It just might be the prettiest name for a dog breed, the Dutch Tulip Hound, and while the Dutch breed also known as the Markiesje may be new to some of you, this is a dog whose origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages when it lived in palaces, country estates and castles. Indeed, two of the children of King Willem II of the Netherlands kept the dogs, as did Prince of Orange-Nassau, and others beyond Netherland’s borderes. We know this from the paintings done of them at the time, the subjects all in the company of a small black (and white) Spioen (or Spaniel).
The breed may have its origins in the Dutch Spioen, a breed also found in the ancestries of the Drentse Patrijshond, the Wetterhoun, the Stabyhoun and the Kooikerhondje, and by the 18th century, the Markiesje was as well-known in the Netherlands as the King Charles Spaniel was in England.
The origin of the breed’s Dutch name may be as colorful as the name, itself. Legend holds that the “Markiesje” is named after one of the most famous mistresses of the French king Louis XV, Markiezin de Pompadour. Others insist that the name comes from the French word for “standing dog,” or “Maquer,” or from a breeder whose name is Van he Veluws Markizaat. In the end, however, Dutch Tulip Hound is the most lyrical.
The breed did not sail into the 21st century without struggle. In the Netherland’s Golden Age, the breed was neglected, and modern times have seen a herculean effort to restore the breed to its former glory. Happily, the Raad van Beheer, or Dutch Kennel Club has been supportive of the breed’s resurrection and quest for recognition. Much credit goes to Mia van Woerden who became possessed by the breed after having seen a friend’s. After considerable research and consultation with the High Council of Nobility, van Woerden published articles and gave interviews in which she explained her goal of reconstructing the breed. An especially fruitful article appearing in Dog World attracted the attention of people who could help van Woerden in her efforts. A breeding program commenced, and progress was being made.
Long story short, in 1979, the Markiesje Fancier’s Association was formed, and two years after it gained legal status, the first club match was held in 1986 in which thirty five Markisejes were entered. We fast forward to 1996, and England’s Kennel Club provided provisional studbook registration certificates. In 1999, the breed was officially recognized by Dutch Kennel Club.
According to the fabulous book, Amazing Dutch Dog Breeds, the Markiesje population stood at 850 dogs as of 2017, and efforts to have the breed accepted by the FCI continue.
Image by Sietske van Maanen at Dutch Wikipedia – No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3219151
Thank your this beautiful “report” of our Markiesje!
But could you please be so kind to change the name “Mia van Woerden” (which is wrong) into her real name: Mieke van Ederen.
Thank you!
Excuse me, it should indeed be “Mia van Woerden” and not Mieke van Ederen.
I was lucky enough to have had a dog that looked identical to this breed.
Drivers would do a U-turn to ask the name of her breed,she had an elegant
prance & she gave the impression of showing off. She was a rescue dog,so no
Idea of her lineage.Told them she was Natalie Wood reincarnated.
Love it! Channeling Natalie Wood. Some dogs sure do seem to be aware of having “it,” don’t they?
I also, have a rescue, who looks exactly like a Dutch Tulip Hound. I was trying to share a picture, with my daughter, when Google popped up, with this dog breed. I had never heard of a Dutch Tulip Hound. What a nice surprise! Buddy is one of the best dogs who has ever “owned” me.
I, too, have a rescue dog that looks EXACTLY like one of the web pictures. We were told by a breeder of hunting dogs that he is a Field Spaniel (black Eng cocker + retriever)
Quite often people stop and ask his breed, probably due to his happy, confident prancing.
Were the tulip hounds bred for hunting or sniffing out valuable tulips centuries ago?
Great question, and we don’t know with certainty, Suzanne, but our guess is that the Markiesje is a Dutch breed, and the Netherlands has always been known for its tulips which is the national flower of the country.
Are you in the States or Europe? Just curious as to how tall your is?
The “Markiesje” has nothing to do with tulips, so i am a bit puzzled by the name. They are family to the large group of Toy Spaniels and were through the centurys only kept as lapdogs just for companionship. I think the Dutch breeders and fans of the breed will astonished to see that so much “look alikes” are found all over the world. The breed was as good as extinct but revived with the help of “look alikes” and is now officialy recognized as pure bred.
Me too! Markiesje rescue. Adore her! Would love to find puppies somewhere.
I found this dog on the side of the road and the similarities are striking. But there are very few chances of Markiesjes being anywhere in my country. However, thought I’d share this handsome boy.
Shame that the picture rotated on its own! But it goes back to normal when enlarging it.
You’re right, María, the similarities are striking (and bless you for taking him in!). Thank you for sharing his photo!
Thank you for the quick response! I’m happy you agree! Cheers!
My dog looks just like this. Rescued him in Texas.
My rescue too looks exactly like one of these dogs but again as a rescue I very much doubt she is one. I always say she is some kind of collie x when asked .
Hello, are you from Portugal?
I’ve had One similar too, and i’ve found her on the street. She passed way sadly. Now i’m looking for another One like yours. If someone can help me please i Will bem Forever thankful
I have a rescue that looks just like this as well, but he is a bit bigger (12kg)
probably mixed though.
My beautiful rescue is thought to have markiesje origins. She is such a special dog ❤️
We can see why it’s thought she might have Markiesje in her background, Liz – she’s a cutie!
We had a wonderful dog Domino (Dommy), that looked just like the smaller ones shown here. She rescued my dad in Naples, Italy one evening while he was on a run. She was by a dumpster and started following him. It was dusk, so he couldn’t see her very well and she was still a pup so he thought she was a rat. She followed him home and never left. She got to live in Germany, and then was flown here to Colorado. A world traveler!
She would walk on the 2×4 by the top of our six foot fence, looking into the neighbors yards and stopping traffic! Once she had gotten loose, and our old neighbor brought a dog over that looked just like Domino, but it wasn’t Domino! She also was a good judge of character, and would hide under the couch when a wild friend of my sister’s came over. My mom didn’t care for this girl, and she would always say Domino doesn’t like her either! I would love to find another dog like my Dommy!
We rescued a little girl who we also think has Markiesje origin’s, again we had no idea this breed existed until Google pointed out she looks quite like one. She has slightly shorter ears but everything else is very similar.
She is a wonderful day, very playful and friendly. I wouldn’t be without her. I’d definitely look for another one.
Is there any way to join this group ? It’s the only way I’m going to survive the loss of the dog I found in the street that everyone wanted, some offered to buy, because no one had ever seen or watched a dog like him before. I know there are none in America, so I made up the term Inside Out Ears and better aerodynamics for running bc it was the only way to explain it for 17.5 years. “No kind people, there is nothing wrong with his ears, he does it on purpose”. He looks exactly like the solid black, elegant dogs in these photos. He was designated by my PCP as my Service Dog in 2014, he knew what was happening b4 we did. The most intuitive dog I’ve ever worked with. He was the love of my life
The “Markiesje” has nothing to do with tulips, so i am a bit puzzled by the name. They are family to the large group of Toy Spaniels and were through the centurys only kept as lapdogs just for companionship. I think the Dutch breeders and fans of the breed will astonished to see that so much “look alikes” are found all over the world. The breed was as good as extinct but revived with the help of “look alikes” and is now officialy recognized as pure bred.
This is our little rescue fur baby from Romania from 2 years ago, she has grown up to look like a Tulip Dog, i will attach an up to date photo if possible.
This is a photo of her now
We adopted a puppy we were told was a multese poodle mix. She grew into a dog that we could not identify. After some searching we found photos of the Dutch tulip hound. She looks exactly like a tulip hound, she acts like one, she appears to be one in every way. How could this be a tulip hound, are they in America? We live in California.
I have one that was rescued from Texas. She is exactly like all the pictures. I am wondering she is getting a gray/whiteis muzzle around her lips is this normal? My little lady’s name is Dolly
Mine has some on lower lip.
This is our rescue, Rocket. We live in Rocket City USA. 😁 He looks exactly like a Markiesje, but he is 16 lbs. We love him so much! Unfortunately mistreatment before us has given him wicked separation anxiety.
Poor little thing, but bless you for taking him in
We have a real Markiesje look alike. We brought her just after the 1st UK lock down in April 2020 from a family that we were told owned both parents – a whippet (dad) and working cocker spaniel (mum) but someone today asked if she was a Markiesje!
We can see why you were asked!
We were quite shocked and happy to find out our boy is a tulip, not a mixed breed like we always thought he is. He looks EXACTLY like the other tulips we’ve found on the web. Over the years, we did meet some identical twins of him on the streets of Tel Aviv, but that put an end to the mystery. I would also mention the white spot on the chest that they all share.
Yoav, what a wonderful surprise! Your boy is quite wonderful.
Our Nellie is a rescue from Bosnia. We were told Collie/Spaniel mix. Just for fun i did a google photo search and found these gorgeous doggos. Which i believe my girl has more than a passing resemblance.
We were told by Pet Finder rescue our Lola was a Papillion. I found these pictures in this thread and I gotta say we must have a Markiesje! She’s a sweetie from her floppy ears to her funny sparsely shaggy tail
That mean that my doggie is not none breed like our vet said. My pups name ir Rondo and Lives in Latvia.
This is our Ronin. He is resqued from Bulgaria.
How do you think? Is hi looks like Markiesje?
This is our Ronin. Hi is resqued in Bulgaria.
I think hi looks like a Markiesje. What do you think?
My Charlie is a look-a-like in South Carolina. Seems her personality matches the breed as well.