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DutchRabbit
Always dressed for a party

About
Always dressed up in their Sunday best Dutch rabbits are widely regarded as the best breed for younger children. They are also amongst the most intelligent of rabbits and have been described as the Border collie of the rabbit world. Dutch rabbits are a hardy, and docile rabbit with playful behaviours that makes them a good match for children. This playful behaviour and curiosity means they are intensely fun to watch and they will get up mischief if you don't watch them closely enough. A Dutch will often walk close to the ground on their tippe-toes, preferring not to hop but sneak, and go off exploring. They will also appear to be dancing, with backwards flips and head tosses, when they go for a run. Dut to their high intelligence Dutch rabbits can quickly learn how to do Rabbit Show Jumping, this is a great way to get out their energy and have some fun. Dutch rabbits also make excellent foster mothers and are always willing to accept another does kits into her litter. This makes her an excellent addition to breeder’s collections.

History
Although the name suggests the Dutch Rabbit is from Netherlands it was actually developed in England, as such it should be given credit for the development of the breed. During the 1830’s rabbits were imported to England from Ostend in the Netherlands every week for the meat market. Amongst these rabbits was a breed known as the Petite Brabancon, as it originated from Brabant in Flanders. The Petite Brabancon may still be found in paintings from the fifteenth century. The Dutch rabbit has its genetic roots in this old breed. The Petite Brabancon would often display Dutch markings, breeders in England selected those with even markings and fixed those markings into the breed we know today.

Type
Dutch rabbits are a small-medium size breed with an ideal weight of 2.04 - 2.26Kg. Ideally they are compact, cobby and rounded. They are recognised for showing in the following colours, black, blue, yellow (orange), tortoiseshell (sooty fawn), steel gray, brown gray (agouti), and pale gray (opal). They also are found in beige, lilac, fawn, cinnamon and lynx however these colours are not recognised.