Stabyhoun

The Stabyhoun, or Stabij, comes from the Dutch province of Friesland, where it began in the forested east and southeast. It is one of the rarest dog breeds in the world, with only a few thousand dogs in existence, and is regarded as a Dutch national treasure. Its Frisian name means roughly stand-by-me dog.

History

Frisian writers mentioned the Stabyhoun in the early 19th century. It was the all-purpose dog of farmers with limited means, who needed one animal to hunt, work, keep watch and live with the family. It hunted foxes, small game and birds, served as a gun dog in the hunting season, and caught moles, rats and polecats around the farm. Larger dogs pulled carts for dairy farmers.

To make it more robust, the Stabyhoun was often crossed with another rare Frisian breed, the Wetterhoun. The Stabyhoun gained official recognition in 1942, and the crossing stopped so that both breeds could be preserved.

The breed became known outside Friesland only in the 1960s, and the first dogs left the Netherlands in the 2000s. Numbers are rising slowly, with followings in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and North America.

Appearance

The Stabyhoun is sturdy, longer than it is tall, and neither heavy nor slender. Males stand 53 cm (21 in) at the withers and females 50 cm (20 in). The ideal weight is 23–25 kg (50–55 lb) for males and 20 kg (45 lb) for females.

The head is longer than it is wide, with a broad muzzle and a gentle expression. The ears are set low and shaped like a mason’s trowel, with longer hair at the base. The tail is long, reaching the hock.

The coat is long and sleek, short on the head, and fuller on the back of the legs and the tail. A slight wave over the croup is allowed, but the coat should never be curly. Most dogs are black and white, usually with a solid black head and a white tail tip. Brown and white is less common, and orange and white has become very rare. Ticking or roaning in the white is acceptable.

Temperament

The Stabyhoun is friendly, sensitive, intelligent, calm and patient, though it can be stubborn at times. It is very tolerant of children and other animals, and with steady, gentle training it is obedient and devoted.

In the field it is a soft-mouthed retriever, a pointer and a good tracker, and it works well in cold water. It is calm indoors but needs plenty of activity, and it loves to swim.

Care and health

The coat needs regular brushing to prevent tangles, especially behind the ears, and it sheds twice a year. It cleans itself of dirt and mud as it dries, and harsh shampoos are best avoided because they strip its natural oils.

The breed is relatively healthy and lives 13 to 15 years on average. Known inherited conditions are patent ductus arteriosus, epilepsy, elbow dysplasia, hip dysplasia and type 1 von Willebrand disease. Because the population is so small, breed club advisors approve each pairing.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.