About the ADSA

The American Dutch Shepherd Association was established in 2010 by a group of seven people with imported FCI registered Dutch Shepherds from Europe. They seven saw that there was no organization to represent the breed in the USA. The ADSA was previously named “Dutch Shepherd Club of North America”. The name was changed in 2013 to comply with the AKC rules for breed clubs. 

Several of our members have decades of experience with Dutch Shepherds. One member was instrumental in helping the Long Hair Dutch Shepherd gain recognition in Ireland. In addition, many of our members are also members of the Nederlandse Herdershonden Club, the found breed club. We feel it is important to maintain a good relationship with the founding breed because it’ll help us stay abreast with current issues, events, and changes to policies that pertain to the Dutch Shepherd. Many of our members are breeders of all coat variations. We hope that in the future there will be a free exchange of bloodlines between the United States and Europe. 

Our Mission Statement: 

The mission of the ADSA is to promote and protect quality and versatility in the purebred Dutch Shepherd, to educate members and others about the breed, to encourage the highest standards of ownership and breeding, and strive to bring the breed’s natural qualities to perfection. 

Since it’s inception, the ADSA voluntarily adheres, as closely as possible, rules set forth by the Nederlandse Herdershonden Club as long as the rules do not conflict with the AKC and it’s mission to promote purebred dogs. Additionally, the ADSA is the only breed club in America to adopt the official FCI breed standard as our standard as we move forward towards AKC recognition. We want to promote and maintain a worldwide breed standard and type.