Life History

The stabyhoun is still used as a gundog, although today often English and German breeds are more popular.  A stabyhoun can be taken out in the field for hours.  It will wait steadily and calmly for the shot.  It is a fine retriever, and water work is one of its strongest assets.  It marks well and is easily controlled over greater distances.  During the beeting (often in beetroot fields) it is an eager searcher.  It brings in any game alive and undamaged.  When catching moles and other vermin these animals are killed through breaking the neck, but the furs remain undamaged.

Since the dog used to be owned by farmers, who were in general poor, it was very welcome to be such an all-rounder, because often only one dog could be afforded.  The dog had also to be tolerant toward the other livestock on the farm, friendly with the children and protective about the premises, without being vicious or snappy.

Its appearance has not changed a lot today, although in earlier days the breed was often mixed with the other Friesian breed, the wetterhoun, because only working capacities were relevant.  In 1942 the breed was officially acknowledged and since then crossbreeding between the two has stopped.

The population of the stabyhoun today is about 5500 animals.  Therefore careful breeding is important.  The average life expectancy is 13-14 years.  Males are 53 cm and bitches 49 cm, measured at the shoulder.  Males weigh 50 lbs. and females weigh 45 lbs.  Acceptable colors are black, brown and orange with white marking.  Spotting and/or roan in the white are acceptable.  Tricolor is objectionable.  The coat is long and sleek and with a natural fresh smell.  The dog doesn't need much grooming.  It usually keeps its body very clean.

Stabyhounen have a nice temperament, friendly, tolerant, and willing to please.  The dogs are very intelligent and exhibit an independent will which requires obedience training for good control in hunting.  These animals love to be in the owner's company and make great companion dogs.  The dogs are used in almost all-imaginable forms of training.   Agility, obedience, hunting, triathlon, endurance, fly ball : a healthy stabyhoun has no physical problems with these activities.   A characteristic of the stabyhoun is its tolerance toward children, and also animals that belong to the household are treated in a friendly way.

The appearance of the stabyhoun has some very typical characteristics, of which the sleek coat is one.  The hair on the ears is long at the top and decreasingly shorter up to the last 1/3 of the ear, where the hair is short.  The shape of the ear is the form of a mason's trowel.  On the back of both the front and hind legs, the hair is bushy, as it is on the tail.  It should never be feathering.  The dog has a rather wide brisket and fairly big, well-developed webbed feet.  Remember it has to be able to walk, swim and climb for long periods at a time!  The expression of the face should always be gentle and intelligent.

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.

The stabyhoun does not need any special care apart from proper brushing.   All you have to do is keep tangles out.  The dogs sheds usually twice a year, and thorough brushing helps the dog to finish shedding 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.

Because the stabyhoun population is 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, especially because most breeders see them as a national heritage.  This makes them breed out of love rather than for 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.

They must have a dog-show judgement of "very good" at least twice (or of "excellent" ), though some would consider this too low a standard.   However, with a small population one cannot afford to lose genes too easily.  The judge has to be accredited for the breed or judgements by all-rounders are also permitted.  The bitch has to be over 18 months and no older then 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 colors 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 per 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 be present 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.

Not many books exist on the stabyhoun, and none have been translated.  However, the association is presented on a homepage: www.nvsw.nl.  Nederlandse Vereniging voor staby-en wetterhounen (Dutch association for staby-and wetterhounen).
This is the official contact for the association on the stabyhoun.