Going Dutch

By Alain Kaldewaay, ADPDA Regional Director

Sponsored by...
Deluxe Dog Training And Imports, Inc.

You can count on the Dutch to uphold the old way of doing things and traditional standards for working dogs is no exception. "The old way" is the best way to sum up the bloodlines and training standards of this 80-year-old program. Now there is a movement afoot to establish a KNVP branch in the United States.
KONINKLIJKE NEDERLANDSE POLITIEHOND VERENIGING (KNPV) translated into English is The Royal Dutch Police Dog Association. Established over 80 years ago by decree of the Dutch monarchy it is the next door neighbor and the younger cousin of the Verein fur der Deutsch Schaferhund(SV) of Germany. A significant difference is that in Holland the KNVP enjoys the status of the official state licensing agency for service dogs in Holland and it is a more closely held group. Although recognized by dog sport organizations around the world, KNPV titles are a police-type certification. In Holland every police dog, border patrol dog, search-and-rescue dog, bomb or drug detector dog is required to get it's working certification through the KNPV. It's breed programs are not limited to the German Shepherd Dog. The strongest breed in the origins of the program was the Bouvier and today, the KNPV can claim the credit for distinguishing the high working standards of the Malinois, the Belgian Shepherd, and the Belgian Tervern. But like the SV in Germany and USA in America, it also maintains a breed registry and fields sporting teams for various competitions.
The ten thousand members of the KNPV in Holland are organized in 509 KNPV training clubs. There are 140 certified decoys and 64 KNPV judges divided into eleven regions. The stated goals of the KNPV are to Compared to the SV and USA the KNPV breed registry seems scant. It doesn't go into the the depth of conformation evaluation that we are accustomed to and breeders tend not to place as much emphasis on the depth of the pedigree when selecting breeding partners. KNPV breeders put a greater emphasis on the working qualities that they can see on the field.
Schutzhund trainers often find KNPV work quite dramatic in the range and intensity of exercises performed such as the stick hits before the grip, the tracks where articles are tossed off to the side and the two acre open area search for an object. There are four KNPV programs that evaluate the dogs work in a wide variety of police-type disciplines: The KNPV scoring is unique also. (You can online sample of the scoring.) That is because the system is designed to certify dogs for police work rather than for the evaluation of the over all working ability of the dogs for breed suitability - which is the basis for schutzhund scoring.
The level of scoring is broken down for each of the titles below:

The Scoring:

KNPV in Holland

It's what one would expect of the Dutch. Most of the members are older and don't take favorably to a lot of changes or new handlers. There is a strong discipline to their training structure. Handlers dont miss the four or five training sessions per week. People with any criminal records are not allowed to join. The result is a national club that acts like a strong family unit. The clubs travel together to competiion and inter-club training sessions. The entire club knows that it takes a long time and the dedicated involvement of the entire club to produce one good working dog. Not only is the local club deeply involved in the daily training development but the club as a whole exercises great influence over the selection of a puppy and trial entry strategies for individual handlers. This "big family" character is evident in the De Politie Hond, the KNPV's monthly magazine. Along with the trial results and advertisements for breeding kennels are lots of reports on the personal well being of club members: who has been ill lately and who has passed away. As a dog sports the Dutch tradition is more than a hobby and livelihood for it's tight membership. The KNPV is a lifestyle for dedicated and focused working dog enthusiast in Holland.
The National Competitions is De Kampionswedstrijden which are held in September of each year.

The ADPDA in America

Dog trainers in the United States, the core of which are active schutzhund competitors and USA members, have been impressed with the quality of training and the quality of working dogs produced by the KNPV. For the most part these traditional schutzhund handlers are focusing on the police-type specialty and striving to take the working quality of their dogs to a higher level. Many have focused their efforts on police and security work where there is little room for compromise. "If we don't have dogs with good hard drive and working ability what will we do when a child is lost and our dogs don't have what it takes to do it's work" one American KNPV handler said lately.
The American Dutch Police Dog Association (ADPDA) is a non-profit organization that is working to establish KNPV-style training in America. They currently sponsor four training seminars and two trials per year. The ADPDA was founded in 1994 with 55 charter members. Their immediate goal is to expose KNPV-type training to American dog handlers and recruit new members from those who show interest. The group is organized into fourteen regions and, modeled on the USA structure, have Regional Directors who will help establish training groups and establish clubs. But taking their lead from the Dutch, membership is not open to all comers. All new members must be sponsored by one of the original 55 founding members who control the new organization. Although ADPDA members maintain close working relationships with their mentor KNPV in Holland the ADPDA is not officially recognized and results from ADPDA trials are not recognized by either the KNPV or USA. They hope to be recognized by the KNPV by late 1996.
Alain Kaldewaay is a Regional Director for the newly formed ADPDA. He is a Dutch native who was an active trainer with the KNPV for twelve years. He operates Deluxe Dog Training and Imports in Parkersburg, PA. To find out more about ADPDA events or to receive their monthly newletter contact Alain at (610)857-5030.
For more information about KNPV, or police and service dogs, contact us at: 
   Deluxe Dog Training And Imports Kennel, Inc.
   Office hours from 0830am till 1130am Monday through Friday
   P.O. Box 171
   Cochranville, PA 19330

Or call 1-610-857-5030

Fax:610-857-5028


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