Drentsche Patrijshond: The Rare Dutch Gundog for Field, Farm, and Family

Written By: Brian O’Connor & Ellie Ovrom

The Drentsche Patrijshond, aka Drent, is said to be a reflection of the Drenthe people themselves. Drenthe, a North-Eastern Dutch province, with a long history of hardship, forests, heathlands, megalithic Hunebedden, gentle rolling hills, and many family farms consisting of a few hectares. The Drent spent 350-some-odd years as a landrace primarily within the province, until shortly after World War II when the breed became formally recognized. The Drent today still possesses its stoic inner peace, inherited from a time and place when and where life ran with a much slower tempo.

World-wide, there are approximately 3,200 Drents, and here in North America we estimate there are approximately 130 living Drents. So, “I’ve never heard of that breed”, is something a Drent owner gets accustomed to hearing.

It is important to note that historically the humble and practical people of Drenthe had the right to hunt but couldn’t afford much in the way of extravagances. If you could afford a dog, then one dog would have to do everything you would need a dog to do; hunt fur and feather on both land and water, warn of intruders, possibly cart goods to market, and lastly, but not least, be a playmate to the children.

The Drent is a superb dog for the foot hunter who enjoys watching his dog work, shaped by needs created by the diverse and oft rough terrain of the Drenthe landscape and their people over a couple of centuries. Their properties tended to be small, and so a particularly large running dog wasn’t needed, but a dog that could track wounded game and bring it back was. The Drent: hunter, pointer, tracker, and retriever of all manors of game.

Most of the versatile breeds came into being with a desired outcome in mind and were purposely shaped to fit that notion. The Drent was shaped out of necessity by what worked for those who kept them. While the trajectory may have been different, the end result isn’t so wildly different – but there are differences.

In broad strokes, the Drent has more substance for its size than you might expect and depending on your definition, the Drent is either a large, medium-sized dog, or a small, large-sized dog because of this. Females are 50-65 lbs and 22-24”, males 60-75 lbs and 23-25”. They have a wedge-shaped muzzle slightly shorter than the length of the skull, tight lips, and the gentle yet intelligent expression of a gundog.

The Drent coat color is white with brown markings. The brown color may range from a lighter orange to a very dark brown. A minimally-marked Drent should have brown around both eyes, entirely brown ears, and brown at the base of the tail. The coat is considered to be half-long and relatively fine in texture, free of sebaceous oiliness and dense undercoat. However, the coat itself as a whole being relatively dense, in particular the hair on the head and face. While the Drent may look stylish, this combination of traits makes coat care incredibly easy – very much a wash and wear dog if there ever was one.

The Drent is both intelligent and active, which can be a bit of a curse and a blessing at the same time. They like to be nearby but aren’t classically velcro. They are sweet, derpy, and comedic. Thankfully, they have a rather generous “off-switch”, until someone rings the doorbell, or the substitute mailman arrives. For the owner that stays one step ahead… you will be rewarded with an experience you haven’t had with a dog.

For the owner that is behind, well, enjoy your new head of household. Those with an under-challenged Drent will get to experience what “ondeugend” means (hint, naughty), as they will find a way to entertain themselves that you may or may not necessarily approve of but may find ridiculous and funny. Generally speaking, Drents are not destructive, or subject to nervousness. What a Drent wants most is to please his/her boss as they are very focused on their owner.

It is said that the quality of the farm dog is shown when barking at approaching visitors. So, your Drent is going to alert bark – however this is without aggression! The Drent is a gentle dog, visitors will be greeted with enthusiasm, but within a few short minutes they will retreat to their preferred resting area. Because of his gentleness and intelligence, high pressure and highly repetitive training methods do not serve the Drent well. It bears mentioning again, they are eager to please their boss, and bond closely with an apt partner.

For more information on this beautiful and rare Dutch gundog, check out the American Drentsche Patrijshond Association (www.americandrentassociation.org)

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=323147

Posted by Liz on Apr 3 2025. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.