Raad van Beheer op Kynologisch Gebied in Nederland (English: Dutch Kennel Club (DKC)) is the official kennel club of the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Founded in 1902, it currently represents around 200 breed clubs with 150,000 members, and is a member of the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The (; FCI; ) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country). History The FCI was founded in 1911 un ...

(FCI).

History

The first dog shows in the Netherlands were organised by the Dutch Society of Agriculture, the first show taking place in 1892 in Rotterdam with an entry of 217 dogs. Later shows and field trials were also run by the Nimrod hunters' society, Cynophilia, and the ''Kynologenvereniging Nederland'' ("Canine Society of the Netherlands"). In 1902 it was decided to set up a new organisation, the ''Raad van Beheer op Kynologisch Gebied in Nederland'', to consolidate the dog registration and pedigree systems, and regulate showing and field trials. A studbook was set up named the ''Nederlands Honden Stamboek'' (N.H.S.B., "Dutch Dog Studbook"). A number of pre-existing breed clubs and local groups applied to the new kennel club for recognition. The Raad van Beheer joined the

(FCI) at its inaugural meeting in Paris, 1911, and hosted its first conference in Amsterdam in 1912. At the beginning of the year 2000, the Raad van Beheer abandoned the structure of a society with an elected board of directors, in favour of a union of breed clubs and local groups.

Kennel club membership

As of 2013, there are roughly 200 breed clubs, 70 local groups, 10 "special" clubs (including the Dutch Judges' Society) and 12 sighthound clubs. Approximately 500,000, or 1 in 3 dogs in the Netherlands, are registered with the DKC; 42,000 new-born puppies were registered in the studbook in the year 2012, with 260 breeds registered annually. In total, 330 breeds are recognised.

Native breeds

One of the primary aims of the Dutch Kennel Club is to promote the 9 native dutch breeds: * Dutch Shepherd (Hollandse Herdershond) *

Schapendoes The Schapendoes () is a Dog breed, breed of herding dog originating in the Netherlands. History The Schapendoes descends from a general type of farm and herding dog popular in the Drenthe province of the Netherlands, and the Veluwe, an area ...

(Nederlandse Schapendoes) * Saarloos Wolfhound (Saarlooswolfhond) *

Dutch Smoushond The Dutch Smoushond (''Hollandse Smoushond'', ''Dutch Ratter'') is a small breed of dog, related to the Pinscher and Schnauzer breed type kept in stables to eliminate rats and mice in Germany and the Netherlands. It is very rare and not well kno ...

(Hollandse Smoushond) *

Dutch partridge dog The Drentsche Patrijshond is a versatile spaniel-type hunting dog from the Dutch province of Drenthe. Called the Dutch Partridge Dog (or "Drent" for Drenthe) in English, approximately 5,000 dogs are registered with the breed club in the Netherl ...

(Drentsche Patrijshond) *

Kooikerhondje The Kooikerhondje is a small spaniel-type dog breed of Dutch ancestry that was originally used as a working dog, particularly in a decoy to lure ducks. The breed dates back to the 16th century and makes frequent appearances in paintings from the D ...

(Nederlandse Kooikerhondje) *

Stabijhoun The Stabyhoun, or ''Stabijhoun'' or ''Stabij'' (in Frisian), is one of the rarest dog breeds in the world. It hails from the Dutch province of Friesland; its origins lie in the forested region of eastern and southeastern Friesland. The breed has b ...

Wetterhoun The Wetterhoun (translated into English as the Frisian Water Dog) is a breed traditionally used as a hunting dog for small game and waterfowl and native to the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. The name of the breed comes from the West ...

Dutch Tulip Hound A Markiesje (), also known as Dutch Tulip Hound, is believed to be an old dog breed. On several paintings dating from the 17th and 18th century a small, black dog resembling a Markiesje can be seen. However, the Markiesjeas currently knownhas only ...

(Markiesje)

Breeding regulations

Since reorganisation, the Dutch Kennel Club has introduced strict measures in an attempt to reduce hereditary diseases in purebred dogs. These efforts have been informed by DNA testing - it is now a requirement for registration that a DNA sample is presented. Following inspection, health certificates are issued to dogs in order to aid in determining suitability for breeding.

References

External links