Dutch Smous

The Dutch Smoushond is a breed of ancient but unknown origin. In the 19th century, the Smoushond, which was quite popular, followed horses and carriages and was considered the gentlemen rider's dog. The Smoushond was called a 'gentleman's stable dog' or 'coachman's dog'. It also catches rats in the stable, the term 'smoushond' indeed meaning 'mouse'. The morphological type of these stable dogs, notably used in Amsterdam, is, according to sources of the time, fairly homogeneous. The Dutch Smoushond could be derived from Schnauzers imported from Germany. A first standard was written in 1905 by L. Seegers and from the 1920s, breeders began to develop the Smoushond which faced competition from foreign varieties. However, World War II ended breeding and at the end of the conflict, the breed was on the verge of extinction. In the 1970s, a few passionate breeders resumed breeding from the few dogs still alive to save the breed from extinction. Outside the Netherlands, the breed is virtually unknown.

The International Cynological Federation (FCI) standard describes the Dutch Smoushond as an affectionate, gay, friendly dog, neither fearful nor nervous.

The Dutch Smoushond is a small-sized dog with an agile appearance, neither clumsy nor coarse. The body fits in a square, although that of females is sometimes slightly longer than that of males. The tail is short and carried gaily. The skull is slightly domed. The stop is distinctly marked. The short muzzle ends with a large black nose. The eyes are large, round and dark in color. Attached high, the ears fall forward, well pressed to the cheeks. Small in size, they are fine and triangular in shape with the tip slightly rounded. The quality of the coat is a very important trait of the breed.