The Breed Standard
Breed Standard: A description of the ideal dog of each recognized breed, to serve as an ideal against which dogs are judged at shows, originally laid down by a parent breed club and accepted officially by national or international bodies.
Official Standard of the Keeshond
General Appearance:
The Keeshond (pronounced kayz-hawnd) is a natural, handsome, well balanced dog with a short-coupled body. They attract attention by their coloration, alert carriage, intelligent foxlike expression, characteristic spectacles and small pointed ears. They also have a stand-off coat and richly plumed tail that is well curled over the back. The coat is very thick around the neck, fore part of the shoulders and chest, forming a lion-like ruff-more profuse in the male. The rump and hind legs, down to the hocks, are also thickly coated, forming the characteristic "trousers". The head, ears, and lower legs are covered with thick, short hair.
Size, Proportion, Substance:
The Keeshond is medium-sized and square-appearing. They are sturdy, with bone in proportion to the overall dog, neither coarse nor lightly made. The ideal height of fully matured dogs when measured from top of withers to the ground is 18 inches for males and 17 inches for bitches - a 1-inch variance either way is acceptable. While correct size is very important, it should not outweigh that of type. When dogs are judged equal in type, the dog nearest the ideal height is to be preferred.
Head:
Expression - Expression is largely dependent on the distinctive characteristic called "spectacles"- a hallmark of the breed. Spectacles are 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 expressive eyebrows. Markings (or shadings) on face and head must present a pleasing appearance, imparting to the dog an alert and intelligent expression.
Very Serious Fault - Absence of dark lines which form the "spectacles."
Eyes - Eyes should be dark brown in color, of medium size, almond shaped, set obliquely and neither too wide apart nor too close together. Eye rims are black.
Faults - Round and/or protruding eyes or eyes light of color.
Ears - Ears should be small, triangular in shape, mounted high on head and carried erect. Size of the ear is proportionate to the head-length approximating the distance from the outer corner of the eye to the nearest edge of the ear.
Fault - Ears not carried erect when at attention.
Skull - The head is in proportion to the body and wedge-shaped when viewed from above. In profile it has a defined stop. The topskull is somewhat flat and in parallel planes with the top of the muzzle.
Faults - Apple head or absence of stop.
Muzzle - Of medium length, neither coarse nor snipey, and well-proportioned to the skull. The muzzle, from tip of nose to stop, should be approximately the same length as from stop to occiput.
Mouth - Lips should be black and closely meeting-not thick, coarse or sagging, and with no wrinkle at the corner of the mouth. The teeth should be white, sound and strong meeting in a scissors bite.
Faults - Overshot, undershot or wry mouth.
Neck, Topline, Body:
The neck should be moderately long and set well into the shoulders. The topline is straight with a slight slope to the hindquarters. The body is well ribbed, compact and strong with a good spring of rib. The easily felt prosternum is in line with the point of shoulder with a deep chest that extends approximately to the elbow. The loin is short, with the belly moderately tucked up.
Tail - The tail should be moderately long and well feathered, set on high, tightly curled over the back and lying close to the body. The tail must form a part of the "silhouette" of the dog's body, rather than give the appearance of an appendage.
Fault - Tail not lying close to the back.
Forequarters:
The shoulder blade, upper arm and forearm are of equal length, with the highest point of the withers being in line with the elbow. Elbows are held close to the body. Forelegs are straight seen from any angle and set behind the forechest. Distance from withers to elbows approximately equals distance from elbows to ground. Ideal shoulder angulation is moderate. Pasterns are strong with a slight slope. The feet are compact, well-rounded, cat-like. Toes are nicely arched, with black nails. Dewclaws may be removed.
Hindquarters:
The hindquarters are well muscled, moderately angulated, and in balance with the forequarters. Hocks are perpendicular to the ground, neither under nor extended way behind the croup. Feet are the same as described in the forequarters section.
Coat:
The body is abundantly covered with long, straight, harsh hair standing well out from a thick, downy undercoat. Head, including muzzle, skull and ears, are covered with smooth, soft, short hair-velvety in texture on the ears. The neck is covered with a mane-more profuse in the male-sweeping from under the jaw and covering the whole of the front part of the shoulders and chest, as well as the top part of the shoulders. The hair on the legs is smooth and short, except for feathering on the front legs and "trousers" on the hind legs. Hind legs are profusely feathered down to the hocks-not below. The hair on the tail forms a rich plume. Coat must not part down the back.
Bitch Coat:
The bitch coat may be less abundant than that of the male. Bitches should not be penalized for their shorter coats. They may also carry as much coat as their male counterparts. The bitch’s coat should reflect her feminine type and appearance, making it easy to distinguish her from the male.
Puppy Coat:
The puppy coat may be predominately undercoat. It may feel soft in texture as it lacks the harsh guard hairs present in adults. The age and rate at which guard hair grows varies among puppies.
Trimming:
The Keeshond is to be shown in a natural state. Trimming permissible only on feet, pasterns, hocks and –if desired—whiskers. Trimming or sculpting of the coat or any grooming which alters the natural appearance to be severely penalized.
Faults - Silky, wavy, or curly coats.
Color and Markings:
A dramatically marked dog, the adult Keeshond is a mixture of gray, black and cream. This coloring may vary from light to dark. The hair of the outer coat is black tipped, the length of the black tips producing the characteristic shading of color. The undercoat is very pale gray or cream, never containing tan, brown, or orange tones. Puppies are often less intensely marked. The dramatic color and contrast seen in adults may be lacking in some puppies as they haven’t developed the guard coat that typically determines the variations in the black color.
Head:
The muzzle and ears are dark in color with some natural shading, seldom solid black. "Spectacles" and shadings, as previously described, are characteristic of the breed and must be present to some degree.
Ruff, Shoulders and "Trousers”:
The color of the ruff and "trousers" is lighter than that of the body. The light gray shoulder line markings must be well defined. Tail: The plume of the tail is very light in color when curled on the back, and the tip of the tail is black.
Legs and Feet:
Legs and feet are cream.
Faults - Pronounced white markings. Black markings more than halfway down the foreleg. Penciling is acceptable on the toes and feet. White foot or feet.
Very Serious Faults - Entirely black or white or any solid color; any pronounced deviation from the color as described.
Gait:
The Keeshond movement is clean and brisk with balanced reach and drive. They move confidently, with the head carried naturally above a steady topline, while keeping the tail tightly curled over the back. When seen from the side they should not move with extended reach and drive. There is no overstepping or interfering between the front and rear movement.
The Keeshond is a double tracking breed. The legs move parallel coming and going but as speed increases the legs tend to slightly converge toward a center line.
Temperament:
Temperament is of primary importance. The Keeshond is neither timid nor aggressive but, instead, is outgoing and friendly with both people and other dogs. The Keeshond is a lively, intelligent, alert and affectionate companion.
Approved October 8, 2024
Effective January 1, 2025
Head Type and Expression
The late Dick Beauchamp, respected dog writer, breeder and judge, once said that head type was one of the hallmarks of breed type. So in exploring the aspects of Keeshond head type we need to examine the wording in the breed standard and apply that to our dogs.
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Spectacles are the first thing mentioned in the standard. Judges new to the breed often confuse the reference to spectacles as the appearance of light areas around the eyes circled with darker hair – like glasses. However, the standard states that spectacles are not only the orbital area but “the delicate line slanting from the outer corner of each eye toward the lower corner of each ear.” This combined with the eyebrows give the dog an alert and intelligent expression. This is essential to breed type. A dull and lack luster expression are true Keeshond expressions. A very serious fault is the lack of the dark line forming the spectacles.
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The next descriptors in Keeshond standard have to do with the eyes and the ears. These are hallmarks of true Arctic breed type. Both have practical applications in the arctic environment. Eyes are to be dark brown in color, medium size, almond in shape, set obliquely (at an angle slanting upward) and not too close together or too far apart. One can imagine in an outdoor arctic environment that round, protruding eye would be a disadvantage and round eyes would be more prone to injury. Dark eyes, and eye rims are also required. Why? Arctic breeds are required to “squint down” in the snow. Much easier to do with almond shaped, dark eyes. Faults are round, light or protruding eyes.
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Ears are required to be small, triangular in shape, and mounted high on the head. There are functional reasons as well for these ear requirements in arctic breeds. You can imagine that large ears would be subject to freezing and the dog would at least lose the tips of the ears in subzero temperatures. The smaller, higher placed ear is also more mobile and alert to the many sounds of the outdoor environment. One test that breeders (not suggested for judges) can do when evaluating puppies or adults is to fold the ear down toward the corner of the eye. The ears should just reach the corner of the eye. If the ear covers the eye it is probably too large.
The standard says that the shape of the head should be in proportion to the body. When viewed from above, not just the muzzle but the whole head should give the appearance of a wedge. Dogs that cheeky, or coarse will not have smooth wedge and there will be a distinct break where the muzzle fits into the back skull. In profile the head should exhibit a definite stop. It is somewhat controversial how much stop, but definite is definite and most would agree that ski slope is not definite. Faults are an apple head, or absence of stop. David Cavill, an English judge and expert on arctic breeds says that the rise of the stop over the nasal sinus is required in arctic breeds as it gives space for the air to warm as dog breathes in the colder climates. One can imagine the difficulty that a brachycephalic breed would have in this challenging and very cold climate.
The muzzle is called to be of medium length, neither coarse nor snippy. Bitches, of course, will have more delicate muzzles than dogs. Once illustration of a beautiful Keeshond head is the portrait of Eng. Ch. Furstin of Evenlode, her muzzle is delicate but strong and fits into a smooth wedge. The mouth is called to be neither overshot nor undershot and lips should be black with no wrinkle or sagging. A scissors bite is called for and a fault is misaligned teeth.
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Given this outline balance is the key in seeking the ideal Keeshond head type. Breeding a true Keeshond expression can be a challenge for breeders. I think breeders fall in love with their dog's head and expression and sometimes find it difficult to fault their heads – while they may find it much easier to fault, color, coat and structure. As in all breeding decisions objectivity is the key. It is helpful in evaluating head type as in other areas to measure dogs head. You will find that those with the most pleasing expressions will have many measurements that equal, such as the distance from the corner of the eye to the base of the ear, the length of the muzzle, the depth of the muzzle, the length of the back skull, etc. Keep the measurements on hand and compare generations. The information will be enlightening. Every generation of Keeshonden has individuals that are known for idea head type observe them and look at generations past. What they all have in common is balance and the exquisite alert and intelligent expression called for the Keeshond standard.
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Debbie Lynch
Breed Columnist
Keeshond Club of America
July 6, 2014