Nederlandse Kooikerhondje

For centuries, this agile orange-red and white little dog from Holland has used his gaily waving tail to lure ducks in an elaborate pond trapping system called “Eendenkooi” – moving quietly around screens to lure ducks further down a water channel to be captured in a trap – still used today to catch wild ducks for banding. The Baroness von Hardenbroek von Ammerstol saved the Kooikerhondje from extinction in 1939. She gave a picture to a peddler and asked him to look out for such dogs. In that way, she found the bitch, “Tommie,” whose foundation litter was born in 1942. The “Kooiker” competes in agility, obedience/rally, barn hunt, and flyball with the same enthusiastic cheerfulness. They are also content to share a favorite sofa with their owner. The black feathering on the ears, called “earrings,” are highly desirable but not required.