page_title: Kooikerhondje
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Kooikerhondje / History
context_page_description: The Kooikerhondje is a small spaniel-type breed of dog of Dutch ancestry that was originally used as a working dog, particularly in an eendenkooi to lure ducks. Kooikers were popular in the 17th and 18th century and appeared in the paintings of Rembrandt and Jan Steen. The breed is rapidly gaining popularity in the United States, Canada and Scandinavia, where it is still relatively unknown.
context_section_description: The Kooikerhondje was developed in the Netherlands sometime prior to the sixteenth century to be a breed to lure ducks into traps - a technique also called tolling. They were used to lure  'kooien' (cages in the form of canals with traps at the ends), where the hunter (the so-called Kooiker) could easily catch the fowl. The dogs that were used by the Kooiker for this kind of hunting technique, were referred to as the 'Kooiker's hondjes' (literally: Kooiker's dogs). Eventually this led to this dog being called Kooikerhondje.
  The breed almost became extinct during World War II until Baroness van Hardenbroek van Ammerstol rescued it. The breed was only officially recognized by the Raad van Beheer, the Dutch Kennel Club, in 1971 and has since been imported into other countries and recognised officially. The breed is still relatively unknown in North America and not yet recognized as a breed in Canada, although it was accepted into the AKC's FSS program, in 2004.  The breed was moved to the AKC Miscellaneous class on July 1, 2015 in preparation to moving to the Sporting Group upon full recognition. As of Jan 1, 2018, the Nederlandse Kooikerhondje has been fully recognized by the American Kennel Club and is now competing in the Sporting Group.  In the United States, both the UKC and ARBA recognize the breed.
  In the UK, the breed has been removed from the import list and is now eligible to enter Crufts for the Best in Show award, despite there being only 76 of the breed in the UK.
  In January 2013, the Kennel Club announced it was re-classifying the Kooikerhondje from the gundog group to the utility group effective from January 2014. The decision was reached after discussions with the UK breed clubs and unanimous agreement was achieved.
  Some historians believe the Kooikerhondje may have possibly played a part in the development of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.
caption: Doctor's visit with kooikerhondje, painting (1658-1620) by Jan Steen
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