The American Kennel Club

Approved November 14, 1989
Effective January 1, 1990

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 colour, 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 colour. 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 saggingÑand 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.

The Canadian Kennel Club

The KEESHOND is a member of the Spitz family (or northern dogs), believed to be descended from the German Wolfspitz, and therefore a close relative to the Pomeranian. The breed has been known throughout the Netherlands since the mid-18th century, where it was a popular "dog of the people". The breed was most numerous in the villages and on the farms, where it was used as watchdog, herder, for draught work and hunting. It was also often to be seen on barges where the dogs were valued as guards and companions. Thus it came to be commonly known as the Barge Dog.

The most accepted explanation of the breed's present name goes back to a period of unrest in Holland, when the symbol of the Orangists was the Pug and that of the Patriot party, the little dog of the people named for the nickname of the leader which was Kees. Thus "Keeshond" or "the dog of Kees", pronounced "Kayshond".

The breed was exhibited at Dutch shows as early as 1891, but it was not until 1905 that the breed was introduce to England. A Mrs. Wingfield-Digby, on a visit to the Netherlands, saw the barge dogs, and was so taken with them she brought a pair of pups back to England with her. A breeding programme was commenced, and in 1923 the Keeshond made its ring debut at the Birmingham National Show. Two years later Mrs. Wingfield-Digby founded the first breed club under the title of "The Dutch Barge Show Club". A name that was later changed to Keeshond. The first imports began arriving in the United States and Canada within the next five years, and the breed has enjoyed a steady, devoted following ever since.

In the early days it is reported that solid black and solid white dogs would occasionally appear in litters. Today the only accepted colour of the body coat is shaded grey with black tipping. A unique characteristic of the Keeshond is its head markings which give the appearance of spectacles and impart a look of great intelligence.

The Keeshond was first registered in Canada in the years 1928-1929.

General Appearance
The Keeshond is a handsome dog, well balanced and short-coupled in body, attracting attention not only by his alert carriage and intelligent expression, but also by his luxurious coat, his richly plumed tail, well curled over his back, and by his fox-like face and head with small pointed ears. His coat is very thick round the neck, forepart of the shoulders and chest, forming a lion-like mane. His rump and hind legs, down to the hocks, are thickly coated forming the characteristic "trousers". His head, ears and lower legs are covered with thick short hair.

Size
The ideal height of fully matured dogs (over 2 years old), measured from top of withers to the ground is: for males, 18 inches (46 cm); bitches, 17 inches (43 cm). However, size consideration should not outweigh that of type. When dogs are judged equal in type, the dog nearest the ideal height is to be preferred. Length of back from withers to rump should equal height as measured above.

Coat and Colour
The body should be abundantly covered with long, straight, harsh hair; standing well out from a thick, downy undercoat. The hair on the legs should be smooth and short, except for a feathering on the front legs and "trousers", as previously described, on the hind legs. The hair on the tail should be profuse, forming a rich plume, Head, including muzzle, skull, and ears, should be covered with smooth, soft, short hair - velvety in texture on the ears. Coat must not part down the back.

The colour should be a mixture of grey and black. The undercoat should be very pale grey or cream (not tawny). The hair of the outer coat is black tipped, the length of the black tips producing the characteristic shading of colour. The colour may vary from light to dark, but any pronounced deviation from the grey colour is not permissible. The plume of the tail should be very light grey when curled on back, and the tip of the tail should be black. Legs and feet should be cream. Ears should be very dark - almost black.

Shoulder line markings (light grey) should be well defined. The colour of the ruff and "trousers" is generally lighter than that of the body. "Spectacles" and shadings, as later described, are characteristic of the breed and must be present to some degree. There should be no pronounced white markings.

Faults
Silky, wavy or curly coats. Part in coat down the back. Entirely black or white or any other solid colour; any pronounced deviation from the grey colour.

Head
Expression is largely dependent on the distinctive characteristic called "spectacles" - a delicately pencilled line slanting slightly upward from the outer corner of each eye to the lower corner of the ear, coupled with distinct markings and shadings forming short but expressive eyebrows. Markings (or shadings) on face and head must present a pleasing appearance, imparting to the dog an alert and intelligent expression.

Skull
The head should be well proportioned to the body, wedge-shaped when viewed from above. Not only in 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. The muzzle should be dark in colour and of medium length, neither coarse nor snipey, and well proportioned to the skull. 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. The teeth should be white, sound and strong (but discolouration from distemper not to penalize severely); upper teeth should just overlap the lower teeth. Eyes should be dark brown in colour, of medium size, rather oblique in shape and not set too wide apart. Ears should be small, triangular in shape, mounted high on the head and carried erect; dark in colour and covered with thick, velvety, short hair. Size should be proportionate to the head - length approximating the distance from outer corner of the eye to the nearest edge of the ear.

Faults
Absence of "spectacles". Apple head, or absence of stop. Overshot or undershot. Protruding round eyes or eyes light in colour. Ears not carried erect when at attention.

Neck
The neck should be moderately long, well shaped and well set on shoulder; covered with a profuse mane, 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.

Forequarters
Forelegs should be straight when seen from any angle, and well feathered.

Faults
Black markings below the knee, pencilling excepted.

Body
The body should be compact with a short straight back sloping slightly downward towards the hindquarters; deep and strong of chest, well ribbed, barrel well rounded, belly moderately tucked up.

Hindquarters
Hind legs should be profusely feathered down to the hocks - not below, with hocks only slightly bent. Legs must be of good bone and cream in colour. The feet should be compact, well rounded, cat-like, and cream in colour. Toes are nicely arched, with black nails.

Faults
White foot or feet.

Tail
The tail should be set on high, moderately long, and well feathered, tightly curled over the back. It should lie flat and close to the body with a very light grey plume on top where curled, but the tip of the tail should be black. The tail should form a part of the "silhouette" of the dog's body, rather than give the appearance of an appendage.

Faults
Tail not lying close to the back.

Gait
Dogs should show boldly and keep tails curled over the back. They should move cleanly and briskly; and the movement should be straight and sharp (not a lope like a German Shepherd Dog).

Faults
Silky, wavy or curly coats. Part in coat down the back. Absence of "spectacles". Apple head, or absence of stop. Over shot or undershot. Protruding round eyes or eyes light of colour. Ears not carried erect when at attention. Black markings below the knee, pencilling excepted. White foot or feet. Tail not lying close to the back. Tail not carried over back when moving. Very serious faults - Entirely black or white or any other solid colour; any pronounced deviation from the grey colour.

Head

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FCI Keeshond Breed Standard

(Federation Cynologique International)
Approved 05/03/98
Translated from German to English by C. Seidler

ORIGIN Germany

PURPOSE Watch and Companion Dog

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I.
Group 5 - Spitz and primitive types
Section 4 - European Spitz
Without working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY
German Spitz are descendants of the stone age "Peat Dogs" (Torfhund) "Canis familiaris palustris Ruthimeyer", and the later Lake Dweller's (Pfahlbau) Spitz; they are the oldest breed of dog in Central Europe. Numerous other breeds have been produced from them. In non-German speaking countries Wolfsspitz are known as Keeshonds; and Toy Spitz, as Pomeranians.

GENERAL APPEARANCE
Spitz breeds are captivating on account of their beautiful coats, made to stand off by plentiful undercoat. Particularly impressive is the strong, mane-like collar around the neck (ruff) and the bushy tail carried boldly over the back. The foxy head with alert eyes and the small pointed, closely set ears give the Spitz his unique characteristic, and cheeky appearance.

Important Proportions the ration of height (at withers) to body length is 1:1

Behaviour and character

The German Spitz is always attentive, lively and exceptionally devoted to his owner. He is very teachable and easy to train. His distrust of strangers and lack of hinting instinct make him the ideal watchdog for home and farm. He is neither timid nor aggressive, Indifference to weather, robustness and longevity are his most outstanding attributes.

HEAD
Cranial region
The Spitz's medium size head, seen from above, appears broadest at the back and tapers in wedge shape to the tip of the nose.
Stop: Moderate to marked, never abrupt.

Facial region
Nose: The nose is round, small and pure black, dark brown in brown Spitz.
Muzzle: The muzzle is not overly long and stands in pleasing proportion to the skull. (In Wolfspitz/Keeshond, giant Spitz and Medium-size Spitz the ratio length of muzzle to length of the skull is approximately 2:3, in Miniature-size Spitz and Toy Spitz the ratio length of the muzzle to length of the skull is approximately 2:4.)
Lips: The lips are not exaggerated, close fitting to the jaws and do not form any folds to the corner of the mouth. They are completely black in all colours, except brown in brown Spitz.
Jaws/teeth: The jaws are normally developed and show a complete scissors bite with 42 teeth corresponding to the teeth formula of the dog, (i.e., the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Pincer-bite is permissible in all varieties of Spitz.
Cheeks: The cheeks are gently rounded, not protruding.
Eyes: The eyes are of medium size, longish shaped, slightly slanting and dark. The eyelids are black in all shades of colour, dark brown in brown Spitz.
Ears: The small ears are set high and relatively close to each other, triangular and pointed; they are always carried upright, stiff at the tips.

Neck The medium length neck is set broadly into the shoulders, slightly arched without throatiness and covered by a thick, profuse coat forming a large ruff.

BODY
Topline: The topline starts at the tips of the erectly carried prick-ears and merges in a gentle curve with the short, straight back. The bushy, sweeping tail, which partially covers the back, rounds off the silhouette.
Withers/Back: The high withers drop imperceptibly into the shortest possible, straight, firm back.
Loin: Short-coupled, broad and strong.
Croup: The croup is broad and short, not falling away.
Chest: The deep chest is well sprung, the forechest well developed.
Lower line: The brisket reaches as far back as possible; the belly has only a slight tuck up.

TAIL
The tail is set on high and of medium length. It reaches upwards and rolls forward over the back, straight from the root. It lies firmly over the back and is covered with very bushy hair. A double curl at tip of tail is tolerated.

LIMBS

Forequarters
General: Straight, rather broad front.
Shoulders: The shoulder-blade is long and well laid back. The upper arm, which is approximately the same length, forms an angle of 90 degrees to the shoulder-blade. The shoulder is well muscled and firmly connected to the brisket.
Elbow: The elbow joint is strong, close fitting to the brisket and turns neither in nor out.
Forearm: The forearm is of medium length in relation to the body, sturdy and completely straight. The back of the forearm is well feathered.
Metacarpus (Pastern): The strong, medium length front pastern stands at an angle of 20 degrees from the vertical.
Front feet: The front feet are as small as possible, round and closed, so called cat feet, with well arched toes. Toe-nails and pads are black in all shades of colour, but dark brown in brown dogs.

Hindquarters
General: The hindquarters are very muscular and abundantly feathered to the hocks. The hind legs stand straight and parallel.
Upper and lower thigh: Upper and lower thigh are of about equal length.
Stifle: The stifle joint is strong with only moderate angulation and is turned neither in nor out in movement.
Metatarsal (Hock): The hock is of medium length, very strong and vertical to the ground.
Hind feet: The hind feet are as small as possible, tightly closed with well arched toes, so called "cat feet". The pads are coarse. The colour of nails and pads is as dark as possible.

GAIT/MOVEMENT The German Spitz moves straight ahead with good drive, fluid and springy.

SKIN The skin covers the body tightly without any wrinkles.

COAT
Hair:The German Spitz has a double coat: Long, straight, stand-off, top coat and short, thick, cottony, wool-like undercoat. Head, ears, front side of front and hind legs and the feet are covered by short, thick (velvety) hair. The rest of the body has a long rich coat. Not wavy, curly or corded, not parted on the back. Neck and shoulders are covered by a thick mane. The backside of the front legs is well feathered. The hind legs have ample feathering from croup to hocks. The tail is bushy.

COLOUR
a) Wolfspitz/Keeshond: Grey shaded
b) Giant Spitz: Black, brown, white
c) Medium size Spitz: Black, brown, white, orange, grey-shaded, other colours
d) Miniature Spitz: Black, brown, white, orange, grey-shaded, other colours
e) Toy Spitz/Pomeranian: Black, brown, white, orange, grey-shaded, other colours.

Black Spitz: In the black Spitz, the undercoat and skin must also be black and the colour on the top must be a shining black without any white or other markings.
Brown Spitz: The brown Spitz should be uniformly dark brown.
White Spitz: The coat should be pure white without any trace of yellow, which often occurs, especially on the ears.
Orange Spitz: The orange Spitz should be evenly coloured in the medium colour range.
Grey-shaded Spitz (Keeshond): Grey-shaded is a silver grey with black hair-tips. Muzzle and ears dark in colour; around the eyes - well defined "spectacles", shown as a delicately penciled black line slanting from outer corner of eye to lower corner of ear, coupled with distinct markings and shading forming expressive short eyebrow; mane and ring on shoulder lighter; forelegs and hindlegs - without any black marking under the elbows or stifles, except slight penciling on the toes; black tip of tail; underside of tail and trousers pale silver grey.
Other coloured Spitz: the term "other colours" covers all shades of colour, such as: cream, cream-sable, orange-sable, black and tan; and parti-colour (with white always as main colour.) The black, brown, grey or orange patches must be distributed over the whole body.

SIZE (1" = 2.54 cm)

Height at the withers:

a) Wolfspitz/Keeshond 49 cm. +/- 6 cm. (19 1/4 " +/- 2 1/3")
b) Giant Spitz 46 cm. +/- 4 cm.
c) Medium size Spitz 34 cm. +/- 4 cm.
d) Miniature Spitz 26 cm. +/- 3 cm.
e) Toy Spitz/Pomeranian) 20 cm. +/- 2 cm.

WEIGHT
Each variety of German Spitz should have a weight corresponding to its size.

FAULTS
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Serious faults
· Faults in construction.
· Head too flat; distinct apple head.
· Flesh-coloured nose, eyelids and lips.
· In Wolfspitz/Keeshond, Giant Spitz and Medium-size Spitz - missing teeth.
· Faults in movement.
· In grey-shaded Spitz - missing of distinct markings of the face.

Eliminating faults
· Gap in fontanel.
· Overshot or undershot bite.
· Ectropion or entropion.
· Semi-pricked ears.
· Definite white patches in all non-white Spitz.

Note - Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.