The Dutch Shepherd is a very competent dog easily excelling in agility, obedience, guard work, herding, catch and field trailing.  The Dutch Shepherd is happiest when working and requires a good deal of mental and physical stimulation. He is friendly, playful and full of energy, however, don't let this pooch fool you, he is also cunning and can outsmart his owner when given the opportunity. He is great with children as long as he sees children as higher in the pecking order than him and he will be loyal to his family, especially his handler.

Many people often mistake the Dutch Shepherd and the Belgian Shepherd since they share a very similar breed standard. The main differences are coat colour, size and proportion requirements. Although the Dutch Shepherd's origins are somewhat confusing, it is suggested that they descend from the same herding dogs that also created the Belgian Shepherd and German Shepherd. He was originally bred in the early 1800s in the southern part of the Netherlands and the largest population of Dutch Shepherds were found in Brabant which bordered Belgium. The Dutch Shepherd's original purpose was a farm dog, guard dog, cart dog, herder, security or police dog. The Dutch Shepherd is virtually an unheard of breed outside of Holland, however, in his home country, he is still valued as an excellent herding dog.