The PONs - Polish Lowland Sheepdog
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What is the meaning of the name PON?
The meaning of the name PON is Polski Owczarek Nizinny - in Polish,
Owczarek (pronounced in English Ov-CHA-rek) means sheepdog,
and Nizinny (pronounced in English Nee-ZHEE-nee) means lowland.
What is the source of the PON breed?
This ancient herding breed, often called the PON, descended from the Puli and long coated Hun herding dog. In the early days of Poland, the PON was used as a guard, hunter and herding dog.
Through the years, it was discovered to be an excellent pet, with enormous amounts of memory and intelligent.
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In 1514, a Scottish farmer bought 3 Pons from a Polish man: two bitches and one sire. The PON is credited as being the ancestor of the Bearded Collie and Schapendoes.
World war II devastated Poland more than any other county. Only the efforts of Dr. Danuta Hrzniewicz, a Polish veterinarian saved the breed.
She recreated the breed from the best dogs she could find.
In 1963, the breed was re-established and officially declared as PON.
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The PON
The PON is an excellent working dog that looks like a puppet. Because of his size (adult sires is 18-20 inches, and 17-19 inches for a bitch), he's the ultimate dog for work and family.
PONs are trustworthy, ideally suited to families. They are faithful and devoted to all their "flock", while instinctively suspicious of strangers.
The Pon's abilities as a herding and watch dog are very good.
The Pon is smart enough to improvise and will not do the same actions again and again like a machine.
They adjust well to city life. However they are an active dog who does need daily exercise.
So when considering a Pon one must take this into account. They're also suitable for a life outside in the country.
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The PONs are robust, compact, strong, muscular, medium sheepdogs, still considered as a rare breed.
Their tail is short by nature. However it is shortened or docked in those countries where the law permits. A long tail is not considered a fault.
They have minimum-shedding coats (there is no dog with non-shedding coats) that come in all colors.
But their coat need quite a regular brushing, optimally once a week.
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The PON is lively, vigilant, agile, intelligent, perceptive and gifted with an excellent memory. The PON is hardy and resistant to unfavorable climatic conditions.
The Pon needs a dominant master.
When not used as a working dog, he can be a magnificent companion as he seems to fit into any type of lifestyle.
They are very hardy, not much general illness.
They hardly have any known health problems.
A conscientious and ethical breeder of any breed should OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) and
CERF (Canine Eye Registry Foundation)
certify all their breeding stock.
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There are some problems with thyroid and obesity. As adults they don't need to eat too much.
They have a slow metabolic rate and use their food well. They need a diet of no more than 23% protein and tend to gain weight very easily.
Some breeders recommend feeding them honey to help their
slow metabolic processes.
They tend to have hair growing inside their ears.
This hair is recommended to be plocked in order to avoid
problems.
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They are excellent workers, and they seem to still have the inbred sheep instinct.
Even when they never saw a sheep before.
The Pon is the ideal dog for Agility. You can achieve very high results in obedience classes with them.
Their size and the fact that they are not too heavy like other working breeds, gives them another advantage.
To conclude the information we should mention that not everyone can be a Pon owner.
But once you have decided to become one, you have joined a unique group of dogs and people.
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