The Drentsche Patrijshond (also known as the Dutch Partridge Dog) is one of the rarest pointing breeds in North America but known for being an excellent family dog, farm dog and hunting dog. This Dutch pointer does everything with enthusiasm and happiness and is incredibly versatile. Loved by hunters for his versatility and family for his loving and extra-devoted nature, the breed would be much more popular if he was more well-known. Many owners have commented on the breed’s hyper-awareness of their feelings and emotions, almost as if the dog has a better understanding of their emotions than they do!
Like most hunting breeds, the Drent is active and needs plenty of regular exercise, even when the weather is bad! Along with a daily walk, he should be given at least an hour of free running. Jogging and hiking are other great activities which he much appreciates. Without it, he may become destructive and difficult to live with. Along with physical exercise, the breed also requires mental stimulation in the form of training or other thinking activities, as well as spending lots of quality time with his owner or family. This social breed does not make a good kennel dog since he loves people too much.
The Drentsche Patrijhond is usually reserved towards strangers until he gets to know them, and will bark when unfamiliar people come to the door. This is not a guard dog, rather a “reporting an arrival” dog. The breed gets along well with children, both from the family as well as visiting children, as long as he has been raised with and socialized to them. They also tend to get along well with other dogs.
The Drentsche is soft-tempered and doesn’t do well with harsh training methods. All dogs need to be treated fairly but this breed requires extra thought in this department! Although very intelligent, he can be stubborn at times and can get bored when training is too repetitive. When training is fun and upbeat, he is usually very responsive as he really enjoys pleasing his owner. This pointing breed loves all sorts of activities and, once trained, is happy to engage in dog sports such as hunting, agility, tracking, bikejoring… even sledding and skijoring! As a breed, he tends to think for himself and may try to put his own spin on things – patience and a sense of humor are good attributes for an owner to have! This is especially true for younger members of the breed.
The Patrijshond has a very high prey drive and will likely spend a lot of his free time searching out small animals while outside. First-time owners are often surprised when their gentle Drent turns into a hunting fanatic in the backyard! While most members of the breed can live with a cat, they should be raised from puppy-hood with that cat so they can learn that chasing is off limits. Some may still chase a cat indoors from time to time, however (and most will chase that same cat when outside).
The medium-length coat of the Drent is a single coat, yet is prone to shedding heavily twice per year. Owners will need to invest in several grooming tools to keep the coat in good condition, as well as setting aside time each week to keep up with the coat during these shedding seasons. During the times that the dog isn’t actively losing a lot of coat, grooming won’t need to happen as frequently but the weekly session can still help keep the coat in tip-top shape!
Photo By Eric Broeksma