~ Dutch Kennel Club ~

History
The first dog shows in the Netherlands were organised by the Dutch Society of Agriculture, the first show taking place in 1892 in Rotterdam with an entry of 217 dogs. Later shows and field trials were also run by the Nimrod hunters' society, Cynophilia, and the Kynologenvereniging Nederland ("Canine Society of the Netherlands").

In 1902 it was decided to set up a new organisation, the Raad van Beheer op Kynologisch Gebied in Nederland, to consolidate the dog registration and pedigree systems, and regulate showing and field trials. A studbook was set up named the Nederlands Honden Stamboek (N.H.S.B., "Dutch Dog Studbook"). A number of pre-existing breed clubs and local groups applied to the new kennel club for recognition.

The Raad van Beheer joined the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) at its inaugural meeting in Paris, 1911, and hosted its first conference in Amsterdam in 1912.

Dutch Dog Breeds
The national pride of the Dutch Dog World consists of nine very special breeds. Actually eleven, if we consider the three coat varieties of the Dutch Shepherd as independent breeds. Most Dutch breeds are very rare and you seldom see them outside their native country. Most of our breeds have been working in the fields with sheep and cattle or hunting deer, rabbit and even duck. When there was no longer daily work left for most of them, a few people tried to preserve these breeds, one of them was Mr P.M.C. Toepoel. Our breeds are registered in five different FCI Groups. A very big variety for such a small country, telling us that the Dutch people wanted to have their own special dogs for special work.

Dutch Dog Shows
Dog shows are regularly held in the Netherlands since the Dutch Kennel Club ‘Raad van Beheer’ was founded in 1902. In shows earlier held in the last century, dogs had to visit shows on both days if a show was held on two days. This changed when more “one-day” shows were introduced and breed groups were judged on different days. Every recognised breed club has the right to organise a club show where CAC points can be won. 40,000 dogs are entered at the club shows yearly.

Every recognised breed club has the right to organise a club show where CAC points can be won. 40,000 dogs are entered at the club shows yearly. Each FCI breed group has the right to organise a CAC Specialty show.

15 CACIB shows per year are organised in the Netherlands by regional dog clubs. Entries on the Dutch CAC and CACIB shows are about 40,000 a year.

When the FCI world congress was held in the Netherlands in 1985, a special Winner Show was held in honour of it and brought 10,194 dogs. At the 2002 World Winner Show in Amsterdam some 14,500 dogs and 298 breeds entered the show. In 2011 The Dutch Kennel Club organised the FCI European Dog Show in Leeuwarden in combination with a CAC show. This event attracted 10,500 dogs. There were a lot of visitors from abroad and this event received very good critics for the well run organisation, the hospitality and the main ring programme. Music and flowers created a great atmosphere, the space was appreciated and an international judges panel from nearly all the FCI partners was invited.

The yearly Amsterdam Winner Show is the biggest show in the Netherlands in numbers: yearly between 4,500 – 5,000 dogs with an average of 270 breeds. Other shows have between 2,300 and 3,000 entries.

Dutch shows are well-known for their good organisation and for a good cooperation between them.

Kennel Club Activities
Canine activities cover all aspects of the relationship between people and dogs. An important area is expertise regarding the breeding of dogs, and canine health and well being, along with all aspects of dog sports.

It is a considerable field of activity given that there are about 1.5 million dogs in the Netherlands. Approximately 500,000 of these dogs have an FCI pedigree and belong to one of the approximately three hundred and thirty breeds recognised in this country.

The Dutch Kennel Club activities, however, have expanded considerably as a result of the popularity of all aspects of new dog sports, health and welfare issues and the demands of dog owners, breeders, members and other groups

Administration
The Head Office of the Dutch Kennel Club ‘Raad van Beheer’ is located at Emmalaan in Amsterdam. The Board of the Dutch Kennel Club has seven members. Board members are elected by the clubs/members of the Raad van Beheer. Candidates may be proposed by the Board or by the members of the Raad van Beheer. Each Committee member has specific responsibilities. Board Members Portfolios are: General Affairs; Legal Affairs; Staff and Organisation; Education; Behaviour, Health and Well-being, Breeding Policy and Registration, Judges, Shows, Marketing and Communication, Gundogs, Working dogs, Sight hound Racing and Dog Sports.

About 50 employees support the Board in representing the general interests of Dutch dog World. From March 2013, the board appointed 2 directors to monitor all canine aspects and they are responsible for the general management, contact with stakeholders and all public relations matters. This means maintaining relations with political and public authorities and many other organisations, which represent the interests of dogs in specific areas. Other tasks are to inform the public about all the aspects of dogs and activities, supporting member clubs and their members. Furthermore, the directors monitor and enforce compliance with regulations.

Clubs
There are currently 200 breed clubs, 70 local clubs and some 10 special clubs, such as the Dutch Judges Society, 12 Sighthound clubs for racing and coursing etc. Together, they represent 150,000 private members.

RvB Registrations documents (xls) are located at https://www.houdenvanhonden.nl/fokken-met-je-hond/inschrijvingen-in-het-nhsb/

2018 Annual Report: https://www.houdenvanhonden.nl/globalassets/publicaties/jaarverslag-2018-rvb-low-res.pdf

https://www.houdenvanhonden.nl/