Dutch Rabbit - Appearance

Appearance

The American Rabbit Breeders Association standard calls for a small to medium rabbit. Dutch are a 4-class breed. Pre juniors are 3 months and younger. Junior bucks and does are those 3–6 months of age with a minimum weight of 1.75 lbs. Seniors are 8 months of age and over, weighing between 3.5 and 5.5 lbs, with 4.5 being the ideal weight. Dutch are to have a compact, well-rounded body; rounded head; short, stocky, well-furred ears; and short, glossy "flyback" fur. Six colors (in conjunction with white) are recognized for show:

Black, a dense, glossy black

Blue, a medium blue-gray

Chocolate, a rich chocolate brown

Gray, (UK: Brown Grey) an Agouti color similar to that of the American cottontail, with bands of color on the hairshaft which produce a ring effect when blown into

Steel, (UK: Steel Grey) a black color with off-white tips to the hairshaft

Tortoise, (UK: Tortoiseshell) a bright, clean orange with slate blue shadings along the ears, whisker beds and hindquarters.

In the UK, Yellow (US: Gold) and Pale Grey (no US equivalent) Dutch are also recognized for show. New varieties under development in the United States include Harlequin (UK: Tri Coloured Dutch) (a pattern of black and orange patches) and Chinchilla. The Dutch rabbit originated in Holland, near the birthplace of the Netherland Dwarf. Both were considered strictly fancy showing animals at the time.

Despite its popularity, the Dutch rabbit has not changed much over the years. The most striking aspect of the breed is the marking pattern:

The blaze is an even wedge of white running up the rabbit's face. It is shaped by the cheeks which are the rounded circles of color on either side of the face. The neck marking is a white wedge on the back of the head. The saddle is to be a straight line running behind the shoulders and continuing underneath the rabbit to the undercut across the belly. The stops are located on the rear feet, which should be white from the toes to a point one third the length of the foot.

The American standard allots 50 of the 100 total points to markings, 25 points to general type, 10 points to color, 10 points to fur and 5 to condition.