THE KEESHOND - Beauty & Brains

By Cheri Rogers - Keez Keeshonden

The Keeshond comes from a family of dogs called the Spitz. Ideally , according to the Australian National Kennel Club (ANKC) standard the Keeshond is 45.7 cm / 18"  tall for Males and 43.2 cm / 17" tall for females . They are a solid built dog, with a wedge shaped head and a medium length muzzle, small ivy-leafed shaped ears that are soft and velvety in texture. They have a very expressive face that sports "spectacles" around the eyes. The tail is curled tightly over their backs and blends into the body. The overall look of a well maintained Keeshond is one of true Glamour, yet easily achievable with regular weekly brushing. Thus, being referred to as "The Lazy Man's Glamour Dog"

NAME & PRONUNCIATION

The Keeshond was named after the 18th-century Dutch Patriot Cornelis (Kees) de Gyselaer leader of the rebellion against the House of Orange. The word 'keeshond' is a compound word: 'Kees' is a nickname for Cornelius (de Gyselaer), and 'hond' is the Dutch word for dog. In short,  meaning "dog of Kees"

The Keeshond is not a "HOUND" rather a "HOND" and probably  has the most mispronounced name. "keys-hound" , "keesh - hound" "keesh-hond"  "keesh-on". The proper pronunciation is "kayz-hond" or "case-hond" . The plural being "en", with the proper pronunciation of the plural being "kayz-honden" or "case-honden"

COAT , COLOR & MARKINGS

The Keeshond has a thick dense double coat, consisting of a short downy undercoat and a harsher outer coat, They have a thick ruff or mane around the neck. Typically Males will have a more pronounced mane that the females. The tail is well plumed, and feathering on fore legs and  pantaloons or trousers on the hind legs gives the Keeshond a soft look.

The colour of the keeshond is a blend of grey, black and creme , sometimes referred to as "wolf - grey" with the outer coat being tipped with black and the undercoat silver or cream but never tawny. The ruff, trousers and tail are usually a lighter cream or silver with the tail having a black tip on the end.

The ears and muzzle are black, although some will develop a white shade around the mouth which looks like they have just drank a glass of milk, this is referred to as "milk mouth" . This will usually increase as the dog gets older.

 Keeshonds will go through numerous colour changes as they mature. Generally starting out as almost pure black babies, then changing to a very cream or silver colour around the age of 3 months until finally getting their final adult colouring around the age of 9 - 12 months

Coat & Color change of a female Keeshond Puppy over a period of 12 months