Keeshond

The Keeshond is a medium-sized Dutch spitz dog, historically associated with river barges, household watch duties, and the Dutch Patriot movement. Its hallmark look is a dense silver-gray double coat with black tipping, a foxlike head, small erect ears, a curled tail, and dark facial markings often called spectacles. Although its ancestry is working spitz, the modern Keeshond is mostly kept as a companion and alert family watchdog rather than a specialist farm or sled dog.

Keeshonden usually do best where they can live close to people; they are social dogs and can become noisy or frustrated if left with little attention. Their plush coat needs thorough brushing, especially during seasonal shedding, but it is not normally clipped like a sculpted breed. Moderate daily exercise, reward-based training, and early exposure to visitors help channel their alert nature. Prospective owners should look for breeders who discuss health screening, including concerns seen in the breed such as hip problems, patellar issues, eye disease, and primary hyperparathyroidism.

Colors: Apricot, Bicolor, Black, Black and Tan, Black and White, Black Mask, Blue, Blue and Tan, Blue Merle, Blue Roan, Blue Tick, Brindle, Brown, Brown and Tan, Brown and White, Chocolate, Cream, Dapple, Domino, Fawn, Fawn and White, Gold, Gray, Gray Black Tipped, Harlequin, Irish Marked, Liver, Liver Mask, Mantle, Mask, Merle, Mottled, Parti-Color, Piebald, Red, Red and White, Red Merle, Red Roan, Red Tick, Reverse Brindle, Roan, Sable, Saddle, Silver, Silver Gray Black Tipped, Speckled, Spotted, Tan, Ticked, Tricolor, Tuxedo, White, Wolf Gray Black Tipped, Yellow