Polish Lowland Sheepdog

		Polish Lowland Sheepdog
		FCI standard Nº 251

Origin		Poland
Translation		Mrs. Peggy Davis
Group		oup 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs)
Section		Section 1 Sheepdogs
Working		Without working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI		Saturday 05 October 1963
Publication of the official valid standard		Friday 07 August 1998
Last update		Friday 07 August 1998
En français, cette race se dit		Berger polonais de plaine
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar		Polnischer Niederungshütehund
En español, esta raza se dice		Perro de pastor polaco de las llanuras
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd		Poolse laagland herder
In his country of origin, his name is		Polski Owczarek Nizinny

Usage

Easy to handle, he works like a sheepdog and guard dog. Moved to urban city life, he is a very good companion dog.

General appearance

The Polish Lowland sheepdog is a dog of medium size, compact, strong, muscular, with a thick long coat. His well groomed coat gives an attractive and interesting appearance.

Important proportions

The proportions of height at withers to length of body is 9 : 10.
The ratio length of muzzle to length of skull is 1 : 1 ; yet the muzzle can be a little shorter.

Behaviour / temperament

Of a lively but tempered disposition, vigilant, agile, intelligent, perceptive and gifted with a good memory. Resistant to unfavourable climatic conditions.

Head
Cranial region
Head		Medium dimension, proportional, not too heavy. The thick fur on the forehead, the cheeks and the chin give the head a look of being heavier than it really is.
Skull		Not excessively broad, slightly rounded. Frontal furrow and occipital protuberance noticeable.
Stop		Well accentuated.

Facial region
Nose		As darks as possible in relation to the colour of the coat with large nostrils.
Muzzle		Strong, blunt. Nasal bridge straight.
Lips		Fitting well; their edges are of the same colour as the nose.
Jaws and teeth		Strong jaws. Teeth strong, with scissor or pincer bite.
Eyes		Medium size, oval, not protruding, hazel colour, with lively and piercing look. The rims of the eyelids are dark.
Ears		Hanging, set rather high, of medium size, heart-shaped, wide at base; the fore edge is close against the cheeks; very mobile.

Neck

Of medium length, strong, muscled, without dewlap, carried rather horizontally.

Body
Body		Rather rectangular than square.
Withers		Well accentuated.
Back		Flat, well muscled.
Loin		Broad, well fused.
Croup		Short, slightly truncated.
Chest		Deep, of medium width; ribs quite well sprung, neither flat nor barrel-shaped.
Underline and belly		Outlining an elegant curve towards the hindquarters part.

Tail

• Short tail or stumpy-tail, very shortly docked tail.
• Undocked quite long and very hairy tail. At rest the tail is hanging; if the dog is alert, the tail is gaily curved over the back, never curled or lying on the back.
• Undocked tail of medium length, carried in different manners.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality		Seen in profile and from the front : Vertical and straight. Stance well balanced due to a strong skeleton (bone structure).
Shoulders		Broad, of medium length, oblique, clean cut, very muscular.
Pastern		Slightly slanting in relation to the forearm.
Forefeet		Oval, tight toes, slightly arched pads really hard. Nails short, as dark as possible.

Hindquarters
Generality		Seen from behind: Vertical, well angulated.
Upper thigh		Broad, well muscled.
Hock		Well developped.
Hind feet		Compact, oval shape.

Gait and movement

Easy and ground covering. Walk or trot smooth (whitout much vertical displacement). The dog often ambles when he walks slowly.

Skin

Tight fitting, without any folds.

Coat
Hair		The whole body covered with coarse hair, dense, thick, and profuse; soft undercoat. Straight or slightly wavy hair is acceptable. The hairs falling from the forehead cover the eyes in a characteristic manner.
Colour		All colours and patches are acceptable.

Size and weight
Height at withers		Males : 45 - 50 cm. Females : 42 - 47 cm. The dog must retain the type of a working dog; consequently his size must not go down below the standard; he must neither be too weak nor delicate.

Faults

• Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

Disqualifying faults

Aggressive or overly shy.

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography

https://www.fci.be/

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Polish Lowland Sheepdog