January 25, 2016
Before we got Spark, our last Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever puppy, two and a half years ago, I had done some research into other breeds.
I became very intrigued by the Dutch kooikerhondje, a smaller ducking dog. It shares several characteristics with the toller but is somewhat smaller in size. From wikipedia: "The Kooikerhondje is a small, flashy, red and white spaniel-like sporting dog. Originally bred in Holland as a duck decoy dog, its heavily white plumed tail waves jauntily to entice and lure ducks to follow it into Eendenkooi (duck traps). When not working the traps, Kooikers were expected to work on the farm to catch vermin. The Kooikerhondje was developed in the Netherlands around the sixteenth century to be a tolling breed. They were used to lure and drive ducks into '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."
They are a rare breed and there are no breeders in Canada. While at Brazos Bend state park in Texas, I somehow recalled that when I did my research three years ago, I had found one or two kooiker breeders in Texas. Incredibly, one of the breeders was a half hour's drive away. I contacted her and we had a jolly time exercising her dogs in an open field with a pond. What fun we had! The dogs are wonderful and both Dave and I really liked them! One never knows where such an encounter could lead...
Thank you so much Sheryl Fuller for a wonderful morning.
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