The coat of the Drent is considered the be “half-long". Drents have a single coat, like Setters and Brittanys and shed twice per year. Managing the seasonal change is generally handled with a comb, followed by a pin brush, finished with a boar bristle brush.
The boar bristles will clean that up, and will help distribute the natural oils and get the coat nice and shiny. Usually, a brief weekly grooming session handles everything pretty well. Between shedding seasons, you might be able to skip it for a few weeks, if your Drent doesn’t carry the brush up to you for the attention.
Use the comb to loosen and get the bulk of the hair, which is ready to come out. Follow with the pin brush; it’ll do a nice job of sweeping up the rest. At this point, you are likely to see dander, and so enters the boar brush.
The Drentse is a moderately athletic dog that enjoys a variety of activities. Hunting, tracking, agility training and even dog sledding are among the more extreme activities that they enjoy.
Multiple walks per day, runs, hikes and playtime in a fenced yard will also do for a non-sporting family. They also enjoy games of fetch and frisbee. Experts say this breed probably needs 1-2 hours of exercise per day.
The DPCNA recommends following the recommended guidelines of high-quality dry food and to make adjustments in quantity only as needed (e.g. increase in activity should correspond with an increase in feed provided.)
Drents don’t require specialized diets. Some are capable of self-feeding whereas others will eat for as long as there is food available.Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.
The typical Drentse Patrijshond will leave 10 to 12 years. They have few well-documented health issues besides Progressive Retinal Atrophy and Hereditary Stomatocytosis, a disease of the red blood cells that can result in anemia and is sometimes associated with liver disease and gastritis.
The Drent is known to be obedient, loyal and attentive, but on occasion, they can be stubborn and self-thinking.
These intelligent dogs bore with monotonous and repetitious activities. Possibly the Drent’s greatest attribute is his strong and innate eagerness to please his boss.
Due to the Drents slow emotional development and at times obstinate character, a benevolent handler is necessary with a good sense of humor.
The playfulness and enthusiasm that can make the Drent easy to train are the very same qualities that can require training to take a long time to get to exam level obedience. While the standard states that the dog is “naturally obedient”, please don’t think this breed can go without training. The time and energy invested will prove to be well worth the effort.
