Polish Lowland Sheepdog
Dogs
Polish Lowland Sheepdog
| Polish Lowland
Sheepdog |
|
|
| Alternative names |
Polski Owczarek Nizinny
Valee Sheepdog |
| Country of origin |
|
Poland |
| Common nicknames |
| PON, Nizinny, PLS |
| Classification and breed standards |
|
FCI: |
Group 1 Section 1 #251 |
|
|
AKC: |
Herding |
|
|
ANKC: |
Group 5 (Working) |
|
|
CKC: |
Miscellaneous Class |
|
|
KC (UK): |
Pastoral |
|
|
NZKC: |
Working |
|
|
UKC: |
Herding Dog Breeds |
|
| Not recognized by any major kennel club |
| This breed of dog is
extinct |
| Notes |
| |
The Polish Lowland Sheepdog (Polish:
Polski Owczarek Nizinny), also just PON, is a medium sized,
shaggy-coated,
sheep dog
breed
native to Poland.
Appearance
The PON is a stocky, muscular, thick-coated dog. The
double
coat can be of any color or pattern, although 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.
Males are 45 — 50
cm (18
— 20 in) in height
at the withers,
while females are 42 — 47 cm (17 — 19 in). The body is not square, but
rectangular; the ratio of the height to the body length should be 9:10 (a 45 cm
tall dog should have a body 50 cm long). The tail is either very short or
docked. Some
undocked dogs have tails that curl over the back.
Temperament
PONs are stable and self-confident, but are wary of strangers. They have an
excellent memory and can be well trained, but may dominate a weak-willed owner.
PONs adapt well to various conditions, and are popular as
companion dogs for
apartment
dwellers in their native Poland. PONs require a moderate amount of exercise
daily.
History
Known in its present form in Poland from at least the
thirteenth century, the PON is most likely decended from the
Puli and the
herding
dogs of the Huns.
Kazimierz Grabski, a Polish merchant, traded a shipment of grain for
sheep in
Scotland in
1514, and brought
six PONs 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
bitches. These dogs were bred with the local Scottish dogs to produce the
Scottish herding dogs, most obviously the
Bearded Collie.
Almost driven to extinction in
World
War II, the PON was restored mainly through the work of Dr. Danuta
Hryeniewicz and her dog, Smok (en:Dragon),
the ancestor of all PONs in the world today, who sired the first ten litters of
PONs in the 1950s.
The breed standard was written with Smok as the model, and accepted by the
Fédération Cynologique Internationale in
1959.
Health
In general, PONs are a very healthy breed. Animals should be checked for
hip
dysplasia and
progressive retinal atrophy before being used for breeding. PONs require a
low protein
diet. Their food intake should be carefully monitored, as they tend to
obesity. The
life expectancy of a PON is 12 — 15 years.
References
External links
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