Breed Standard of the Keeshond

General Appearance
Short, compact body, confident carriage. Fox-like head with small pointed ears, alert expression, large ruff, well feathered tail curled over back.
Characteristics
Sturdy, intelligent and adaptable, ideal companion, good guard, shows boldly.
Temperament
Bold, alert, friendly with marked guarding tendency.
Head and Skull
Well proportioned, wedge shaped when seen from above; from side showing definite stop. Dark muzzle equal to length of flat skull. Neither coarse nor snipey. Nose black.
Eyes
Dark, medium size, almond-shaped, obliquely set. Well defined ’spectacles‘ shown as a delicately pencilled black line slanting from outer corner of eye to lower corner of ear, coupled with distinct marking and shading forming expressive short eyebrows.
Ears
Dark, small ivy-leafed in shape. Erect, velvety texture. Well set on head, neither too wide nor meeting.
Mouth
Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Lips black.
Neck
Moderately long and arched, covered with thick, profuse coat forming large ruff.
Forequarters
Shoulders well sloped. Straight front of medium width with good bone.
Body
Short, compact; length from withers to tail equal to height at withers, well sprung in rib. Good depth of brisket.
Hindquarters
Strong muscled, hindlegs straight when viewed from behind. Hock showing slight angulation when viewed from side, profuse light-coloured trousers down to hocks.
Feet
Well padded, round, cat-like, tight, cream in colour; black nails.
Tail
Moderately long, high-set, tightly curled over back, double curl highly desirable. Light plume on top where curled, with black tip, carried closely at all times.
Gait/Movement
Clean, brisk, straight and sharp.
Coat
Harsh, off standing, straight. Dense ruff, well feathered on forelegs and profuse trousers, not feathered below hock. Soft, thick, light-coloured (not tawny) undercoat. Never silky, wavy or woolly, nor forming a parting on back. Any shortening of the coat which alters the natural outline should be penalised, with the exception of feet and pasterns which may be lightly trimmed.
Colour
A mixture of grey and black. Undercoat very pale grey or cream (not tawny). All shades of grey acceptable, body hairs black tipped. Shoulder markings well defined and all markings definite. Forelegs and hocks cream with no black below wrist or hock. Pencilling acceptable.
Size
Ideal height: dogs: 46 cms (18 ins); bitches: 43 cms (17 ins).
Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.
Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Published with the kind permission from the Kennel Club
© The Kennel Club