What should I look for when purchasing a Dutch Rabbit?" What I look at first is the type, fur, and color. Yes, markings are important, but they will come with time. Without the correct type in your breeding stock, you will never have young with the correct type. The next step is markings. Look for those that may help your existing stock . For example, if your stock has long stops, you may wish to introduce some stock with shorter stops. The most points are on the cheeks, saddle, and undercut, so I start with these. I feel that the most obvious marking which a judge sees the most often, is the saddle, so I start with the saddle, then cheeks, then undercut, then stops in that order.

One of the neat aspects of working with Tans is they don't have "mismarked" litters. Unlike many of the recognized breeds with specific color patterns, every one of the Tan young will be show quality with slight differences between the siblings. You can have a small herd with a very conservative breeding program and do extremely well at shows.

The following is from the ARBA Standard for Tans:
The tan should be quite clear from any mixture of soot or body colour. The shoulders or neck immediately behind the ears should be tan wide near the ears and tapering to a fine point towards back, thus forming a triangle. This should be large enough to be partly seen even when the rabbit’s head is up. From the base of the triangle near the ears the tan should descend and if possible meet the tan on the chest, thus forming a kind of band or collar round the neck.