Polish Lowland Sheepdogs are stable and self-confident. They have an excellent memory and can be well trained, but may dominate a weak-willed owner. Polish Lowland Sheepdogs adapt well to various conditions, and are popular as companion dogs for apartment dwellers in their native Poland. Polish Lowland Sheepdogs require a moderate amount of exercise daily.
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. Males are 45 – 50 cm (18 – 20 inches) in height at the withers, while females are 42 – 47 cm (17 – 19 inches).
Males typically weigh between 40 – 50 lb, females, 30 – 40 lb. The body is just off square, it appears rectangular due to the abundance of coat on the chest and rear; 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 in the United States. European countries have banned docking for the most part and many Polish Lowland Sheepdogs now have tails of varying lengths.
Known in its present form in Poland from at least the thirteenth century, the Polish Lowland Sheepdog is most likely descended from the Puli and the herding dogs. Kazimierz Grabski, a Polish merchant, traded a shipment of grain for sheep in Scotland in 1514, 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. 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 PONs in the world today, who sired the first ten litters of PONs in the 1950s. In fact, Dr. Hryniewicz considered Smok to be the epitome of the breed, with a perfect anatomical build and a wonderful temperament.
Smok set the standard and type that was emulated by Polish Lowland Sheepdog breeders for generations to come, and from which the first official standard for the Polish Lowland Sheepdog was finally written, and accepted by the FCI, Fédération Cynologique Internationale, in 1959. He is considered to be the ‘father’ of the modern Polish Lowland Sheepdog. His moderate build lends itself to working effortlessly all day long, running with ease to herd the sheep.
Polish Lowland Sheepdog Videos
2 replies on “Polish Lowland Sheepdog”
Is the Bordetella vaccine, intranasal or injectable harmful to the Polish Lowland Sheepdog breed.
Bordetella or Kennel Cough is commonly required by boarding kennels and veterinary hospitals. These vaccinations are delivered to a staggeringly large percentage of dogs and the reason is not to protect your dog: the reason is to protect these facilities against liability.
The proprietors who push for these vaccines may be assuming more liability than they can handle and the stakes are very high. The truth is, the vaccines are not only ineffective but they are far from safe. Yet they are routinely given to combat a self limiting disease that amounts to as much danger to your dog as the common cold does to you.
What is interesting is that when you bring your dog to the vet for his Bordetella vaccination, he will have already been exposed to the natural flora: all animals are exposed to both Bordetella and Parainfluenza prior to vaccination. It makes little sense to vaccinate an animal for something he has already been exposed to.
Despite the lack of any real effectiveness, the Bordetella vaccine is routinely given and touted as safe, especially in the intranasal form. Make no mistake however: the dangers and misinformation surrounding this seemingly innocuous spray are just as tangible and frightening as any other vaccination. A major problem with the Bordetella vaccine is that it is part of a combination vaccine. Bordetella intranasal spray also contains Parainfluenza. Problems with the Parainfluenza portion
are threefold:
1) There is a real danger of dangerous immunological overload when vaccinations are offered in combination.
2) Like Bordetella, most dogs have already been exposed to Parainfluenza, making the necessity of vaccination questionable.
3) The Parainfluenza vaccine is just as ineffective as the Bordetella vaccine because the vaccine does not provide antibody against Parainfluenza where it is most needed: on the mucosal surfaces.
Other dangers associated with the Bordetella vaccine are obviously not far removed from the dangers associated with any other vaccination. Although Bordetella is a bacterial vaccine, we now know that bacterial vaccines present the same threat as Modified Live Vaccines. Modified Live Viruses from human vaccines are now known to become incorporated in the genes of the host and can shuffle, reassert, and reactivate thirty or more years after vaccination.