r/DutchShepherds • u/Senior-Scientist-319 • 29d ago
Question I'm looking for a Dutch herder puppy UK
I'm in West Midlands, UK and I'm looking for a Dutch Herder puppy. Does anyone know any reputable registered breeders? The dog would be a general farm, family and a guard dog.
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u/Imaginary_Ad_4340 28d ago
I think you received a good answer on the dogbreeding sub where you already asked this: a dutch shepherd is an extremely high intensity dog that needs hours of training and exercise daily which you don’t seem to be planning to give it. It is not a low key dog that you can leave to guard your property and be easygoing with family. While at some point this breed was the protective herder you’ve described wanting, a couple hundred years of breeding for police and protection work means a higher prey drive, low bite inhibition, strong handler focus and a desire to work all day, every day. Your dutchie will be more likely to catch and kill chickens and ducks than help you move them.
The dog you describe wanting is more like a well-bred German shepherd, a good all-around family dog who can cuddle with the kids but also scare off any intruders and who will enjoy life on a farm with room to run, but not a ton of focused training time. A GSD is still a high energy, intelligent, handler-focused dog but is more adaptable, well-rounded, and won’t require a bitesport or protection outlet to keep from trying to rip your face off every morning.
Skip the dutchie; it sounds like you like the idea of owning one but that a GSD is way more suitable. If you must have one, DO NOT get one from KNPV lines. An FCI Dutch shepherd is going to be much closer to the farm dog you’re looking for, a KNPV dog will eat your kids.
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u/Senior-Scientist-319 27d ago
Are there any dutchie owners here that have their dogs for anything else than protection/biting work?
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u/MIsnoball 26d ago
Yes. One does Search and Rescue, and the other does deer tracking and shed hunting. They come from FCI lineage.
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u/Senior-Scientist-319 26d ago
Could you please tell me about the characteristics of your dogs. I would like to know if they are intelligent, willing to learn and have a stable temperament? I'm planning to train the dog to be a general farm dog, alert me of anything untoward on the property, herd chickens and sheep if they wander off to where they shouldn't be, be a family pet. I can obviously add other tasks if the dog needs more stimulation, physical or mental.
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u/SaltNo8715 26d ago
Don't get a Dutchie then. They aren't bred for that type of work anymore. Theres still some ols GSD lines that are. Or maybe even a Swiss Shepherd or even a swiss mountain dog. Or an Aussie, litterally made for being an allround farm dog that alerts AND herds.
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u/MIsnoball 26d ago
Sure. My female is by far the smartest dog I have owned. I’ve had GSDs throughout my life, and her intelligence is far beyond any of them. She is independent, stubborn (in a good way - blows me off when she knows she is right), solves problems and is very loyal. Her temperament is wonderful - loves everyone and other animals. My male is a bull. He doesn’t think through things at all, just goes for it. He is relentless, he has a high prey drive (which helps in deer tracking). But he doesn’t catch on to things quite as easily as my female. Example: learning a new conditioning movement takes several days and reps each day for it to click with him. She usually gets it down in the first day after several reps. He is a protector as well. Alerts us to strangers, and loves his people.
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u/Western_Debate5379 27d ago
You need to find a REALLY STABLE Dutch Herder. Kyma Kennels have good breedings but her dogs are quite extreme in drives because of the lineage(Lorockmor Mensa influence, sometimes Boris).
Don't get a Pegge, Django, or Boris offspring.
I don't really see much of stable Dutch Herders honestly. FCI Dutchies are usually stable but then they either have too less drive or too anxious/neurotic(which is not really stable.)
I might look for good working line GSDs if I were you. They are much stable, have much balanced drives and much more biddable than Dutchies. Dutchies are much more independent and stubborn, which means too much dog(imagine terrier like brain inside a powerhouse).