Sheepdog that are so unbelievable that you can see why Christopher Kluk wrote that they were such clever dogs, having “almost human intelligence.” A female PON even saved a small child from being attacked by a black bear. She managed to attract the bear’s attention by antagonizing him so he would chase her instead of the child. The owners of that PON were so happy that they even left the child in her care, knowing that the dog was a wonderful babysitter. PONs do treat small children as they would a lambkin in their charge. One mother kept correcting her infant for trying to crawl up the stairs. The dog got the idea very quickly and would grab the baby’s diaper to keep him from climbing the stairs!
Dorianblue Teardrop is a much-loved PON who shares an active and entertaining life with her family.
A PON is known to have saved the life of one owner’s mother, who was having a heart attack. The PON did everything possible to get the attention of someone to help her. She succeeded, and the woman lived. PONs dive off diving boards, go sleigh-riding with the children, enjoy pizza with their owner, try to talk to you when they are excited, sit at the helm of their owner’s boat—and that is only the beginning!
DON’T BUY A PON IF…
The following information is inspired by Pam Green’s article of a similar title; here we explore which kind of person makes the ideal owner for the Polish Lowland Sheepdog. There’s no dog lover in the world who can resist the smile of a happy PON. PONs sure are cute little dogs, but they are not for everyone to own: they are a very demanding, and without a dominant master they can easily take control. As a breed they have a few features that some people find charming, but that some people find mildly unpleasant and some people find downright intolerable. So don’t buy a PON if…
YOU ARE ONLY ATTRACTED TO HIS SHAG AND SMILE
The outward appearance of the Polish Lowland Sheepdogs you have seen in the show ring, in magazines, TV and in books is the product of many hours of bathing and grooming. This carefully constructed beauty is fleeting: a few minutes of freedom, romping through the fields or strolling in the rain or digging in the yard restores the more natural look of the PON. The PON’s preference is the “natural look,” and grooming is definitely not one of their favorite activities. You will need to devote time to teach your dog to accept being groomed on a weekly basis. If not, you won’t have the “show ring beauty contestant,” but instead a very matted dog that may need to be shaved down to prevent hardship and pain to the dog including the many hours that are needed to remove the mats. The thick, shaggy PON coat demands regular grooming, not merely to look tolerably nice but also to preserve the health of skin underneath and to detect and remove ticks, foxtails, and other dangerous invaders. For pet grooming, you should expect to spend several hours a week with your charge, keeping the undercoat combed out and clean. In other breeds with similar long, double coats, the dogs rescued by breed club rescue committees almost always show the effects of month of non-grooming. It appears an unwillingness to keep up the coat care is a primary cause of abandonment.
Smile for the camera! Impas and her loving owner.
YOU ARE UNWILLING TO SHARE YOUR HOME AND LIFE WITH YOUR DOG
PONs were bred to share in the work of the farm family and to spend most of their waking hours being with the family. They thrive on companionship and want to be wherever you are. They are happiest living with you in your house and going with you when you go out. While they usually tolerate being left at home by themselves, they should not be relegated to the back yard or a kennel. A puppy exiled from the house is likely to grow up to be unsociable, noisy, unruly and unhappy. He may well develop pastimes such as digging or barking that will displease you and your neighbors. An adult so exiled will be miserable too. If you and your whole family don’t strongly prefer to have your dog’s companionship as much as possible, you should choose a breed less oriented to human companionship. Likewise, if a job or other family obligations prevent you and your family from spending much time with a dog.
This is Tramperus Plast Lexus, “working” in the family yard. The working instinct in the PON is nearly irrepressible!
The PON is no fair-weather friend; if you provide him with all that he requires and deserves, he will pay you back in love and companionship.
YOU DON’T INTEND TO EDUCATE YOUR DOG
Basic obedience and household rules training is not an option for a happy PON and his owner. As an absolute minimum, you must teach him to reliably respond to commands to come, to lie down, to stay and to walk at your side, on or off leash and regardless of temptations. You must also teach him to respect your household rules. Is he allowed on the furniture? Is he allowed to beg at the table? What you and your family members allow or forbid is up to you. But it is critical that you and your family, not the dog, make the rules consistent. PONs without training tend to take over and make their own rules. You must commit yourself to attending a series of weekly lessons at a local obedience club or with a professional trainer and to doing one or two short homework assignments each day.
As commands are learned, they must be integrated into your daily life by being used whenever appropriate and enforced consistently. PON puppies and adults are easy to train. They are eager to please you, intelligent and calm natured with a fairly good attention span. Once a PON has learned something, he tends to retain it well. Your cute, sweet little PON puppy will grow up to be a dog with a highly assertive personality and the determination to get his way. If he has grown up respecting you and your rules, then all his physical and mental strength will work for you. But if he has grown up without rules and guidance from you, surely he will make his own rules and his physical and mental powers will often act in opposition to your needs and desires.
Though nothing can replace time spent with the human family, the companionship of another dog will keep your PON entertained and happy.
The training of your PON cannot be delegated to someone else, e.g., by sending the dog away to obedience school. The relationship and respect are personal between the dog and the individual who does the training. This is true of all dogs to greater or lesser degrees, but definitely to a very great degree in PON. While you may definitely want the help of an experienced trainer to teach you how to train your dog, you must actually train your PON. As each lesson is learned, then the rest of the household (except young children) must also learn the commands and work with the dog, insisting he obey them as well.
If your goals in obedience training are oriented toward success at high-level obedience competition, please realize that the PON is not among the half dozen breeds best suited to such highly polished performance. PONs can certainly excel at such working competitions as agility, obedience, herding and flyball. As a herding dog, he must be able to think, to reason and to make some decisions independently. That decision may not be a long down for five minutes with their owner out of sight.
YOU DON’T HAVE AN ASSERTIVE PERSONALITY
Dogs do not believe in social equality. They live in a social hierarchy led by a pack-leader. The alpha dog is generally benevolent, affectionate and non-bullying toward
