Stabyhoun: Your Complete Guide

The stabyhoun is a unique breed with a distinct appearance. This sporting dog is becoming increasingly rare, and it hails originally from the Netherlands.

Many individuals love the stabyhoun for its hard-working nature, and this dog has historically been used as a working and hunting dog. It can be hard to adopt the stabyhoun in the United States, as there are only a few thousand of these dogs left around the world.

If you are interested in adding the stabyhoun to your family, it’s important to learn all you can about this intriguing breed to help them thrive. Our complete guide to the stabyhoun breed gives you all the essential information you need to know, such as how to care for this dog, their temperament, and how this dog might interact with children and other pets.

Quick Look at the Stabyhoun

Below is a quick glance at this special breed in terms of their physical characteristics, lifespan, temperament, and grooming needs.

What Is the History of Stabyhouns?

One of the rarest dog breeds around today, the stabyhoun originates from the Dutch province of Friesland. The stabyhoun’s name translates to ‘stand by me, dog,’ and this breed is known for its all-around usefulness working alongside humans.

The stabyhoun has been known to act as a hunting companion, a watchdog, catch rats or pests, and be a retriever. This breed is also highly loyal and affectionate, and they are recognized as dependable family companions.

The stabyhoun has been mentioned in local literature dating back to the 1800s, but it wasn’t until sometime around the 1900s that this breed was recognized outside of the Netherlands.

There are only a few thousand members of this breed left around the world, but recognition of the breed as valuable and historic in 1942 has contributed to a loyal following for this dog and efforts to both preserve the breed’s genetics and increase the stabyhoun’s numbers.

Today, you may find it difficult to adopt a stabyhoun within the United States, as this breed is rarely seen outside of the Netherlands. However, individuals that do adopt the stabyhoun are able to enjoy its gentle nature, hard-working attitude, and usefulness as a working or farm dog.

What Do Stabyhouns Look Like?

The stabyhoun has a rather distinct appearance, and the most common look for this dog is with a white and black coat and a completely black head. Brown and white stabyhouns do exist, but this is rarer to encounter than the black and white version of this pup.

The stabyhoun’s head is somewhat square-shaped and similar to that of other sporting dogs or retrievers. They have floppy ears that lie against their head, typically white-tipped tails, and slender bodies that appear fairly agile. These dogs are medium-sized, and they are fit and strong without appearing overly muscular.

What Size Is a Stabyhoun?

The stabyhoun is a medium-sized dog, and they will stand between 19 to 21 inches tall. These dogs weigh between 40 and 60 pounds, and they are fairly agile and athletic with a frame to match.

What Is a Stabyhoun’s Coat Type and Length?

The stabyhoun is known for its silky, smooth coat. These dogs have a medium-length coat with hair that grows shorter around their head and faces, and their hair is often very soft to the touch. The stabyhoun has a double coat, and they will need regular brushing to help remove any of their loose silky fur.

What Is a Stabyhoun’s Temperament?

The stabyhoun is known for being gentle and a faithful companion, while also being incredibly agile and decent at most working or farm dog tasks.

This breed has historically been used as a hunting dog, and they enjoy working and playing in water like most other dogs – you can expect your stabyhoun to be very energetic and passionate about the outdoors because of this. Stabyhouns are high energy, active, and eager to please their owners for the most part.

It’s important that you give your intelligent and athletic stabyhoun tasks to complete or ample exercise throughout the day, or this dog can grow restless and bored. Due to their high intelligence, they may end up becoming destructive or mischievous.

Are Stabyhouns Good With Kids?

Stabyhouns are generally good with children, as this dog is known to be relatively gentle and observant. These dogs can play with children of most ages, as long as the children know how to interact with the dog without being too rough or loud. Many individuals choose stabyhouns as family companions due to their typically tolerant nature.

Are Stabyhouns Good With Other Animals?

Stabyhouns can get along well with other animals, particularly dogs. This breed does have a history as a hunting and working dog, so small prey animals like hamsters or even small cats might not be the best companions to the stabyhoun, but if these animals are introduced at a young age they may get along.

The stabyhoun is generally trainable and friendly, so they can usually be introduced to other animals with similar temperaments and do well.

Are Stabyhouns Aggressive?

Stabyhouns are not known to be aggressive. However, this dog does have a history as a working and hunting dog, and if they deem something is a threat they may growl, bark, or snap. In general, your stabyhoun won’t be aggressive and you can expect them to be easily trained out of any behavior that might be too territorial or protective for your family’s needs.

Do Stabyhouns Bark?

Stabyhouns aren’t the most vocal dog, and they bark an average amount. These dogs may bark to alert you to threats or intruders on your property, or they may bark as part of their playing outside.

These dogs can be trained if they are barking an excessive amount, though they may not be the best choice for apartments due to their overall size and exercise needs in addition to the risk of violating noise restrictions as they learn how to control their bark.

Are Stabyhouns Affectionate?

Stabyhouns are fairly affectionate, and these dogs tend to form strong bonds with their owners. While these dogs might be a little mistrustful at first regarding people they don’t know, they are likely to warm up quickly to strangers once they’ve been deemed as not a threat.

Your stabyhoun will enjoy being pet and spending time with you outdoors, but they aren’t the biggest lap dog compared to other breeds.

Are Stabyhouns Intelligent?

Stabyhouns are very intelligent, and these dogs love to learn new things. Stabyhouns need a lot of mental stimulation to stay happy, and you can expect these dogs to be fairly eager to please when it comes to training.

This breed is known for being alert, curious, and observant, and many individuals consider them a jack-of-all-trades due to all of the tasks they can learn to complete such as hunting, being a watchdog, catching pests, and working tasks that a farm dog would need to perform.

Are Stabyhouns Energetic?

Stabyhouns are very energetic, and these dogs require a lot of exercise and playtime to stay happy. You can expect your stabyhoun to need a few hours of exercise a day at minimum, and these dogs are happiest when they are able to work outdoors all day and spend significant time running around.

If you adopt your stabyhoun into a family environment instead of a farm or working environment, you will need to give them at least two to three long walks a day plus time to run around off-leash every day. These dogs benefit from an active lifestyle and will enjoy time in dog parks or time spent hiking on a regular basis.

Are Stabyhouns Easy to Train?

Stabyhouns are easy to train, as they are very intelligent, and they enjoy learning new things. These dogs are curious and eager to please their owner, and they have the ability to learn complex tricks or tasks for working around a farm or other similar environment. Stabyhouns are also a good choice for agility training due to their athletic and energetic natures.

Are Stabyhouns Good Watchdogs?

Stabyhouns can make good watchdogs, as they are generally alert, protective, and brave. These dogs have no problem alerting their owners to a potential threat with a few loud barks, and they tend to take their jobs seriously when it comes to keeping watch.

However, these dogs might be a little too friendly to be very intimidating as a guard dog, as they might warm up to strangers easily once they’ve had time to suss them out.

Are Stabyhouns Good Service Dogs?

Stabyhouns may make good service dogs, as they generally have the right temperament and size to work as a service dog.

However, these dogs need lots of exercise and ample time to run around outside, and that may not be feasible depending on the individual and disabilities they are being trained to support. Some stabyhouns may be able to work as emotional support animals or therapy dogs as long as they are also able to meet their exercise needs.

How to Care for a Stabyhoun?

Stabyhouns are unique and rare dogs, and it takes a certain set of steps to keep these dogs healthy and happy once you adopt them into your family.

The stabyhoun typically thrives in environments where they get to work or receive plenty of exercise. Farm environments and other working environments are perfect for this breed, though they can also be happy as a family companion to individuals with a very active lifestyle.

You will need to train your stabyhoun to ensure that they stay mentally stimulated along with their physical stimulation.

Make sure your dog has their own space in your home complete with a bed and toys to keep them entertained while you aren’t around, and this dog will benefit most from having easy access to a fenced-in backyard or other area where they can run around whenever the mood strikes.

Keep up with basic care routines for your dog such as weekly brushing, professional grooming and trimming when necessary, and routine veterinary care. All of these steps help to ensure your dog lives their best life in your home.

Do You Need to Groom a Stabyhoun?

Stabyhouns don’t need to be groomed that often, and their maintenance care needs are fairly average. You will need to brush your dog’s fur once or twice a week to help remove any loose silky strands; this also helps contain shedding. Bathe your dog as needed and take them from trims at the groomers’ only when necessary.

Do Stabyhouns Shed?

The stabyhoun doesn’t shed a huge amount throughout the year, and regular brushing can help contain any lost fur. You can expect your dog to change coats about twice a year, and this is when most of the shedding will occur. Stabyhouns are not considered hypoallergenic dogs.

What Health Problems Do Stabyhouns Have?

The stabyhoun is prone to certain health issues due to the genetics of their breed, something that happens to many dogs. With your stabyhoun, you should be looking out for signs of health issues like hip and elbow dysplasia, epilepsy, and heart conditions.

Monitoring your dog’s behavior and noting any changes plus regular veterinary care are the best ways to ensure your dog stays in top health throughout their time with you.

How Long Do Stabyhouns Live?

On average, the stabyhoun will live between thirteen and fifteen years old. Your dog may live longer or shorter than this average depending on things like care, health issues, and their overall lifestyle.

What Should a Stabyhoun Eat?

The stabyhoun is a very active and athletic dog, and this medium-sized pup typically needs a fair amount of food to stay healthy. You can feed your stabyhoun between one and three cups of dry or wet dog food per day, making sure to take into account your specific dog’s size, their activity level, and the caloric content of the food.

Consult with your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns about feeding your stabyhoun a healthy diet.

Is a Stabyhoun the Right Dog for Me?

The stabyhoun is a rare dog breed beloved by those in the Netherlands and occasionally encountered outside of their home country. These dogs are active, affectionate, and intelligent, and they generally need a working environment or a very active lifestyle to stay happy.

The stabyhoun might be the right dog for you if you are looking for a reliable working companion on a farm, you have an active lifestyle and you want an energetic family dog, or you are looking for a canine jack-of-all-trades to train and form a strong bond with you as you go on adventures together.