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No article on the Keeshond would be complete without mentioning...those glasses! The Keeshond is the only dog to have spectacles mentioned in their breed standard (what dogs are measured against for dog show honors). The Keeshond Club of America has specific spectacle verbiage, no mention of cat-eyed or aviator glasses is made, thank you!
“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 coupled with expressive eyebrows.”
The Keeshond also has one of the more mispronounced names in the dog world. Only the Shih-Tzu (no snickering) or the Xoloitzcuintli is more pronounced. Nope, it's not Keys Hound, Quiche Hound, or even Crass Hond.
Here are a couple of explanations for pronunciation. Yes, I Googled and yes, they vary a bit.
#1 - Caze-hawnd
#2 - 'Kees' sounds like 'kays' (a hard 's' not a 'z' at the end). The 'o' in 'hond' is like the 'o' in hot, and a hard ‘d’ almost a ’t’.
The Keeshond is widely known as the Wolf Spitz or Wolfspitz or German Spitz in some European countries. Other members of this family are the relatives are the Großspitz, Mittelspitz, Kleinspitz, Zwergspitz and Pomeranian.
The Keeshond's early ancestry is obvious. Spitz-type breeds, one of the original types formed the core of the current Keeshond DNA. Originally used as a companion and watchdog on the barges that traversed the Rhine river in the 1700 and 1800s. By the late 1800s, the barges were no longer in use and the Keeshond may have suffered the fate of so many other niche breeds and been lost. Luckily a few fanciers kept the breed going.
Then politics came into the Keeshond picture. Cornelis de Gyzelaar (known as Kees) was a fancier of the breed that came to bear his name. Gyzelaar was the leader of the Dutch rebellion against the House of Orange and his dog was always by his side. The dog's image was used on flyers and posters and he soon became a symbol for the patriots. Patriots wire pins with the Kees' dog pictures and supporters of the House of Orange wore a fawn Pug pin as their symbol. With time, the breed became officially known as the Keeshond.
Apologies, I got a bit carried away with Keeshond Fun Factoids, my dog geek flag flew high today! Let's get back to why you are here. While the Keeshond is a sturdy, overall healthy breed, of course, they can have occasional skin issues, dry noses or paws that need pampering. Plus, that stunning coat requires maintenance to keep it stunning. As you know, many Keeshonden have issues with reactivity and separation anxiety. Consider our Relax Dog Aromatherapy.
