Dutch Smous Dog: Characteristics And Behavior
The Dutch smous dog is a relatively recent breed. Therefore, it is still little known outside its country of origin, so we invite you to meet this dog.
History of the Dutch smous dog
The Dutch smous dog breed is relatively recent: the first known specimens lived in the 19th century. He was very popular at the time, as he could keep the horse carriages trotting to accompany the carriages; he also worked inside the stables hunting and chasing away rats.
The awareness that they were a breed of their own was reached when a merchant sold a specimen to tourists, boasting of his abilities as a hunter of small mammals and as a companion animal. However, by then the Dutch smous dog already had many decades of life and work behind him. Therefore, it is not known exactly how the race arose.
The first breed standard was made in the early 1900s and breeders and advocates of the breed have been concerned with its health and promotion ever since. Even so, it is still an almost unknown dog outside of Holland.
Characteristics of the Dutch smous dog
The Dutch smous dog is a medium-sized breed: both males and females have an approximate height to the withers of between 35 and 40 centimeters, and in terms of weight they usually stand around 10 kilograms. In general, it is a robust dog with square proportions, but it is neither heavy nor massive.
Physically, the characteristic that attracts the most attention is his hair : it is rough to the touch and between four and seven centimeters long. It is a little longer on the cheeks and eyebrows, so that it forms whiskers and characteristic upper eyebrows. On the back of the limbs the hair is also a little longer. They are only accepted in yellow, in any of its shades.
The head is square and wide, with the stop –the difference between the skull and the nose– very marked. They have tight lips and the nose must be wide and dark in color. The ears are set high, but are lowered to the sides of the head and are rather small.
The tail is rather short, compared to the tail of other similar dog breeds. It is set high and tends to be worn raised over the back line, but not curled over it.
Dutch smous dog behavior
The Dutch smous dog is an extremely lovable and friendly animal. He loves to please his family and it is easy to make him happy : he is a very good companion animal, but he does not work well as a house keeper.
He is lively but not nervous. Part of his old job was running alongside the horses, but he doesn’t have an excess of energy that must be supplemented with induced physical exercise. His friendly character will lead him to want to play and take long walks with his family.
He shares a part of character with terrier dogs: his hunting instincts for small mammals have given him courage and tenacity. He is not a dog that is easily startled, but he will not hesitate to bark if there is something that bothers him or worries him.
Its tenacity makes it very difficult to train it using traditional methods. For dogs with this character, the best approach is a positive education: through the use of reinforcements and rewards, the dog’s collaboration is sought instead of forcing it and forcing it to obey.
Dutch smous dog care
The smous does not lose too much hair, so there is no need to help you get rid of the fallen hair. Due to its long hair, however, it is necessary to brush it frequently to undo all the knots, which can cause skin problems and pain. A brush with wide bristles instead of one with metallic bristles will be a great ally in the care of your hair.
Due to its recent creation and little expansion, it does not yet have specific studies that analyze the health of its breed. However, there is also no hereditary disease that attracts attention for appearing frequently in the Dutch smous dog.
Likewise, we must not forget that deciding if preventive treatment is necessary is the responsibility of a veterinarian: it is necessary to make frequent health checks and follow the vaccination and deworming schedule that he proposes.
The Dutch smous dog is a friendly breed with a great character. Despite this, the breed is so recent and so little known outside of its home country that its fame has barely expanded.
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