GENERAL APPEARANCE :  THE  Keeshond is a natural and beautiful dog, with a well-balanced body and  short, attracting attention  for its coloring and intelligent expression. Your  tail curled over the back,  his fox-like expression and small pointed ears also attract a lot of attention. your fur   it is very thick around the neck, on the front of the shoulders and on the chest, forming a "mane" especially in males.  Its head, ears and legs are covered in thick, short hair.

Personality:  Outgoing, lively, friendly to everyone.

Energy Level : Somewhat active;  enjoys several walks a day.

Good with children:  Yes.

Good with other dogs:  With supervision.

Grooming:  Weekly.

Life expectancy : 12-15 years.

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Bark Level: Bark when needed.

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• HISTORICAL SUMMARY  

The breed served for countless years on small ships called rijnaken, which were found in large numbers on the River Rhine.  The origin is in the Arctic, or possibly the Sub-Arctic, and is from the same strains that produced the Samoyed, Chow Chow, Elkhound, Finnish Spitz and Pomeranian.

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Country of Origin: Germany.

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BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT: Temperament is of prime importance. The Keeshond is neither shy nor aggressive, but is instead outgoing and friendly with people and other dogs. The Keeshond It is a lively, intelligent, alert and affectionate companion.

HEAD:

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• CRANIAL REGION  
   

Skull : The head should be well proportioned.  to the body.  C ABECA apple or absence of stop are faults.

Stop : Set.

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• FACIAL REGION

Snout:  Of medium length; neither too thin nor too thick, and well proportioned to the skull.

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Truffle: The truffle is  completely pigmented from  black in black-spotted dogs and brown in liver-spotted dogs.

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Jaws and Teeth:  Teeth must be solid  and strong in a scissor bite.

Lips:  Lips must be black  are not thick  or sagging, and do not have  wrinkles at the corner of the mouth.

Expression:  The expression depends on  unique feature called "glasses" - a combination of markings and shading in the orbital area, which should include a delicate, dark line sloping from the outer corner of each eye towards the lower corner of each ear, along with expressive eyebrows. Markings (or shadings) on the face and head should present a pleasing appearance, giving the dog an alert and intelligent expression.

Eyes: They should be dark brown in color, of medium size, almond-shaped, set at an angle. Not too far, not too close.  

Ears : Ears should be small, triangular, set high.  and  erect. The size must be proportional to the approximation of the head to the  distance from the outer corner of the eye to the nearest edge of the ear.

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NECK :  The neck should be moderately long, well shaped and well fitted to the shoulders .

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• TRUNK
   

Top Line:  The top line is smooth.

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Back:  Strong back, slightly arched topline.
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TAIL:  The tail should be moderately long and well feathered, set high and curled tightly over the back. It should be flat and close to the body. The tail should form part of the "silhouette" of the dog's body.

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• MEMBERS

PREVIOUS

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Arms: Must be viewed directly from any angle.

Elbows: Are close to the body

Feet: Should be compact, well rounded. The fingers are well arched, with  black nails.

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HINDQUARTERS : The angulation in the rear should be between light to moderate, creating balance and typical gait.

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Hocks: They are well defined.

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Legs: They are straight, strong  and  with strong bone.

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Paws :  D must be compact s, well rounded s . The fingers are well arched, with  black nails.

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• GAIT/MOVEMENT: The Keeshond's gait is unique to the breed. Dogs must move boldly and keep  tail  curled up  on the back. They must move cleanly and quickly.
   

• COAT

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By :  The body must be abundantly covered with hair.  long, straight and rough, well apart. On the head, including the muzzle, skull and ears, they must have a smooth and soft covering with fur.  short, with a velvety texture on the ears.  The neck is covered with a mane under the jaw and covering the entire front of the shoulders and chest, as well as the upper part of the shoulders.  The hair  on the legs should be smooth and short, with the exception  the front legs and the "pants" on the hind legs. The legs should be profusely feathered to the hocks, not below. THE  tail must own  a rich feather. The Keeshond must be displayed in a natural state and  permissible to trim only the feet  - if desired - whiskers. Trimming other than described should be severely penalized

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• COLOR: Marked and shaded. THE  Keeshond is a mix of grey, black and cream. This coloring can vary from light to dark.  Puppies are usually less  marked. 
  
  Head: The muzzle must be dark in color, it must present the marking of the "glasses" as described above, which is a very strong characteristic in the breed; the ears should be very dark almost black.
  
  Shoulders and Legs: Leg color is lighter than body color.  Light gray shoulder line marks should be well defined.
  
  Feet: They are cream colored.
  
   

SIZE:  49 cm +/- 6 cm.

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• FAULTS  

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Any deviation from this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well-being of the dog.  

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• Pronounced white markings.

•  Black marks more than halfway down the front leg.

• White foot or feet.

• Misaligned teeth and bite.

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DISQUALIFYING FAULTS

• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.

• Absence of dark lines that form the "glasses".

• Light colored eyes.

• Ears do not stand up  when in attention .

• Tail not close to the back.

• Silky, short, curly hair.

• Completely black or white,  or any solid color;

•  Any pronounced deviation from the color as described.

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• GRADES

• Males must present both testicles, of normal appearance, well let down and accommodated in the scrotum.

• Only clinically and functionally healthy dogs with typical breed conformation should be used for breeding.