Polish Lowland Sheepdog.
The Polish lowland sheepdog is comparatively rare in the UK and only arrived in 1985. In another of our breed profile articles, Holidays4Dogs takes a look at this attractive and agile little dog.
The Polish Lowland Sheepdog is also known as the Polski Owczarek Nixinny or, PON for short. They have great stamina and strong herding abilities, as well as natural guarding instincts. Due to a decline in sheep farming, the need for herding dogs waned. However, the late 19th Century saw renewed interest in these little dogs.
History.
After World War I sheepdog enthusiasts began to breed these dogs in larger numbers. Breed records were lost, or destroyed, during World War II and by the end of the war, there were only a handful of PON’s left in Poland.
However, breeding began again after the end of the war and a breed standard was drawn up in 1959. By 1965, the PON gained international attention at the World Dog Show. In 2001 the American Kennel Club registered the dog with the breed’s English name.
The Polish Lowland Sheepdog arrived in the UK in 1985. Since then, there has been a dedicated following of breed enthusiasts. However, they are not a popular choice for the average dog owner and they remain a fairly rare breed in the UK.
Looks and temperament.
As with many of the herding breeds, the Polish Lowland Sheepdog is highly intelligent. As such, he has made his way into the realms of obedience and agility, as well as in the breed show ring in the UK. They are currently exhibited with ‘natural’ coats at dog show competitions. Breed enthusiasts are keen for natural coats to remain in the breed standard, rather than trimmed and ‘quaffed’, like so many others.
His medium size makes him a good candidate as pet, although his long coat does need a lot of attention. They are, nevertheless, a ‘workmanlike’ breed that adapts well to family life.
Due to their intelligence, they do need a great deal of socialising when they are puppies. In addition, they can sometimes be quite wilful, so need careful and kind handling using positive training methods.
Conclusion.
Overall, this is a breed largely over looked in the UK. However, if you are considering a manageable sized dog that loves to engage in family activities and dog sports, then perhaps this might be the little fellow for you. For more information on the breed you can visit the official UK site of the Polish Lowland Sheepdog Club here :- https://www.plsc.org.uk/
