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The Stabyhoun or Stabij is a rare dog breed that originates from Friesland, a province in the North of the Netherlands. The first part of the name is probably from the Dutch: "sta me bij" (stand by me). The last part is simply Friesian, meaning dog, which is pronounced "hoon". There are only approximately 3500 Stabyhouns in existence today.
Appearance: A sturdily built long-coated breed, greater
in length than height, which should be neither too coarse not
too refined in build. Acceptable colors are black, brown, and
orange with white markings. Spotting and/or roan in the white
are acceptable but tricolour is objectionable. Dogs are 53 cm
and bitches 50 cm, measured at the withers. Ideal weight is 45
pounds (20 kg) for bitches and 50 to 55 lb (23 to 25 kg) for
dogs.
Head: The head should show more length than width, with
the skull and foreface equally long. The coat on the head is
short. The skull should be slightly domed but not narrow and
may never give the impression of being wide, it is carried low
on a strong, slightly arched neck. The stop is only slightly
indicated. The foreface is powerful, tapering to the nose
without getting pointed. The expression of the face should
always be gentle and intelligent. The bridge is straight and
the muzzle is broad with a nose that is well developed and has
wide nostrils. Lips are tight and cover the teeth, which are
strong and have a scissor bite. The neck should be free of
throatiness or dewlap.
The ears are set fairly low and are strongly developed, which
cause the fold in the ear not to take place directly at the
root but further on, so. that the ear is not carried against
the head but stand away from it. They are moderately long and
have the form of a mason's trowel. The feathering of the ear
is a typical characteristic of the breed, they are rather long
at the base of the ear, decreasing in length down to the point
where the lowest 1/3 part of the ear is covered with short
hair. Their tall is never docked but you can if you want. Also
their tall is a nice size
The eyes should lie level in the head, and be of medium in
size with round with tight lids, without showing haw or third
eyelid. The colour dark brown for dogs with black ground
color, brown for dogs with a brown or orange ground color.
Body: The coat on the body is long and sleek, only over
the croup may there be a slight wave and should never be
curly. The back of both the front and hind legs should be
bushy, as it is on the tail, but should never be feathering. A
somewhat curly coat shows that a cross has been made, and that
is why the dogs with that sort of coat cannot be recognized as
Stabyhoun.
The body should be powerful with well-rounded ribs. The back
is straight with the croup only slightly sloping. The loin is
powerful, the belly is only moderately tucked up. The tail is
long, reaching to the hock. It is set low and carried
downwards to the last third part, which is bend upwards in a
gentle curve. In action, the tail is lifted, but never so as
to curl. The tail is covered with longer hair on all sides to
the end, without curls or waves, not feathered, but bushy.
The shoulder is well laid against the chest and the blade well
laid back and angulated. Lower arm powerful and straight,
forelegs straight, with no weak pasterns. The hindquarters are
powerful and well angulated with a low placed hock. The feet
should be round and rather big with toes that are well
developed and arched, the Stabyhoun should have thick pads.
Temperament: A Stabyhoun laying in the grassThe
Stabyhoun has a nice temperament, friendly, peaceful, patient,
and willing to please. A characteristic of the stabyhoun is
tolerance toward children and other animals. The Stabyhoun
should be obedient and devoted to its owner, making it easy to
train, these dogs should never be vicious or snappy.
The breed needs exercise and is not for the lazy owner,
although it can be very laid back in the home environment, it
still needs plenty of activity. Due to its strong retrieving
instinct, is very happy to spend the whole day playing fetch
with its owner.
The working Stabyhoun: The Stabyhoun is both a retriever and a
pointer. It works very well on water, being able to withstand
the coldest of rivers and lakes, and is easily controlled over
greater distances. It brings in any game alive and undamaged.
When catching moles and other vermin, these animals are killed
through breaking the neck, but the fur remains undamaged. It
is a powerful dog and larger ones are used to pull sleds in
the winter.
These dogs have high levels of energy and endurance because of
their history as a gundog. People have recognised this and the
Stabyhoun is now used in almost all imaginable forms of
training and activity: dog agility, obedience, hunting,
triathlon, endurance, frisbee, and others.
Health: The average life expectancy is 13-14 years.
The Stabyhoun is a healthy dog. In the past the breed had some
problems, but careful breeding expelled most problems.
Epileptics occurred in the past, but the inheritable form has
luckily not been diagnosed for a long time.
Care: The Stabyhoun does not need any special care
apart from proper brushing to keep tangles out. The dogs moult
(shed) usually twice a year, and thorough brushing helps the
dog to finish its moult in about two weeks. Washing should be
avoided when possible, because it affects the natural
sleekness of the coat. The coat by its nature will lose dirt
very quickly. After a swim the dog is usually quite clean and
dry in a couple of hours.
Breeding: A Stabyhoun with 11 puppiesAs the Stabyhoun
population is so small, careful breeding is very important.
The association has breed advisors and the official opinion of
the club is to keep inbreeding very limited. More
specifically: not over 10%. Although in the last 10 to 15
years dogs have gone abroad, there is no population elsewhere
to fall back on. The dogs are sold relatively cheaply in the
Netherlands, especially because most breeders see them as a
national heritage. This makes them breed out of love rather
than out of other motives. The average number of puppies in a
litter is 7, and the bitches are not allowed to have more than
5 litters in their lifetime.
The bitch has to be over 18 months and no older than 9 years
of age, at least one year should elapse in between litters,
the hips have to be x-rayed (not over FCI-C result), and the
combination has to be approved by the breeding committee.
Sometimes wrong colours may be passed on, which is to be
avoided. The association keeps very careful track of these
matters. The studs have to be 18 months of age, with the same
show and hip results as the bitches, and they are not allowed
to give over 20 litters in their lifetime.
It is preferred to have no more then 3 litters out of a
male a year, so on the breeders' days the litters can be
checked and notes can be taken as of the traits that the males
(and females) may or may not inherit. Stud-owners are expected
to appear on these breeders' days. It is expected the breeders
will promote the breeders' days towards those who have bought
puppies in the past year, so that as many as possible will
visit these days.
History: A Stabyhoun called TriskaThe Stabyhoun is a
gundog of which descriptions were found as early as 1800. In
earlier days it was used for hunting foxes, small game, and
birds, and it also turned out to be a fine mole catcher.
During the hunting season, it was used as an all-round gundog,
an occupation it keeps to this day, although British and
German breeds are more popular. It is a fine pointer, an
excellent tracker, and also a good watchdog. It has also been
used as a draught dog.
The dog used to be owned by farmers who were, in general,
poor. It was very welcome to have such an all arounder,
because often only one dog could be afforded. As a versatile
breed, Stabyhouns have been used throughout ages as a guard
and watch dog for the farms, but before all it is a hunting
dog.
The breed's looks and purpose have not changed for decades,
although in earlier days the breed was often mixed with
another Friesian breed: the Wetterhoun, because only working
capacities were counted. In 1942 the breed was officially
acknowledged and since then crossbreeding between the two has
stopped.
Today it enjoys a moderate, though very devoted fancy among
Dutch sportsmen and homeowners and its numbers are increasing
slowly but steadily. It has yet to gain any significant fancy
outside of the Netherlands.
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