden dogs, the base color can range from light sand to chestnut red with black or dark brown brindle. They may have a small amount of white on their chest or toes.
A genetic variation can cause German Shepherds to have blue eyes, but it's incredibly rare, and breeders consider it a fault, according to All About Shepherds. Shepherds with the variation are often called Blue German Shepherds.
Weimaraner. The Weimaraner is known for its sleek, silver-gray coat and loving, active personality. Their kind eyes can be amber or blue, a perfect complement to the breed's iconic silver-gray coat. These happy, high-energy pooches were bred in the 1800s in Germany for hunting and grew in popularity as companion dogs.
That said, the trait is still quite rare. In our DNA testing, we've found only about 5% of dogs to have the blue eye variant. Genetic variants may cause only one eye to be blue.