Stabyhoun - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
The history of this breed is related to northeastern Dutch province called Friesland and it is possible to find writings from 19th century describing this dog breed. According to the official breed standard, the Stabyhound is closely related to the the Drentsche Patrijshond and Heidewachtel.
2) Recognition
For a long time the Stabyhoun was crossbred with another dog breed from Friesland, the Wetterhoun. This crossbreeding was pretty common in the beggining of the 20th century, but because of it, the original purebred dogs started to dissappear. This changed in 1942, when both breeds were officially recognized and the crossbreeding was halted.
3) Name
The Stabyhoun has pretty descriptive name. As you can probably guess, the houn means dog, but what about the Staby. That is most likely derived from words „sta mij bij“ which can be translated as stand by me. Those dogs are often times also called as Staby, Stabij or Beike.​

4) Purpose
Primarily, these dogs were owned by farmers and were used as versatile farm dogs, that were capable of all around working, protecting, hunting and of course, being awesome companions. The Stabyhounds were known as extraordinary mole catchers, but also good small game hunter. This is excellent tracker with very good sense of smell.

5) Rarity
The Stabyhoun is very rare dog breed and it would be very hard to find them outside Netherlands. And even in the Netherlands, they are still quite rare. The breeding is closely monitored and regulated by Dutch Association for Stabyhouns and Wetterhouns and it is estimated that in 2013 there was only something around 5 000 Stabyhound dogs worldwide.

6) Temperament
The Stabyhoun is not only a skilled farm dog and hunter. This is also an amazing companion dog, which is a great fit for active families. The Stabyhoun is typically very friendly, sensitive and gentle dog breed, with high intelligence and eagerness to please. They are also very patient and thanks to that, they can be great partners for children, but of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a young child unsupervised. On the other hand, the Stabyhoun can be little bit headstrong and independent, which is why they are not total pushovers to train, but with patient and consitent training, they are capable of learning a lot of trick very quickly.

7) Exercise
The Stabyhoun is known to be pretty calm and laid back indoors, but they definitely need daily proper exercise. When they are outside, they will show you all of their athleticism, speed, agility and flexibility. You must také them on daily longer walks, hikes or jogs. The Stabyhoun is also a great swimmer and you should let them swim from time to time. Because of their high intelligence and athleticism, those dogs are great adepts for various dog sports like agility, hunting trials, obedience or frisbee.

8) Size
The Stabyhoun is a powerfully built pointing dog with average height between 20-21 inches, which is 50-53 cm and weight is typically between 20-25 kg, which is 45-55 pounds. The females tend to be slightly smaller than males, but the difference is not extremely big.

9) Maintenance
The Stabyhoun has a weather resistant coat which helps the dog work even in bad weather. Good thing is, that the coat is also pretty much dirt resistant and these dogs can keep themselves pretty clean. They also do not need much grooming. You can brush them from time to time to minimize the shedding and remove dead hair. Just like with all dogs, you should also regularly check the dogs ears, eyes, teeth and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.

10) Health
The Stabyhoun is pretty healthy dog breed with average lifespan around 14 or 15 years, which is great. Just like all dogs, they can suffer from some health issues, for example from hip and elbow dysplasia, patent ductus arteriosus and von willebrands disease.