{"data":{"slug":"kooikerhondje","name":"Kooikerhondje","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/dog-atlas/kooikerhondje","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/dog-atlas-api/v1/breeds/kooikerhondje","also_known_as":["Dutch Decoy Dog","Kooiker","Kooikerhond","Small Dutch Waterfowl Dog"],"kind":"breed","extinct":false,"group":{"key":"retriever","label":"Retriever \u0026 Water Dog","fci_group":8,"fci_group_name":"Retrievers, Flushing Dogs and Water Dogs"},"size":"Small","origin":"Netherlands","countries":["Netherlands"],"height_cm":{"min":35.0,"max":41.0},"weight_kg":{"min":9.0,"max":11.0},"life_expectancy_years":{"min":12,"max":14},"temperament":["Alert","Agile","Affectionate","Cheerful","Sensitive"],"exercise_level":"Medium","wikipedia_views_60d":12458,"summary":"A small Dutch spaniel-type dog with an orange-red and white coat and a plumed white tail, bred to lure ducks into decoy traps and now a lively, affectionate companion.","photo":{"url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/dog-atlas/photos/kooikerhondje-0f354b3869-1280.webp","small_url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/dog-atlas/photos/kooikerhondje-0f354b3869-640.webp","width":740,"height":586,"author":"Unknown author","license":"CC BY 2.5","license_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5","source_url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kooiker03.jpg"},"updated_at":"2026-10-15T14:57:30Z","ratings":{"energy":4,"exercise":3,"grooming":3,"shedding":3,"trainability":4,"barking":3,"kids":4,"other_dogs":4},"coat":"Medium-length, slightly wavy double coat with feathering","colors":["Orange-red and white"],"fun_fact":"The breed became popular in the United States in the 2020s partly because baseball star Shohei Ohtani owns a Kooikerhondje named Decoy.","sections":{"overview":"The Kooikerhondje is a small, graceful Dutch sporting dog that dates back to the sixteenth century. It was developed to work in duck decoys, where its playful movements and bright white tail drew curious ducks into a trap.\n\nToday it is a cheerful family companion and sports dog. It is alert and agile, with an orange-red and white coat that makes it easy to recognise, and it has appeared in the work of Dutch masters.","history":"The breed was developed in the Netherlands around the sixteenth century to lure ducks into decoys, long tunnel-like traps. Hunters copied the way foxes attract ducks by playing near the water without meeting their gaze. The dog appears in paintings by Jan Steen, Rembrandt and Vermeer.\n\nNumbers collapsed during World War II, and Baroness van Hardenbroek van Ammerstol is credited with rescuing the breed. The Dutch kennel club recognised it in 1971. It later spread abroad and was accepted by the American Kennel Club in 2018.","appearance":"The Kooikerhondje is small and spaniel-like, with a balanced, sturdy build. The wavy, medium-length double coat is white with orange-red patches, and the tail is a white plume. Some dogs have black tips on the ears, known as earrings.\n\nThe FCI standard allows heights of about 38 to 41 cm for males and 36 to 39 cm for females.","personality":"The Kooikerhondje is friendly, lively and devoted to its family, though it may be reserved with strangers. It is alert and sensitive, and it responds best to gentle, positive training.\n\nIt is quick and agile, keen to learn and enjoys having a job to do, which makes it a good candidate for dog sports.","care":"This active little dog needs daily exercise and mental stimulation, such as games, scent work or agility. It is adaptable and can live in a home of almost any size as long as its needs are met.\n\nThe coat needs regular brushing, especially the feathering on the ears, legs and tail, but is not hard to maintain. Early socialisation and positive training help it grow into a confident adult.","health":"Heritable conditions reported in the breed include patellar luxation, von Willebrand's disease, necrotising myelopathy, renal dysplasia, inflammatory myopathy and ataxia. A Dutch study found patellar luxation in about one in four dogs, although prevalence has been falling. Health testing of breeding dogs is important."},"recognition":{"fci_number":314,"fci_standard_url":"https://www.fci.be/en/nomenclature/314.html","akc_url":"https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/nederlandse-kooikerhondje/"},"sources":{"wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kooikerhondje","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q38716","wikipedia_revision":1379985330},"profile":{"written_by":"AI model (Claude Sonnet) from the sources above","written_at":"2026-10-15T13:37:29Z"}}}