I was unaware Keeshonden had a reputation for being smelly! Ours (we are on K #5) only smell bad when they need a brushing; dead hair stuck in the coat gets smelly, and all they need is to have that brushed out, and then they smell fine again even without a bath.
I would say the greatest thing about Keeshonden is the fact that they were bred to be family pets. Not working or hunting dogs, just friends to children, burglar alarms that bark their heads off at terrible intruders like the UPS man but normally do not bite, and snuggly.
Don't let that lovely thick coat fool you: They do NOT belong outside. They belong in the house. Preferably on the couch. :o)
The only downsides I can think of with Keeshonden is that they do need to be brushed. But that coat is so beautiful when it's cared for. It's a pleasure to brush your dog and see him or her looking so nice, it's not a burden.
I should also note that Keesies have a reputation as being "smilers," which can be very startling if you have never seen it before. When a Keeshond rushes to the door to greet a visitor and shows all its teeth, or perhaps just the front teeth, it looks like a snarl, but if you don't hear a snarl, it's not a snarl, it's a smile! Our current Kees takes this one step further and snaps his teeth closed, snap-snap-snap, in greeting, and several people have looked terrified and backed away, but it's just a super-smile.
