A travelling salesman with a picture in his pocket: according to the FCI standard, that is how the Kooikerhondje’s modern story begins. Baroness van Hardenbroek van Ammerstol gave it to him in 1942, during the Second World War, asking him to look out for such dogs. In Friesland he found the female Tommy, the breed’s foundation mother.
| FCI | Group 8 (Retrievers, Flushing Dogs, Water Dogs), Section 2 Flushing Dogs, Standard No. 314, without working trial |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Netherlands |
| Size (height at the withers) | ideally males 40 cm, females 38 cm; 2 cm above or 3 cm below allowed |
| Weight | not specified in the FCI standard |
| Life expectancy | no reliable study figure found (N/A) |
| Coat | medium length, slightly wavy or straight, soft, with well-developed undercoat; feathered breeches, fringes and tail; untrimmed |
| Colours in the standard | clearly defined orange-red patches on white, with orange-red predominating; white blaze; black ear tips desired |
A decoy with a wagging tail
These dogs still work in duck decoys, trapping systems with a pond and channels. Wagging cheerfully, they attract curious ducks, moving calmly between screens to draw them into the trapping tunnels. They should not chase them. A provisional standard appeared in 1966; the breed has been officially recognised in the Netherlands since 1971 and definitively by the FCI since 1990.
Lively, but not noisy
The standard describes a lively, active and self-confident dog with stamina, good-natured and attentive but not noisy, reliable, composed and friendly. Outside the duck season, they hunt vermin. They need kind, clear training.
Activities for mind and paws
Searching games, tricks, retrieving and dog sports in moderation keep them balanced, alongside a good hour outdoors every day.
Earrings and a white plume
They are shown in a natural, untrimmed coat. Characteristic features are the long black tips to the ear hair, known as earrings, and the white-feathered tail. Weekly brushing suffices, with fringes and breeches needing attention a little more often after wet walks.
Inherited diseases from a small beginning
Because the breed descends from few dogs, breeders know several inherited disorders. Type III von Willebrand disease, a severe bleeding tendency, was widespread until a DNA test removed the mutation from the breeding population within a few years (van Oost et al. 2004). A variant in the IBA57 gene has been described as the cause of hereditary necrotising myelopathy, which progressively paralyses young dogs (Mandigers et al. 2023). For the inflammatory muscle disease polymyositis, a deletion near IL21 and IL2 is considered a risk factor: a quarter of gene copies in a random sample carried it, and an estimated 10 to 20 percent of homozygous carriers may develop the disease (Opmeer et al. 2025). Epilepsy, meanwhile, has become less common, falling to 0.05 percent in the latest figures (Rolink et al. 2026). We found no reliable lifespan figure.
A good home for them
With people and families wanting a small, alert dog who enjoys work, who provide activities and ask the breeder about both parents’ genetic tests.
Where difficulties arise
Expecting a robust dog for rough children’s games or leaving them alone for many hours undermines this sensitive Dutch dog’s composure.
The breed quiz helps you assess whether a small flushing dog suits you; read more in our book “Which Dog REALLY Suits You?” (book in German). Another dog from Friesland is the Wetterhoun. For the early weeks, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack. Orange patches and black earrings stand out on a magazine cover on canvas; discover more styles among our dog portraits from your own photo.
Further reading
- Leaving your dog alone: how they learn without drama, step by step
- Puppy will not sleep: what really helps on the first night
- Puppy biting: teaching bite inhibition without spoiling the fun
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI Standard No. 314 Nederlandse Kooikerhondje (fci.be, German version dated 16.02.2011, valid original standard published on 13.10.2010); van Oost BA et al., DNA testing for type III von Willebrand disease in Dutch Kooiker dogs, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 2004; Mandigers PJJ et al., A novel IBA57 variant is associated with mitochondrial iron-sulfur protein deficiency and necrotizing myelopathy in dogs, Frontiers in Genetics 2023; Opmeer Y et al., Polymyositis in Kooiker dogs is associated with a 39 kb deletion upstream of the canine IL21/IL2 locus, PLOS Genetics 2025; Rolink T et al., Phenotypic characterisation, quality of life and prevalence of idiopathic epilepsy and epilepsy of unknown cause in the nine Dutch dog breeds, Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2026; McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024 (breed not analysed).
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