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National Breed Club:
Keeshond Club of
America, Inc. (M)
Corres. Secretary,
Cindy Turnbull
172 Lisha Kill Rd
Niskayuna, NY 12309
kameo@capital.net
Breeder Contact,
Pat Yagecic,
4726 B Grant Ave.,
Philadelphia, PA 19114
(215)637-7731
Rescue:
Keeshond Club of America
Tawn Sinclair,
(310)457-3569,
California
Keeshond Community
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Keeshonds AKC Breed Information
General
Appearance
 The
Keeshond (pronounced kayz-hawnd) is a natural, handsome dog of well-balanced,
short-coupled body, attracting attention not only by his coloration, alert
carriage, and intelligent expression, but also by his stand-off coat, his richly
plumed tail well curled over his back, his foxlike expression, and his small
pointed ears. His coat is very thick around the neck, fore part of the shoulders
and chest, forming a lion-like ruff-more profuse in the male. His rump and hind
legs, down to the hocks, are also thickly coated, forming the characteristic
"trousers." His head, ears, and lower legs are covered with thick,
short hair.
Size, Proportion, Substance
The Keeshond is a medium-sized, square-appearing, sturdy dog, neither coarse nor
lightly made. The ideal height of fully matured dogs when measured from top of
withers to the ground is 18 inches for males and 17 inches for bitches-a one
inch variance either way is acceptable. While correct size is very important, it
should not outweigh that of type.
Head
Expression-Expression is largely dependent on the distinctive
characteristic called "spectacles"-a combination of markings and
shadings in the orbital area which must include a delicate, dark line slanting
from the outer corner of each eye toward the lower corner of each ear coupled
with expressive eyebrows. Markings (or shadings) on face and head must present a
pleasing appearance, imparting to the dog an alert and intelligent expression. Very
Serious Fault: Absence of dark lines which form the "spectacles."
Eyes Eyes should be dark brown in color, of medium size, almond
shaped, set obliquely and neither too wide apart nor too close together. Eye
rims are black.
Faults: Round and/or protruding eyes or eyes light of color.
Ears Ears should be small, triangular in shape, mounted high on
head and carried erect. Size should be proportionate to the head-length
approximating the distance from the outer corner of the eye to the nearest edge
of the ear. Fault: Ears not carried erect when at attention.
Skull The head should be well-proportioned to the body and wedge-shaped
when viewed from above-not only the muzzle, but the whole head should give this
impression when the ears are drawn back by covering the nape of the neck and the
ears with one hand. Head in profile should exhibit a definite stop.
Faults: Apple head or absence of stop.
Muzzle Of medium length, neither coarse nor snipey, and well
proportioned to the skull.
Mouth The mouth should be neither overshot nor undershot. Lips
should be black and closely meeting-not thick, coarse or sagging, and with no
wrinkle at the corner of the mouth. Faults: Overshot, undershot or wry
mouth.
Teeth The teeth should be white, sound and strong meeting in a
scissors bite. Fault: Misaligned teeth.
Neck, Topline, Body
The neck should be moderately long, well-shaped and well set on
shoulders. The body should be compact with a short, straight back sloping
slightly downward toward the hindquarters: well ribbed, barrel well rounded,
short in loin, belly moderately tucked up, deep and strong of chest.
Tail--The tail should be moderately long and well feathered, set
on high and tightly curled over the back. It should lie flat and close to the
body. The tail must form a part of the "silhouette" of the dog's body,
rather than give the appearance of an appendage.
Fault: Tail not lying close to the back.
Forequarters--Forelegs should be straight seen from any angle.
Pasterns are strong with a slight slope. Legs must be of good bone in proportion
to the overall dog. Shoulder to upper arm angulation is between slight to
moderate.
Hindquarters-- Angulation in rear should be between slight to moderate to
complement the forequarters, creating balance and typical gait. Hindquarters are
well muscled with hocks perpendicular to the ground.
Feet-- The feet should be compact, well rounded, cat-like. Toes
are nicely arched, with black nails.
Coat
The body should be abundantly covered with long, straight, harsh hair standing
well out from a thick, downy undercoat. Head, including muzzle, skull and ears,
should be covered with smooth, soft, short hair--velvety in texture on the ears.
The neck is covered with a mane--more profuse in the male--sweeping from under
the jaw and covering the whole of the front part of the shoulders and chest, as
well as the top part of the shoulders. The hair on the legs should be smooth and
short, except for feathering on the front legs and "trousers" on the
hind legs. Hind legs should be profusely feathered down to the hocks-not below.
The hair on the tail should form a rich plume. Coat must not part down the back.
The Keeshond is to be shown in a natural state with trimming permissible only on
feet, pasterns, hocks and--if desired--whiskers. TRIMMING OTHER THAN AS
DESCRIBED TO BE SEVERELY PENALIZED. Faults: Silky, wavy, or curly coats.
Part in coat down the back.
Color and Markings
A dramatically marked dog, the Keeshond is a mixture of gray, black and cream.
This coloration may vary from light to dark. The hair of the outer coat is black
tipped, the length of the black tips producing the characteristic shading of
color. Puppies are often less intensely marked. The undercoat is very pale gray
or cream, never tawny.
Head The muzzle should be dark in color. "Spectacles"
and shadings, as previously described, are characteristic of the breed and must
be present to some degree. Ears should be very dark-almost black.
Ruff, Shoulders and "Trousers" The color of the ruff and
"trousers" is lighter than that of the body. The shoulder line
markings of light gray must be well defined.
Tail-The plume of the tail is very light in color when curled on
the back, and the tip of the tail should be black.
Legs and Feet Legs and feet are cream.
Faults: Pronounced white markings. Black markings more than halfway down
the foreleg, penciling excepted. White foot or feet.
Very Serious Faults
Entirely black or white or any solid color; any pronounced deviation from the
color as described.
Gait
The distinctive gait of the Keeshond is unique to the breed. Dogs should move
boldly and keep tails curled over the back. They should move cleanly and
briskly; the movement should be straight and sharp with reach and drive between
slight to moderate.
Temperament
Temperament is of primary importance. The Keeshond is neither timid nor
aggressive but, instead, is outgoing and friendly with both people and other
dogs. The Keeshond is a lively, intelligent, alert and affectionate companion.
Approved November 14, 1989
Effective January 1, 1990
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