Polish Lowland Sheepdog Care

The Polish Lowland Sheepdog (commonly called the PON, which is an acronym for the breed's Polish name, Polski Owczarek Nizinny) is a medium-sized breed with a shaggy coat and a lively temperament. True to their nature as herders, these dogs are active, independent, intelligent, and sometimes stubborn. Overall Polish Lowland Sheepdog care will take a moderate amount of work, and will need to include daily exercise and some early training and socialization.

Here you'll find details on caring for a Polish Lowland Sheepdog, including info about puppy development, exercise needs, and shedding and drooling tendencies. Get answers to your questions about raising a PON in the following sections!

These dogs are energetic and athletic herders, so Polish Lowland Sheepdog exercise requirements are fairly extensive. PONs are also intelligent and task-oriented, so they'll need a variety of daily activities that both condition them physically (walking, fetch) and stimulate them mentally (games, canine sports). They make good jogging companions as well.

Adult PONs will need about an hour of dedicated exercise per day, with the total amount depending on the dog's age and overall activity level. You can start exercising your PON puppy when it's three months old by taking it on short walks, then you can increase the walks' length and frequency as the pup grows.

Precautions with Polish Lowland Sheepdog exercise:

• Don't exercise puppies too hard before they're nine months old
• Strong herding instincts mean a leash is required when exercising the dog in public
• Leash training is highly recommended during puppyhood
• Yards must be securely fenced to keep the dog from running off

Exercising your PON every day is a must. As a herding breed, these dogs have strong work ethics--they need a "job" to do, in other words--and without consistent activity they'll become frustrated, disobedient, and destructive. Regular exercise will be great for both the dog's and your own peace of mind! A few exercise ideas:

• Walking/Jogging: Two 20-minute walks (or 15-minute jogs) per day is a good target
• Fetch/Frisbee: PONs love chasing a ball, stick, or Frisbee
• Hide-and-Seek: Great indoor activity; give the dog a treat when it finds you
• Canine Sports: PONs can excel at obedience, agility, or herding trials and other events
• Hiking: Excellent bonding activity

When indoors, giving your PON access to balls or toys will allow the dog to burn excess energy. It's also good to have a regular exercise schedule for the dog, such as walks or jogs after breakfast and dinner and playtime in the afternoon.

In terms of overall maintenance, these dogs need moderate to frequent care. Polish Lowland Sheepdog shedding is seasonal: light for most of the year, but heavier during the twice-yearly shedding seasons. Drooling isn't really an issue.

PONs have long, "crisp," double-layered coats that don't shed much most of the time--but the shedding can be heavier when they blow their undercoats in the spring and fall. Owners will need to brush their PONs several times per week with either a bristle or pin brush to week to both remove any dead hairs and to keep the coats from matting and tangling. Except during shedding season, hair cleanup--vacuuming the floors, and lint rollers on clothes and furniture--won't be needed much at all.

And a PON rarely drools--possibly a bit in anticipation of food, but that's about it. If your Polish Lowland Sheepdog is drooling excessively, that might be a sign of a medical issue, in which case a veterinarian's care is needed.