IN THE BEGINNING

The forefathers of the Shepherd (Dutch, Belgian and German) were probably wolves which were domesticated, and in the 15 thousand years that followed they were used for different purposes and developed accordingly. Hunting, fighting, carrying loads and herding were just a few of the tasks that the dogs were given. Within these groups several different breeds came into existence and by looks and nature distinguished themselves from other dogs. A shepherd dog is nothing more that a dog than belonged to, and was used by a shepherd, helping him to look after the sheep or cattle. A dog with  a high level of independence was needed to keep the flock or herd together , drive it, guard, and defend it. Some breeds were specialized in working with a certain type of animal  or a specific task, while others were  all round.  

Dutch Shepherd is a breed in its own right & there are now generally considered to be two different "types" of Dutch Shepherd available. The first is the FCI registered Dutch Shepherd. These dogs are bred to FCI standards with official pedigrees and generally compete in conformation shows and or are trained in various dog sports and working pursuits such as IPO, Agility and SAR. These dogs, like most pedigree dogs, are bred more for conformation showing and companion pets as per FCI Standards, with only a few breeders concentrating on producing these dogs specifically for working pursuits. The registered Dutch Shepherd is not a large breed in terms of numbers with approximately 4500 dogs currently registered with the FCI.

The second type of Dutch Shepherd is the most commonly found in the Royal Dutch Police Dog or "Koninklijke Nederlandse Politiehond Vereniging" (KNPV) training program. Here in it’s homeland the Dutch Shepherd is one of the mainstay breeds of the KNPV, along with the ever-popular Malinois. In fact a Dutch Shepherd called "Fritz" won an international Police dog competition in Germany back in 1908. It is worth noting that two of three founding members of the KNPV were also members in the Dutch Shepherd Club. KNPV K-9 is currently using the UKC (United Kennel Club) to register its dogs and litters and as with most KNVP titled dogs have a full pedigree bloodline document complete wirh pictures, titles and scores. 

Within the KNPV program, the Dutch Shepherd has survived without the influence and pressures of the conformation circles and has not been restricted by the need for an official pedigree. The Dutch Shepherd of the KNPV program is, and always has been, bred to be a working police dog. Even within the KNPV program, compared to the Malinois, the Dutch Shepherd is only relatively small in population yet continues to maintain a working police dog heritage that few breeds can match. Since the year 2000 the Dutch Shepherd has been winning the national KNPV championships on a regular basis. The 2001 PH1, 2002 PH2, 2003 PH2, 2006 PH1 titles were won by Dutch Shepherds, not to mention all the 2nd and 3rd places gained by other high quality Dutch Shepherds.

Unlike the dog sport programs such as IPO, Schutzhund, and even French Ring, the KNPV has no requirement for dogs to hold an FCI or official pedigree. In fact, around about 90% of the dogs titled in the KNPV program do not have FCI or official pedigrees. The KNPV program believes that official pedigrees are not required to produce quality police dogs - and the continuing success of the program has proven this to be true. Although a little controversial, most would have to agree that generally most dogs that successfully obtained a KNPV title would be capable of obtaining IPO and Schutzhund titles, where as, the same could not be said of as many Schutzhund or IPO titled dogs being capable of achieving KNPV Police Dog Titles.

WORLD CLASS SERVICE DOG BREEDING

Our dogs come from the most exclusive KNPV (Royal Dutch Police Force) and ZVV (Czech Republic police) these countries collectively produce over 85% of the worlds police service dogs. Our 25 year working relationship with these breeding programs, trainers and working clubs give us access to dogs not available to other trainers. It also gives us a competitive edge in knowing what bloodlines produce a given temperament vs. another bloodline. This assures us that we are selecting a service dog that will match your needs, experience as a dog handler, has predicable health, mental stability and is social with people and other animals.  

For all these reasons KNPV K-9 is the most reliable company to purchase your next service dog or protection companion dog from. We have carefully considered breeding/bloodlines, puppy development, advanced nutrition, proper socialization, holistic veterinary care and the most up to date training techniques to mold the best service dogs in the world.

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