Judging the Polish Lowland Sheepdog

This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, November 2012 issue.

Judging the Polish Lowland Sheepdog

The Polish Lowland Sheepdog is also known as the PON, which is an acronym for Polski Owczarek Nizinny. The PON is a medium-sized dog, large boned and shaggy. When judging a Polish Lowland Sheepdog, it is necessary to remember that it is a herding and guarding dog developed on the farm settlement. His many responsibilities required a strong, capable, independent worker. PONs are adored by their owners and loved for their dedication, faith, and stubborn but clowning personality. They are devoted to those who care for them, which is why so many have great relationships with their handlers.

When you invite a Polish Sheepdog to enter your ring, you can immediately see the hallmarks of the breed – large head and a lush-coated rectangular silhouette. Skeleton proportions should be 9 to 10; however, the large coat on its chest and rear makes the dog appear even longer than it is. Look for type, balance, soundness, and movement, and pay special attention to the head. Remember that since the majority of the dog’s structure is covered by a thick double coat, it is necessary to put your hands through it to achieve a good physical examination.

Usually, we do not use the ramp, but if you decide to do so, please allow extra time for the dogs and new handlers to get used to the procedure. When the class enters the ring, instruct the handlers to take their PONs full circle around the ring and then free or hand stack them rather than directly proceed with examination. Dogs will get familiar with the surroundings, stretch their bodies, and show in a more relaxed manner. This will save you time and make less work for the handlers to show the PONs at their best.

When approaching a well-stacked PON, remember his eyes are covered by fringes of hair, so make your presence known to him – “head on” would be appreciated. It is a guarding dog dedicated to his master and sometimes protective of him, so after you acknowledge your presence, examine the body and then head and lastly the bite. That will save some dogs from pulling away, getting scared, and having to be restacked. PONs have excellent memory, and you want them to have a positive experience to remember so that they want to come to other shows.

The head of the PON, even though medium size, should be strong and powerful, appearing even bigger due to the abundance of their hair. The head should be much larger on the adult male than the female, but both should have strong necks covered with a thick mane. When judging, one should remember that the coat on the head grows longer than on the rest of the body – so younger dogs, even though strong-boned, may appear to have smaller heads. The muzzle should be equal to or shorter than the skull in length and be parallel, but separated by a noticeable stop. The skull can be slightly rounded without being apple-shaped, which can happen if the head is too narrow or too delicate and small.

The standard calls for strong, wide jaws with scissors or a level bite covered with well-fitting, dry lips. Teeth should be large and appear strong. In recent years, we have encountered dogs with lower jaws that are too narrow, which in many cases may lead to one or both lower canine teeth protruding into the palate or upper gums, causing physical discomfort to the dog (obviously, this should be avoided). When checking the bite, we encourage a soft hand and lifting the lips to check; it is not necessary to pry the mouth open to count the teeth.

One of the breed characteristics is the large size of the nose with the front tip slightly turned down. Depending on the dog’s color, the nose should be black or chocolate. Pigmentation should be fully filled on the lips, nose, and eye rims. Eyes are oval and medium in size, protected by beautiful long eyelashes with fully pigmented rims around the eye.

The Polish Lowland Sheepdog, also known as the PON, is an acronym for Polski Owczarek Nizinny. The PON is a medium-sized, large-boned, and shaggy dog. When judging a Polish Lowland Sheepdog, remember it is a herding and guarding dog developed on farm settlements. Its responsibilities required a strong, capable, independent worker.

PONs are adored by their owners for their dedication, faith, and stubborn yet clowning personality. They are devoted to those who care for them, which is why many have great relationships with handlers.

When a Polish Sheepdog enters the ring, you can immediately see the breed’s hallmarks: a large head and a lush-coated, rectangular silhouette. Skeleton proportions should be 9 to 10, but the large coat on its chest and rear makes the dog appear longer than it is.

Look for type, balance, soundness, and movement, and pay special attention to the head. Since the majority of the dog’s structure is covered by a thick double coat, it is necessary to put your hands through it for a good physical examination.

Typically, we do not use the ramp, but if you choose to, please allow extra time for the dogs and handlers to adjust to the procedure.

When the class enters the ring, instruct handlers to take their PONs full circle around the ring and then free or hand-stack them. This will help the dogs get familiar with the surroundings, stretch their bodies, and show in a more relaxed manner, ultimately saving time and making it easier for handlers to present their PONs at their best.

When approaching a well-stacked PON, remember its eyes are covered by fringes of hair, so make your presence known – approaching “head-on” would be appreciated. As a guarding breed dedicated to its master, it can be protective. Acknowledge your presence before examining the body, head, and bite to avoid startling the dog, allowing a positive experience they’ll remember for future shows.

The head of the PON should be medium in size but strong and powerful, appearing larger due to the abundance of hair. The head should be proportionately larger on adult males, but both genders should have strong necks covered with a thick mane. Note that the head coat grows longer than on the body, so younger dogs may appear to have smaller heads even if they are well-boned.

The muzzle should be equal to or shorter than the skull, with both being parallel but separated by a noticeable stop. The skull can be slightly rounded but not apple-shaped, which may occur if the head is too narrow or delicate.

The Breed Standard calls for strong, wide jaws with a scissor or level bite, covered by well-fitted dry lips. Teeth should be large and strong. Recently, we’ve encountered dogs with a narrower lower jaw, sometimes causing lower canine teeth to protrude into the palate or upper gums, which is undesirable. A soft hand and gentle lifting of the lips suffice to check the bite, without prying open the mouth.

One characteristic of the breed is a large nose with the front tip slightly turned down. Nose pigmentation should be black or chocolate, depending on the dog’s color, with fully filled lips, nose, and eye rims.

Eyes should be brown and as dark as possible. Chocolate dogs may have lighter eyes. Eyes are oval, medium-sized, and protected by long eyelashes with fully pigmented rims.

Ears are medium-sized and hang with the inner edge close to the cheeks. They should be set moderately high, not so high as to interfere with the dog’s expression or distract from the head shape.

After examining the head, move your hands towards the neck, which should be medium in length, strong, and muscular. The neck is set in well-laid-back shoulders, carried at a 45° angle or less while standing and horizontally or slightly elevated when running. The neck should be well set in the pronounced, broad withers, connecting to the back and chest. A neck too long, narrow, or set too high may compromise breed function.

The back should be well-muscled, strong, and straight, level, or slightly higher at the withers than the loin. Avoid rears that are too high.

The chest should be deep with well-sprung ribs, and the forechest should be prominent, with 50% of the dog’s height from chest depth. Scapula and upper arm should be of equal length, with the forearm slightly longer. Elbows should be tight to the brisket, with slightly angled pasterns and compact paws.

The loin should be wide and well-built, appearing shorter than the back, with a slightly sloping croup. The hindquarters should be well-angulated and muscular, with pronounced, short hocks. Rear paws are slightly smaller than front paws.

The American standard only accepts naturally short tails or tails docked to a maximum length of two vertebrae. However, the breed exhibits natural variations in tail length and carriage, which are permitted in the European Union.

While moving, look for level and sturdy toplines, examining by hand to confirm, as grooming can alter the appearance. Extensive scissoring and sculpting are discouraged as it can change the outline. The shaggy coat, a breed hallmark, should be double-layered with a strong, straight outer coat and a dense, softer undercoat. Although non-shedding, PONs may appear differently seasonally, and coat length varies with age. Younger dogs appear taller, while mature dogs may seem longer due to coat length.

The coat can be solid or have white markings. Colors include black, brown, grey, fawn, and chocolate, which may fade with age. PONs may change shades throughout life. Solid-colored PONs are valued for their pigmentation, as mostly white-coated dogs may lack pigmentation.

When moving down and back or around the ring, use a loose lead at a medium pace. Avoid going too slowly to prevent pacing, and allow enough space between dogs. The PON’s purpose was to work all day, so look for an effortless, harmonious gait with forward reach and a lowered head, with the front reaching the nose line and the rear extending behind.

Legs should be straight, heavily-boned, and parallel, with good reach and drive. Some toeing in is expected, but avoid dogs that are excessively “east-west” or cow-hocked, issues that have decreased over the years.

Finally, temperament is the most critical trait. The PON should be reserved, warming to people gradually. Trust is earned, but once comfortable, the PON will be respectful and observant. This breed remembers familiar faces and will greet them warmly. Enjoy meeting this wonderful dog.