The Keeshond breed dates back to 16th century Holland. That is a very long time ago, when we were referred to as a Wolfspitz. The name Keeshond, or more accurately, “kayz-hawnd” came later in the 18th century. Our name sake is Dutch patriot Cornelis de Gijzelaar. Kee is the nickname for Cornelis, that makes us Kee’s hond, or Kee’s dog. We have two interesting nicknames and one that is appalling; the smiling Dutchmen, Velcro dogs, and overweight Pomeranian- I am not overweight, and I am not a Pomeranian.
They called my great-great-and many more greats- grandparents “The Smiling Dutchman”, because they were boat dogs. They guarded barges in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were alarm dogs, used to assert their shrill voices as an alarm to the captain and crew if something was amiss or if there were intruders. I don’t do this, Lola and Scrappy alert the captain and crew. I only assert my voice at 3:30 in the morning, and when my belly tells me to. My great-great-and many more greats-grandparents were also companions to the captain and crew. They liked people, they relied on each other for camaraderie, hence Velcro, we stick with our people. They were lively, animated, happy, and extremely intelligent dogs. Keeshonden are so smart that they rank as the 16th smartest dog breed according to Stanley Coren’s book “Intelligence of Dogs”.
Interesting right?!?
We make great companions, and adore being with our people. Say goodbye to private bathroom time, all time is meant to be spent TOGETHER! We are supposed to be noisy. I have that one covered! Mom is fed up with my rock-star lifestyle; party all night and sleep all day! Despite Mom’s best efforts to reprogram this habit, I like to wake everyone up at what I’ve heard referred to as the witching hour. I like to sound the alarm, I just do, and so did my great-great-and many more greats grandparents, it’s in my blood. Today Mom asked me if I had ever heard of an evil sea witch named Ursula. She said Ursula would give me anything I want in exchange for my voice. Because I am a Keeshond, I am pretty stinking smart, and I am not falling for this sea witch nonsense. Being really intelligent also means I get really bored. I have to find ways to entertain myself and work this brain full of smarts. I mean, since Mom broke her ankle, walks don’t happen anymore, and she can’t drive, so no daycare or puppy classes yet. It’s fine by me! I can find lots of things to do. I like barking, I like naps, I like digging holes between the cracks in the patio stones, I like stealing socks, I like stealing things from Mom’s pile of projects (she can’t chase me right now, it’s great!), I like following Scrappy around the house and yard, and I like tussles with Frankie and Lola.
My point….
Sometimes the way we are and the things we do are part of our makeup. The good parts and the bad parts of us are often times parts of us that years and years of DNA and genetics mixing and swirling together, turn us into. Don’t misunderstand, there are absolutely learned habits and coping mechanisms that take some work to reverse, but the thing that makes you, say, more anxious than someone else, that is bred into you. Those parts are a genuine, natural , part of being exactly you. Own them. Accept them. Understand them. Embrace them. Sometimes those same things that seem like a poor quality can actually be seen a different way. Sure, you might be anxious, but your anxious great-great-and many more greats grandparents stayed alive because they were anxious. You can harness that and use it to your benefit. We are a perfectly imperfect version of years of creation in the flesh. That is pretty incredible!