Polski owczarek nizinny

FCI:

Group I - Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs, Section 1 - Sheepdogs. Recognized in 1963.

General Appearance:

It's a lively and adaptable dog, alert, agile, intelligent and perceptive, with an excellent memory. Also it excels in extraordinary perseverance, independence, remarkable courage and incorruptibility. Its owner and members of its family it is absolutely loyal. Even today it can be applied like a sheepdog and guard dog, but especially in cities such agreeable companion.

Temperament/Behaviour:

With the right leadership it is docile and controllable dog, and during its training, too but its owner must have previous experience. There must be hospitable consistency and mutual respect. It is very sociable, inquisitive and "its " people it is very fixed. It is absolutely faithful watch, which is wary of the neighbourhood. If necessary it does not hesitate to show the necessary dose of sharpness. Although it is very attached to its owner, it is also endowed with an appropriate level of independence. With children it gets well, but children cannot handle with this breed as a toy. It gets well with other pets. To the strangers it is distrustful. It has a good resistance to bad weather conditions and it could be a year-round accommodation in an outdoor kennel, but mentally it suffers, if it has no possibility of frequent and prolonged contact with humans. It is very versatile. It can live in the countryside as well as in the city. It needs ample opportunities for racing and activity, e.g. different games; with enthusiasm it runs, it needs agility and other dog sports. It is very open mind and clever. It loves long walks in the countryside brightened up various games this breed has a tendency to run away. This breed is proved itself also as a guide dog for blind people.

Body:

It is a medium sized, compact body, strong, muscular, with a thick long coat, rather rectangular body frame. The height at withers dogs is from 45 to 50 cm and females from 42 to 47 cm.

The head is medium, never too heavy fur on the forehead, cheeks and chin. The skull is not overly broad and above should be slightly arched. Longitudinal front furrow is seen as the occipital part, frontal slope has to be steep. Muzzle is strong, blunt ended, nasal bridge straight. The nose should be with regard to the colour of hair as dark as possible, with wide open nostrils. Lips are well fitted to the jaw and teeth, their edges are the same colour as the nose. Strong jaws, teeth also may bite scissor or pincer. Eyes are medium sized, oval shaped, not bulked, hazel colour, with lively and penetrating look, eye rims should be dark. The earlobes are suspended, rather high, medium sized, heart-shaped, wide at the base. Leading edge adjacent to the cheeks and they have to be very mobile.

The neck is of medium length, strong, muscular and carried rather low. The body is evident the withers. The back should be straight and very muscular, broad shoulders should be firmly attached to the croup, which should be short, slightly steep tail may be inherently very short, stumpy, very shortly docked (unless prohibited by law) or undocked, quite long and very hairy. The rest is hanging in the heat of passion carried gaily curved over the back, never curled or adjacent to the stern and loins.

The chest must be deep, moderately broad, ribs are moderately sprung. The forelegs are straight and perpendicular to the substrate, the blades should be wide, medium length, oblique, appropriately, but dryly muscled, sharply defined. Pasterns are slightly slanted. Paws are oval with tightly adjoining slightly arched toes with firm padded and short, the darkest claws. The hindquarters are perpendicular to the substrate. Thighs are broad, well-muscled, hocks powerful. The movement should be light and spacious, smooth.

The entire body is covered with coarse, thick, stiff, abundant outer coat that can be straight or slightly wavy and soft undercoat. Hair is falling from the forehead cover the eyes in a characteristic manner. Any colour including spotted permissible. The coat requires regular care, because it tends to felted. It is essential to daily combing comb long hair.

Any deviation from the above standard requirements to be considered as defect and assessed the degree of expression.