Nederlandse Kooikerhondje[]
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 koois (cages in the form of canals with traps at the ends), where the hunter could easily catch the fowl; and are named after this type of technique. The breed almost became extinct after World War II until Baroness van Hardenbroek van Ammerstol rescued it. The breed was only officially recognised by the Dutch Kennel Club in 1971 and has since been imported into other countries and recognised officially. The breed is still relatively unknown in North America and not yet recognized as a breed in the USA or Canada, although it has been accepted into the AKC's FSS program. In the United States, both the UKC and ARBA recognize the breed.
In the UK, the breed has been removed from the import list and is now eligible to enter Crufts for the Best in Show
Nederlandse Kookierhondje
award, despite there being only 76 of the breed in the UK.
Some historians believe the Kooiker may have possibly played a part in the development of the Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling Retriever.