Polish Lowland Sheepdog — breed standard (AKC & FCI: size, coat, temperament, type)

Polish Lowland Sheepdog — breed standard (AKC & FCI: size, coat, temperament, type)

Claims

• *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Origin and group: a Polish herding breed; AKC Herding group, and under FCI it is in Group 1, the sheepdogs and cattle dogs, within Section 1 for sheepdogs and shown without a working trial.
• *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Size: AKC dogs 18 to 20 in and bitches 17 to 19 in at the withers; FCI males 45 to 50 cm and females 42 to 47 cm. The height-to-length ratio is 9 to 10, giving a rectangular, off-square outline.
• *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Coat and colour: a dense double coat of long, shaggy, thick hair with a crisp water-resistant outer layer and a soft dense undercoat, the long hanging hair covering the eyes; a slight wave is allowed but curly, short, silky or fly-away coats and missing undercoat are faults. The dog must be shown natural and unkempt, and scissoring is penalized so severely as to eliminate it. All colours are acceptable, most often white with black, gray or sandy patches, gray with white, or chocolate.
• *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Build and head: a medium, compact, strong and muscular dog with a flat topline, deep chest to the elbow, and a short or docked tail; the medium head carries heart-shaped drop ears and oval brown eyes, with blue or yellow (bird-of-prey) eyes a disqualification.
• *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Temperament: stable and self-confident, lively but self-controlled, clever and perceptive with an excellent memory and the ability to work independently; loyal yet aloof and suspicious of strangers, and needing a dominant owner. Nervous, cowardly or extremely vicious behaviour is faulted.
• *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Disqualifications: blue or yellow (bird-of-prey) eyes, and an overshot or undershot bite. FCI also disqualifies aggressive or overly shy dogs and any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormality; males should have two normal descended testicles.