RedGold Kooikers

The Kooikerhondje (koi-ker-hond-jah) is an Old Dutch breed. In many of the old paintings from the sixtennth century you will see a small housedog that looks much like the Kooikerhondje of today. The Dutch Kooiker is named after the trap, Kooi, which was used to catch ducks in small canals. The Kooiker was trained to drive/decoy the ducks into the traps. Some biologist still use them today for this purpose, this makes their job of marking/keeping track of the numbers of wild ducks easier. In addition to their daytime job the Kooiker was also expected to be watch keeper of the premises and chased rats, moles and mice on the property.

The Kooikerhondje has an attractive friendly appearance. But there is a lot of temperament in this breed. For the original work in the duck-decoy steady, self-assured behaviour was a must since the ducks were lured and not chased. The dog worked by waiving its bushy tail, a sign of self confidence. He had to walk calmly alongside and between the fences from the "Decoy", so the dog could be seen clearly in several different places for a short time by the ducks. This stimulated the curiousity of the ducks, who were lured by this and followed swimming further and further into the catch pipe and finally into the trap, where they could be caught by the decoy-man (kooiker).

When they weren't hunting they were expected to destroy vermin. For which a certain fierceness, rapidity and hardness was required. The cooperation with the decoy-man for all the work was a must. Hence the attentive attitude and the will to please. The work demanded preserverance and stamina as well. Today's Kooiker should still have all of the necessary qualities.

When the stock of ducks dropped there was no further need for the Kooiker so they all but died out. In 1939 the Dutch Baroness van Hardenbroek van Ammerstol began to collect pieces of the breed. She succeeded in finding a good representative of the breed, and this bitch "Tommie" became the ancestress for the present Kooiker.

The little spaniel has a harmonic body shape, is nicely colored and has a shiny coat; he is well feathered and is a real hunting dog. He is lively, gay and somewhat easy to keep. He is not an outgoing dog and picks his friends slowly, but once you become his friend you are friends for life.

This is a moderate well-boned dog, which should measure at the shoulders about 14-16 inches. The temperament should be cheerful, not noisy, easily kept, very dependent on its home enviroment, friendly, good natured and alert.

Some things to consider before getting a Kooikerhondje:

The Kooikerhondje is a very sporty breed. It needs lots of jogging/walking outside. At least an hour of exercise each day and some shorter times as well.
The Kooiker is a hunting breed. This means that any interesting animal that is moving he will want to give chase.
The Kooiker needs lots of mental stimualtion. It's a very intelligent breed, and if you don't keep him busy mentally he will find his own stimulation and it may not be one you would choose. They would do great at agility, flyball, tracking and obedience.
The Kooiker is not a very social breed, if you do not train him for that. If not introduced at a young age to lots of people and dogs they might become fearful or aggressive.