The Tatra Shepherd Dog, pl, Polski Owczarek Podhalański, italic=no, is a Polish

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of large flock guardian dog originating in the

Tatra Mountains The Tatra Mountains (), Tatras, or Tatra (''Tatry'' either in Slovak () or in Polish () - '' plurale tantum''), are a series of mountains within the Western Carpathians that form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. They are the hi ...

of the

Podhale Podhale (literally "below the mountain pastures") is Poland's southernmost region, sometimes referred to as the "Polish Highlands". The Podhale is located in the foothills of the Tatra range of the Carpathian mountains. It is the most famous ...

region of southern Poland. It was fully recognised by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The Fédération cynologique internationale (FCI) (English: International Canine Federation) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs. It is based in Thuin, Belgium. History The FCI was founded in 1911 under the auspices ...

in 1963. It is one of five dog breeds originating in Poland, the others being the Polish Greyhound, the

Polish Hound The Polish Hound, commonly known as Ogar Polski, is a breed of hunting dog indigenous to Poland. The Polish Hound has a keen sense of smell. This heightened sense combined with the endurance needed to hunt in harsh environments led to its use in ...

, the

Polish Hunting Dog Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

and the

Polish Lowland Sheepdog The Polish Lowland Sheepdog ( pl, Polski Owczarek Nizinny, also PON), is a medium-sized, shaggy-coated, sheep dog breed native to Poland. Description Appearance The PON is a muscular, thick-coated dog. The double coat can be of any color or ...

History

Like other large white European flock guardian dogs such as the

Kuvasz The Kuvasz is a traditional Hungarian breed of flock guardian dog. Mention of the breed can be found in old Hungarian texts. They have historically been royal guard dogs, or guarded livestock, but have been increasingly found in homes as pets ...

, the Pastore Maremmano and the

Pyrenean Mountain Dog The Pyrenean Mountain Dog (french: Chien de Montagne des Pyrénées) is a breed of livestock guardian dog from France, where it is commonly called the Patou. The breed comes from the French side of the Pyrenees Mountains that separate France a ...

, the Tatra Shepherd Dog is believed to derive from dogs brought from Asia by

nomadic pastoralists Nomadic pastoralism is a form of pastoralism in which livestock are herded in order to seek for fresh pastures on which to graze. True nomads follow an irregular pattern of movement, in contrast with transhumance, where seasonal pastures are fix ...

. The first show for these dogs was held in 1937. Because they were in isolated areas of the mountains, a small number of them survived the events of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. By 1954, when the first post-War show was organised, about 120 examples had been located; once the Związek Kynologiczny w Polsce, the Polish kennel club, was reconstituted after the War, shows were held in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. The breed was fully recognised by the

in 1963 or 1967. It is no longer found only its area of origin, but is distributed through much of Poland; some are in other countries. The stud-book is open – unregistered dogs judged to be typical of the breed may be added to it. Approximately 300 puppies are born per year, in about 50 litters. Total annual new registrations with the kennel club were 473 in 2011 and 383 in 2012. Not all dogs of this type are registered in the stud-book. Currently, the AKC does not recognise the breed.

Characteristics

The height at the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle a ...

is for males, for females. They usually live for between ten and twelve years.

Use

The Tatra Shepherd Dog was traditionally used as a flock guardian dog, to deter predators from attacking flocks of sheep in the mountainous terrain of the

region. In modern Poland it is most often kept either as a

guard dog A guard dog or watchdog (not to be confused with an attack dog) is a dog used to watch for and guard property against unwanted or unexpected human or animal intruders. The dog is discerning so that it does not annoy or attack the resident hum ...

or as a

companion animal A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive appearances, intelligence, ...

References

{{Livestock guardians FCI breeds Dog breeds originating in Poland Livestock guardian dogs Rare dog breeds

History

Characteristics

Use

See also

References