Polish Tatra Sheepdog
Temperament:
This Polish Tatra Sheepdog or Polski Owczarek Podhalanski, is still known as Podhalaner. His handsome appearance with the white fuzzy fur, makes the hearts of dog lovers beat faster.
Characteristics
Herding and guarding herds, that's your Polski Owczarek Podhalanski's thing. He prefers to work alone and makes all the necessary decisions on his own. Listening to commands is difficult for him.
If you are looking for a guard dog with classic protection dog training, a Polski Owczarek Podhalanski is therefore the wrong choice. In him you will find a faithful companion and family dog. He defends his family and his territory unconditionally.
Your Podhalanian intimidates any opponent, human or animal, by its mere appearance. He doesn't need to become aggressive, and he won't.
Your polar bear has a pleasant nature, makes all activities in the family with enthusiasm. He is not suitable as a dog athlete due to his heavy build.
Get your Polski Owczarek Podhalanski used to other dogs while he is still a puppy. He otherwise tends to dominate other conspecifics as an adult.
Like all herding dogs, your Podhalaner has a quick mind and learning comes easy to him.
The gentle giants prefer to be outside. Your Polski Owczarek Podhalanski always wants to be near you and enjoys his daily cuddles. On walks, he never strays too far from you, even when game is nearby.
The Polski Owczarek Podhalanski is available exclusively with pure white, dense cuddly fur. The dogs with the muscular body become stately 65 cm tall.
Coat care:
Shedding:
Energy level:
Trainability:
Children suitable:
The right food
When feeding your white Tatra, stick to commercial food. Some dogs prefer wet food, others prefer dry food. Follow your four-legged friend's lead. Make sure that the food does not contain preservatives, dyes or other artificial additives.
It is a bit more complicated if you prepare the food for your Polski Owczarek Podhalanski yourself or barf it. This has the advantage that you know exactly what your four-legged friend eats.
There are large individual differences in the amount of food. Follow the instructions on the package, taking into account the age of your dog and energy consumption.
You can hardly see the feeding condition of your polar bear in its dense, long coat. If you can still feel the rear rib arches, his weight is correct.
Polish Tatra Sheepdog Care
His long coat protects your guard dog from any weather. The dense undercoat keeps out the cold and heat and the long topcoat lets the rain run off like a roof.
Do not destroy this work of nature by brushing or bathing too often. Your Polski Owczarek Podhalanski is an outdoor dog, wind and weather will brush his coat. Dirt falls out of the top coat by itself as soon as it is dry.
The height of your Podhalaner alone indicates that he needs a property with a yard or garden. For cuddling or just for fun he likes to come into the house. A pure apartment keeping is nothing for the freedom-loving herding dog. You must not keep this dog in a cramped city apartment under any circumstances.
Polski Owczarek Podhalanski love small search games, so you can keep your four-legged friend busy. Most Podhalanskis do not like jogging, cycling or other sports. They prefer to observe everything that is going on in their environment. This is a legacy from their time as a guard dog.
Suitable accessories
You don't need much in the way of accessories. A food bowl and, if possible, several water bowls, are self-evident. Not only in summer you distribute the water bowls on the whole property and in the house. Your Polski Owczarek Podhalanski needs a lot of water in hot weather, especially when you give dry food.
A sturdy collar and a strong, short leash belong to the dog. Please do not be tempted to hang your Podhalaner on a flexi leash or other long leash. The jolt when your 60 kg dog runs into a 5 m long leash, you can not stand.
Instead, practice that your Polski Owczarek Podhalanski stays with you without a leash. This breed is very fond of doing that, he learns quickly.
Outside, your four-legged friend needs a weatherproof, well-insulated hut with a soft blanket, and for indoors, a cozy basket.
In the car, your friend is safe in a transport box. Which toy he likes, let your dog decide.
Origin & History
The dogs come from Poland. They are closely related to the Hungarian Kuvasz and the Slovak Cuva, both shepherd dogs. Other European mountain shepherd dogs, such as the Bergamasque shepherd dog from Italy, also belong to his kin.
The Polski Owczarek Podhalanski has its origin in large Great Danes, which came to Europe from Asia more than a thousand years ago. In the High Tatras, this robust dog breed developed from them.
The breed name describes the purpose very well. Polski stands for Polish, Owczarek means shepherd dog and Podhalnski says that the dogs come from Podhale. The breed was recognized by the FCI in 1967.
