Polish Lowland Sheepdog. Betty Augustowski

nose partially lacking pigment should be penalized.

       The ideal head and body of the Polish Lowland Sheepdog.

       A “moderately broad and slightly domed” skull never means a narrow and long one. The width of the skull in adult males is only slightly smaller than its length. Well-pronounced stop is of utmost importance—dogs with flat stop have poor vision and often become nervous and even aggressive. Muzzle is short, square and blunt. Snipey muzzle is a serious fault. Missing teeth—regardless of the importance of this fault—seldom can be found. However, any missing incisors should be considered a serious fault. Eye color varies from amber (in chocolate dogs) through hazel and brown to very dark shades. It should match coat color, except the pure white one. The standard description of the PON ear is clear; however, at present, many dogs show incorrect ear shape and carriage; ears are often too large, long and carried flat to the cheeks.

      Neck, Topline, Body: Neck is muscular and strong. It is broad, without dewlap and held horizontally when moving. Faults: Neck held too high or too narrow. The back should be neither too long nor too short for proper balance and movement. Withers are well pronounced and broad. The chest is deep and broad. The topline is level. The loin is well muscled and broad. The croup is slightly cut, but only to a small degree. The belly is slightly drawn up. Tail should be short, set low and no longer than two vertebrae. It should not change the shape of the body. Tails are docked on puppies born with long or partial tails.

      Although the neck is carried low (almost horizontally) it should be of medium length and not very short. Too short neck and head placed almost between shoulders can be quite commonly seen. In such cases, the shoulder is too straight and the front lacks the necessary angulation.

      Too-long bodies used to be a common problem some years ago—nowadays PONs tend to the opposite fault and are almost square. The chest should be deep and broad; considering general proportions, the distance from top of the withers to the bottom of the chest should be slightly more than 50% of total height. Many dogs at present are too “leggy” and narrow and/or shallow in front. A PON’s front and chest should never resemble the Bearded Collie front. As the rump is short and only slightly sloping, the tail—when left undocked—is carried well over the back. The short rump is an important feature of the breed and should never be sacrificed in order to get a “better looking low tail carriage.” Any dog with a low tail set and carriage must have too long and sloping a rump and be overangulated, therefore resembling a Bearded Collie.

       The ratio of height to length is 9:10. This proportion is determined by measuring the height, C (the top of the withers) to E (the ground) and length, A (front of shoulder joint) to B (buttock bone). The depth of chest, from C to D (sternum), should be approximately 50% of the total height of the dog.

      Forequarters: The shoulders are heavily muscled, and well laid back at an angle of approximately 45°. A line drawn from the highest point of the shoulder blade to the forward point of articulation approximates a right angle with a line from the forward point of articulation to the point of the elbow. The legs are straight and vertical, with heavy bone. The pasterns are flexible without weakness. The feet are oval, thick and compact, with the front feet larger than the rear feet.

      Hindquarters: Large, heavily boned, and well muscled. Hocks are parallel when viewed from the rear. Fault: Cowhocks. Feet are oval with tight arched toes. Pads are hard. Nails are dark.

       PONs are born with a variety of tails: long, medium and short. The AKC standard requires that tails be no longer than two vertebrae. The FCI standard allows for: naturally short, stumpy, tail-less, very shortly docked as well as undocked, which are quite long and very hairy.

       The hindquarters are well angulated but never excessively so. The thigh and the second thigh are of approximately the same length.

      Coat: It is doubled coated. The entire body is covered with a long, dense, shaggy, thick coat that is reasonably straight. The undercoat is soft and dense. Characteristically, long hanging hair covers the eyes. A slight wavy coat is acceptable. Faults: A curly coat, lack of undercoat and short coats. The Polish Lowland Sheepdog must be shown naturally—no scissoring is allowed.

      Color: All coat colors are acceptable. The most common colors are white with either black, gray or sandy patches and gray with white, or chocolate. Most carry a dominant fading factor genetically, which results in puppies being born darker in coat color than they will appears as adults, with the exception of those puppies born white.

       Straight or slightly wavy hair is acceptable. The hairs falling from the forehead cover the eyes in a characteristic manner. All colors and patches are acceptable. The quality of a PON’s coat is much more important than mere length. The PON is a natural dog and any excessive trimming is to be discouraged. However, some trimming is permitted on the back, neck and feet—it may improve the outline of heavy-coated dogs. Coat color is immaterial. Different colors are linked to different coat textures. Generally the best coat texture comes with gray and white/gray color. Black/white coats are usually softer and thinner, sometimes almost silky. Chocolates have woolly and soft coats. Rare jet blacks have extremely soft coats, lacking undercoat.

      Gait: The gait is fluid motion. He is often an ambler. With the correct shoulder angulation, he is capable of swinging his front legs forward with great reach of stride, extending out before his body in a long flat arch. The stride propels the body forward, rather than upward, with less fatigue. When viewed from the front, the legs should move parallel from the elbows to the pasterns. Toeing in is considered natural. Fault: Toeing out. The greatest source of his forward drive is derived from good rear angulation. When viewed from behind, the back legs should be parallel to each other and not too close. Fault: Close rear movement.

       The PON’s gait should be effortless and efficient, appealing visually to an onlooker.

      Temperament: He is stable and self confident. He needs a dominant master and consistent training from the time he is very young. If this is not provided, he will tend to dominate the master. When not used as a herding or working dog, he can be a magnificent companion as he seems to fit into any type of lifestyle. He is extremely loyal, but somewhat aloof and suspicious of strangers. Faults: Nervous, cowardly, or extreme vicious behavior.

       Approved January 11, 1999

       Effective July 1, 1999

       WHERE TO BEGIN

      Choosing a breeder is an important first step in your ownership of a Polish Lowland Sheepdog. Fortunately, the majority of PON breeders are devoted to this delightful breed and its continued well-being. By contacting the national breed club, potential new owners should have little problem finding a reputable breeder who doesn’t live on the other side of the country (or in a different country). Further, the American Kennel Club is able to recommend ethical breeders of PONs. While the breed is relatively “rare” in most countries, it is not difficult to find the right dog people if you persist and pursue the right channels. By and large, dog people are very helpful, especially to newcomers to the less popular breeds.