Polish Lowland Sheepdog. Betty Augustowski

house. Like children, dogs create a greater or lesser degree of household mess, though most other breeds are less troublesome than the PON to groom and keep clean.

       A PON pup loves to have a human “sibling” to grow up with and share everyday adventures.

       YOU DISLIKE DAILY EXERCISE

      The PON needs exercise to maintain healthy heart and lungs and good muscle tone. Because of his mellow, laid-back, sometimes lazy, disposition, your PON will not give himself enough exercise unless you accompany him or play with him. An adult PON should have a minimum morning outing of 20 to 30 minutes of exercise and a similar outing in the evening. For puppies shorter and more frequent outings are preferred for exercise and housebreaking.

       YOU BELIEVE THAT DOGS SHOULD RUN FREE

      Whether you live in town or the country, no dog can safely be left to run “free” outside your fenced property without your direct supervision and control. The price of such “freedom” is inevitably injury or death: from dogfights, from cars, from the pound or shelter or from dog-despising (despicable!) citizens. Even though PONs are home-loving and less inclined to roam than many other breeds, an unfenced PON is destined for disaster. Like other breeds developed for livestock herding, most PONs have inherited a substantial amount of herding instinct. This instinct is a strong, slightly modified instinct to chase and capture suitable prey. The unfenced country-living PON will sooner or later discover the neighbor’s livestock. The unfenced city PON is likely to exercise his inherited herding instinct on joggers, bicyclists, stray cats and cars. A thoroughly obedience-trained PON can enjoy the limited and supervised freedom of off-leash walks with you in appropriately chosen environments.

       YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO CARE FOR A DOG

      The Polish Lowland Sheepdogs are not an inexpensive breed to purchase. Running a careful breeding program, with due regard for temperament, trainability and physical soundness is costly. The “bargain” puppy from a backyard breeder who unselectively mates any two PONs who happen to be of the opposite sex may well prove to be extremely costly in terms of temperament, health and lack of socialization. Whatever the initial cost of your PON, the upkeep will not be cheap. Food is not the only cost of maintaining your PON. Veterinarian costs add up for those routine yearly checkups. Spaying and neutering is another cost that should be calculated. PONs are routinely checked for two conditions, genetic eye diseases and hip dysplasia. Your best insurance against dysplasia is to buy only from a litter bred from OFA-certified parents and, if possible, grandparents. Professional grooming, if you opt for it, is expensive. Professional tools for use at home adds up to a tidy sum, but once purchased will last many dog-lifetimes. Finally, the fees for participation in a series of basic obedience training classes are an essential investment in harmonious living with your dog. Fees are the same for any breed.

       At home on the farm or in the city, the versatile PON makes a wonderful addition to anyone’s residence.

       YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO COMMIT FOR THE LONG HAUL

      No dog deserves to be cast out because his owners want to move to a no-pet apartment or because he is no longer a cute puppy or didn’t grow up to be a beauty-contest winner, or because his owners (through lack of leadership and training) have allowed him to become an unruly juvenile delinquent with a repertoire of undesirable behaviors. Select a member of this wonderful breed if, and only if, you can commit to your PON for his whole life, which happily can be 14 to 16 years.

      Every recognized breed of dog has a standard, a sort of physical blueprint that has been approved by the national dog registry, such as the AKC in the US, the FCI on the Continent or The Kennel Club in Britain, to illustrate the ideal specimen of each breed. Without such guidelines, breeders could pursue their own personal vision for the breed, a practice that might well suit the breeder, but certainly not the best interests of the breed. These guidelines are intended not only for the breeders but also for the judges who will assess the dogs at work and in the ring, and their opinions can greatly impact the direction of the breed.

       The judge uses the breed standard as the guide by which he makes his assessment of each dog entered. Here is Elzbieta’s Isa z Sinclair, standing for exam.

      The standard varies from country to country, in wording and detail, though every standard essentially describes the same dog. The AKC standard, included here, offers considerable detail about the characteristics of the PON and is highlighted with the author’s comments in italics.

       THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB STANDARD FOR THE POLISH LOWLAND SHEEPDOG

      General Appearance: Mediumsized, cobby, strong and muscular, with a long, thick coat and hanging hair that covers the eyes. His herding and working ability is attributed to an intense desire to please and compatible nature. He is lively but self-controlled, clever and perceptive and well known for an excellent memory.

      The PON is a very active breed that needs a lot of exercise and—whenever possible—some extra training. PONs are doing extremely well in agility and obedience competitions. When permanently kenneled, they become noisy and hyperactive. The PON is easy to handle and works like a sheepdog and guard dog. Moved to urban city life, he is a very good companion dog. His well-groomed coat gives him an attractive and interesting appearance. The crucial words in the passage above are “strong” and “muscular”: good bone and well-developed muscles are absolutely essential. The general appearance is of the sturdy and robust dog, without any suggestion of weediness. By no means should the PON be an “elegant” dog.

      Size, Proportion, Substance: Well balanced due to a strong skeleton. Height measured at the withers for an adult dog is 18–20 inches, and 17–19 inches for a bitch. It is not desirable to diminish the size below the Standard, making the dog too delicate for a strong working dog. The silhouette is rectangular rather than square. The ratio of height to length is 9–10, meaning that the height at the withers should equal 9/10ths of its length. Fault: Long legs.

       The variety of sizes had always existed in the breed and has just been recently reduced. Keeping in mind the working origin of the breed, some tolerance—if any—can be given to slightly oversized specimens (especially males), but NEVER to the undersized ones. Polish breeders express concern that American dogs are becoming too tall for the breed.

       The stop is well-accentuated with a pronounced indentation but should not be overdone.

      Head and Skull: The mediumsized head is in proportion to the body. The profuse hair on the forehead, cheeks and chin makes the head look bigger than it actually is. Expression should be lively with a penetrating gaze. Eyes are of medium size and oval. Fault: Protruding eyes. Colors are brown or hazel. The edges of the lids are as dark as possible within the coat color. Ears are heart-shaped, drop, and set moderately high. Fault: Ears set too high. They are medium size in proportion to the head and should be fully covered with long hair. Skull is moderately broad and slightly domed. The forehead furrow and occiput are palpable. The stop has a pronounced indentation, but never as pronounced as a round-skull breed. Fault: A round head, apple shaped head. The ratio of muzzle to skull is 1:1. A little shorter muzzle is acceptable. The topline of the muzzle is straight. Fault: Convex or concave muzzles. The jaws are strong. Teeth a full complement of strong white teeth meet in a scissors or level bite. Nose should be large and black or brown, depending