| Kooikerhondje | |||||||||||||||||
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 A two-year-old Kooikerhondje | |||||||||||||||||
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| Origin | Netherlands | ||||||||||||||||
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| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||||||||||
TheKooikerhondje[a] is a smallspaniel-typedog breed of Dutch ancestry that was originally used as aworking dog, particularly in adecoy to lureducks. The breed dates back to the 16th century and makes frequent appearances in paintings from theDutch Golden Age.
The Kooikerhondje is a small, spaniel-like sporting dog. Originally bred in the Netherlands as a duck hunting dog, it has a white plumed tail for the purpose of attracting ducks.[1]
The preferred height at the withers is 40 centimetres (16 in) for males and 38 centimetres (15 in) for females.[2] TheFCI standard allows a range of 38 to 41 centimetres (15 to 16 in) for males, and 36 to 39 centimetres (14 to 15 in) for females.[3] The breed has a wavy, medium-length double coat,[4] and its coloration is white and orange-red.[2] Some Kooikerhondjes have black ear tips, which are referred to as "earrings".[1]
A number of heritable diseases have been identified in the Kooikerhondje, includinginflammatory myopathy,[5] Type IIIvon Willebrand's disease,[6]necrotisingmyelopathy,[7]renal dysplasia,[8]patellar luxation,[9] andataxia.[10] A Dutch study of 842 Kooikerhondjes found that patellar luxation was prevalent in 24% of dogs scanned. During the time period of the study — which started in 1994 and ended in 2011 — the prevalence of the condition fell from 28% to 19%, although the prevalence is still higher than for other spaniel dogs.[9]
The Kooikerhondje was developed in the Netherlands sometime around the 16th century in order to lure ducks intoduck decoys where hunters could easily catch the fowl. The hunting style of the Kooikerhondje was inspired by foxes, as Dutch hunters realized that ducks were enticed by foxes playing near water, as long as they didn't make eye contact.[1]
The Kooikerhondje frequently appears in paintings byDutch masters such asJan Steen,Rembrandt, andJohannes Vermeer.[1] The breed is believed to be an ancestor of theNova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.[1]
The breed almost became extinct duringWorld War II until Baroness van Hardenbroek van Ammerstol rescued it. The breed was not officially recognized by theDutch Kennel Club until 1971[11] and has since been imported into other countries and recognized officially. In January 2013,the Kennel Club announced it was reclassifying the Kooikerhondje from thegun dog group to the utility group effective from January 2014. The decision was reached after discussions with the U.K. breed clubs and unanimous agreement was achieved.[12]
The Kooikerhondje was recognized by theAmerican Kennel Club in 2018.[13] The breed gained fame in the United States in the 2020s, in part due toDecoy Ohtani, a Kooikerhondje owned by baseball playerShohei Ohtani.[14]
Media related toKooikerhondje at Wikimedia Commons.jpg)
