Dutch Shepherd Spendow KNPV PH 1 410 pt
Owner & trainer Wilma Vogelaar

Just as there was national pride in the Shepherds of Germany and Belgium, the Dutch have had a natural desire to create their own Shepherd breed. In the early days there was a lot of variation in appearance of the dogs on the farms, and if one could have gathered together samples from Germany, Belgium, Holland and perhaps regions of France it would have been difficult for an observer to label them according to country of origin; distinct, uniform appearance, for better or worse, was to come with the establishment of the conformation show as the driving force of breed creation and differentiation. But the Dutch and the Flemish, which largely created the Belgian Shepherd, especially the Malinois, have always been especially close in geography, language and culture.

In reality the Dutch Shepherd, especially the serious working lines, is essentially a variety of the Malinois; when you look at the actual pedigrees there is generally a lot of Malinois in the background. Even if not in the formal pedigrees it is there, and in the Dutch Police trials dogs without formal registration are quite common. (Schutzhund or IPO requires an FCI recognized pedigree in FCI, that is European, nations; which has resulted in many false pedigrees being created.)

Whether the Dutch Shepherd is in reality a separate breed or just a label for Malinois which are a little larger, a little less over the edge and tend toward the brindle in coat is an open question; ultimately it is what the dog is capable of on the field that matters to the serious people.