Polish Lowland Sheepdog

Size
Medium (11kg - 27kg)
Exercise
40 min/day
Training
Puppy school only
Size of home
House with garden
Time at home
Alone with support
Grooming
As needed
Barking preference
Low
Personality
Independent + affectionate

Breeder List

Breeder - Mr Terry Aileen Jenkins (Mirriyuula)

mirriyuula1@bigpond.com
See Details

History

The Polish Lowland Sheepdog (Polish: Polski Owczarek Nizinny, also PON), is a medium-sized, shaggy-coated, sheep dog breed native to Poland. (1)

Known in its present form in Poland from at least the thirteenth century, the Polish Lowland Sheepdog is most likely descended from the Puli, Tibetan Terrier (1)(2) and the herding dogs. (1)

Kazimierz Grabski, a Polish merchant, traded a shipment of grain for sheep in Scotland in 1515, and brought six Polish Lowland Sheepdogs to move the sheep. A Scottish shepherd was so impressed with the herding ability of the dogs that he traded a ram and two ewes for a dog and two female dogs. These dogs were bred with the local Scottish dogs to produce the Scottish herding dogs, most obviously the Bearded Collie. (1)

Almost driven to extinction in World War II, the Polish Lowland Sheepdog was restored mainly through the work of Dr. Danuta Hryniewicz and her dog, Smok ("Dragon"), the ancestor of all Polish Lowland Sheepdogs in the world today, who sired the first ten litters in the 1950s. (1)

Appearance

Medium size, cobby, strong, muscular, fairly long thick coat. (3)

The Polish Lowland Sheepdog is a muscular, thick-coated dog. The double coat can be of any color or pattern; white, gray, and brown are most common, with black, gray, or brown markings. It is common for colors to fade as the dogs reach adulthood. The undercoat is soft and dense, while the topcoat is rough and either straight or wavy, but not curly. The hair around the head makes the head appear to be larger than it actually is, and typically covers the eyes. (1)

Temperament

Alert, equable.

Lively but self-controlled, watchful, bright, clever, perceptive with excellent memory. Easy to train, works as a herding and watch dog. (3)

Sizes

Height:

Dogs 45-50 cms (17 3/4 - 19 3/4 ins)

Bitches 42-47 cms (16 1/2 - 18 1/2 ins) (3)

In Conclusion

Now you know a little about the Polish Lowland Sheepdog you may have think that this is the dog for you. Before you make a decision, please make contact with the breed club or your State controlling body for purebred dogs. They will be able to give you information about available puppies and also suggest dog shows where you can see the breed and speak to breeders. In this way you will gain a better perspective of the Polish Lowland Sheepdog and its needs and whether this breed would suit your lifestyle.

References

Wikipedia.org
Dogs All-in-One For Dummies. Wiley
DOGSAUSTRALIA.org.au

Official breed standard as recognized by Dogs NSW (Last Updated: 22 Feb 2017)

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Breed Standard - Polish Lowland Sheepdog

A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

General Appearance

Medium size, cobby, strong, muscular, fairly long thick coat.

Characteristics

Lively but self-controlled, watchful, bright, clever, perceptive with excellent memory. Easy to train, works as a herding and watch dog.

Temperament

Alert, equable.

Physical Standards

Head and Skull	Medium size, proportionate to body, not too heavy, carried moderately low. Profuse hair on forehead, cheeks and chin make head appear larger than it is. Proportions of occiput to stop and stop to nose approximately equal, but muzzle may be fractionally shorter. Skull moderately broad, slightly domed, furrow from stop to occiput apparent when handled. Well defined stop. Nose blunt, wide opened nostrils, colour dark as possible.
Eyes	Medium size, lively penetrating gaze, oval shaped. Colour hazel to brown. Eye rims as dark as possible, closely fitting and showing no haw.
Ears	Medium size, heart-shaped, large at base and set moderately high, drooping with fore edge close to cheeks.
Mouth	Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closing overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Strong and evenly placed teeth. Lips tightly closed and as dark as possible.
Neck	Strong, muscular, medium length without dewlap.
Forequarters	Shoulders well placed with good lay-back, muscular. Legs when viewed from front or side, straight with slightly slanting pastern.
Body	Rectangular rather than square when viewed from side. Deep brisket with moderate spring of rib, neither flat nor barrel shaped. Withers distinctly marked; back level, muscular, with broad loin. Belly slightly drawn up. Croup short and slightly sloping. Proportions-Height to length as 9:10.
Hindquarters	Well angulated, with broad and well muscled thigh. From behind, legs straight, turning neither in nor out. Hocks strong and distinctly angled.
Feet	Oval, slightly arched but tight fitting toes, with hard pad, nails dark.
Tail	Docked: Customarily docked if not born tailless or stumpy.Undocked: Any length acceptable, longer tails well covered with hair. Tail set is a continuation of croup. Carried high and slightly curved over back when alert. Never curled over back. At rest, tail hangs low.
Gait/Movement	Smooth walking or trotting. Inclined to amble.
Coat	Whole body covered with long dense, shaggy thick coat of harsh texture with soft undercoat, but never impeding the dog’s movement/action. Long/profuse hair on head, falling forward over the eyes in a characteristic manner, but not impeding the dog’s vision. Slight wave permissible. No loose skin anywhere on body.No evidence of coat trimming to enhance or change the natural outline of the dog.
Colour	All colours other than merle acceptable.
Size	Height:Dogs 45-50 cms (17 3/4 - 19 3/4 ins)Bitches 42-47 cms (16 1/2 - 18 1/2 ins)

Faults

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.