Is the Dutch shepherd a recognized breed?
The Dutch shepherd is a recognized pure breed in Europe just the same as the German shepherd, the Belgian Shepherd, the Golden Retriever etc. As with any breed, there are also dogs not registered in the Kennel Club’s Stud Book, as well as mixes of Dutch shepherds with other dogs. A lot of the (shepherd) dogs bred by Police Dog enthusiasts are mixes or dogs of such unregistered stock, or let us say “unofficially registered”, because there is usually some record of their parentage kept by the breeder. It is mostly dogs of those lines that are imported into America. This is why some Americans wonder if there is any such thing as a purebred Dutch shepherd. The answer is: yes, there is. A lot of American breeders however will breed and sell puppies as purebred dogs, knowing very well that those dogs are not from Dutch recognised lineage. Very often, the “pedigree” they offer is nothing more than a “record of parentage” Even though a lot of these dogs can be of high quality when it comes to
