Nederlandse Kooikerhondje

The breed is tied to the eendenkooi, the Dutch duck decoy: a pond with curved, netted, reed-screened channels running off it, used to catch wildfowl in large numbers. The kooiker, the man who operated it, worked with a small orange and white dog that would appear and disappear between the screens along the channel. Ducks, apparently drawn by the same curiosity that makes them follow a fox, swam after the flashing tail into the narrowing trap.

Dogs of this type appear in Dutch painting from the seventeenth century, including works by Jan Steen, and the type was familiar across the Low Countries. As decoys fell out of commercial use the dogs declined with them, and by the Second World War the breed was close to disappearing.

Its survival is credited to Baroness van Hardenbroek van Ammerstol, who began searching the Dutch countryside for surviving decoy dogs in the late 1930s and rebuilt the breed from the few she found. The Raad van Beheer, the Dutch kennel club, recognised the Kooikerhondje in 1971. The Federation Cynologique Internationale places it in Group 8, and the American Kennel Club gave full recognition in 2018, in the Sporting Group.

This is a small, nearly square, well-balanced dog. Males stand around 15 to 17 inches at the withers and females about 14 to 16 inches, with weight generally between roughly 20 and 30 pounds. The build is light and quick without being fragile, suited to a dog that spent its day moving over wet ground.

The coat is a medium-length double coat, straight or slightly wavy, close-lying on the body and never curly, with clear feathering on the ears, the chest, the backs of the legs and the tail. The colour is white with clear orange-red patches, and the standard prefers the patches to predominate; a white blaze on the head is characteristic.

Two details define the breed's look. The tail is well plumed and carried lively and level or higher, ending in a white tip that was the whole point of the working dog's signal. And the drop ears may carry black hair at the tips, the earrings, which is a valued trait in the breed though not required.

Kooikerhondjes are lively, alert and cheerful with their own families, and they attach themselves closely. They are attentive dogs that watch their people constantly and want to be part of what is happening, and most are happiest with company for a good part of the day.

The breed is characteristically reserved with strangers. A well-raised Kooiker is not fearful, but it is unlikely to run to a visitor for attention, and it will bark to announce arrivals. That reserve is written into the standard, and it makes early, careful socialisation important rather than optional.

Sensitivity is the trait that most surprises new owners. This is a dog that reads mood closely and reacts badly to raised voices, rough handling or chaotic households. Training must be gentle and consistent, and a Kooiker treated harshly will become anxious rather than defiant.

It generally gets on well with other dogs and, when raised alongside them, with cats, though the hunting background means birds and small pets are a different matter. It suits calm, respectful older children better than very young ones.

The original role, working the decoy pond, still exists on a small scale at the surviving Dutch eendenkooien, which are now used mostly for bird ringing and conservation research rather than for the table. A handful of Kooikers still do the job.

Elsewhere the breed's energy and trainability find outlets in agility, obedience, rally, flyball and scent work, where the Kooiker's speed and enthusiasm serve it well. It also retains a useful nose and a taste for water, so it does well at tracking and enjoys retrieving games. Its size and moderate needs let it live comfortably in a flat, provided it gets a proper outing every day.