GZ BREED COLUMNS

g still don’t realize that a Pembroke is in us not blessed with a triple-jointed in August, 2001.

n the “professional” ranks in that regard. I Slavic tongue know the club by its For a 500-year-old breed, that’s a lot i mention the need for a quality puppy- acronym, APONC, and call the breed of recent history. d

r obedience class and the benefits of Polish Lowland Sheepdogs, or PONs. In the last quarter-century, our

e attending one with this breed that likes Although the PON is an old breed American have participated in

h to be in charge of things. much regarded for its outstanding performance as well as conformation I often put inquirers in touch with working ability in its native country events. They have won the highest their closest Pembroke club, especially and reputed to be important in the recognition in both U.S. and interna - those who are interested in a rescued development of the Bearded in tional competition—even returning to Pembroke. Some times a “just a pet” Scotland, it gained little attention from their native Poland to do so. family will show up at a fun day or fanciers until the turn of the last Our national specialty will be held in agility introduction with their beloved century. Florida this coming November. It Pembroke. These people take pride in At that time, Poles became interested should be a great party! —Louise their corgis, and while most do not get in their native pure breeds of livestock. Cohen, [email protected]; involved in the club, others do and go During the 1920s and ’30s, PONs were American Polish Lowland Sheepdog on to become good club workers. My bred and exhibited, and the breed was Club website: aponc.org local club offers a Parade of Loved mentioned prominently in a research Ones with its matches. Inevitably, that paper published by the Working Dogs Pulik class has the largest entry, and a good Society. World War II ended the Helping the New Puli Owner time is had by all. Clubs need to be progress, however, and few dogs sur - ecently I was involved in a sure to offer a variety of activities that vived the devastation. Rconversation with an pet owners can attend and be comfort - By 1948 the Polish Kennel Club was experienced breeder as she was able in doing so, as well as getting the founded and there were efforts to re- mentoring a newcomer to her breed word out about these events. establish the breed. It took until well (not Pulis). She was throwing out ideas Only a small percentage of any litter into the 1950s before a Polish kennel for the “newbie” that would help her goes on to a career in any arena. Even officially registered a litter of PONs, become a knowledgeable dog fancier. fewer go on to the conformation rings. and there was not an accepted standard That made me realize that it would be The majority go on to become “just a until 1959—the same year that FCI great to have a list of such ideas to pet” and take on the enormous respon - granted the breed recognition. hand out to my puppy buyers in sibility of becoming ambassadors for The American connection was addition to the usual training, our breed. They are the dogs who meet another 20 years away, coming by way grooming, and feeding handouts I and greet people at parks and play - of a prominent breeder usually give them. That realization grounds and vets’ offices. They are the who imported a pair of dogs in 1979. evolved into the following list. ones who elicit the question, “What Three years later, Betty and Kaz Learn all you can about Pulis. There are kind of dog is that?” Augustowski purchased their first PON chat lists on the Internet that offer lots Some people will go on and get a from her. They devoted great energy to of free help and ideas. There are very Pembroke because of the personality of their chosen breed. More dogs were few books on the breed still in print, an ambassador they met in such a set - imported, litters were born in the U.S., but there are some occasionally to be ting. The pet owners and their and others took up the cause. found on Amazon.com or Ebay. Pembrokes can do much for public By 1987, the Augustowskis and six of Learn all you can about other breeds. education in these settings. We need to those friends started the APONC. A The more you learn about dogs in gen - be sure that they have received a good year later, the club’s official publication, eral, the better you will understand education when they get their new The Herder, printed a roster of 58 mem - your own breed. family member as “just a pet.” —Lynda bers and 10 breeders from all parts of Ask lots of questions. You will get con - McKee, [email protected]; the country. Carrying breed standards flicting opinions—that’s good! Sort Club of with them, these intrepid fanciers through them and decide what makes America website: pembrokecorgi.org logged many miles going to rare-breed sense in relation to the breed standard. shows. Study your breed standard with your Puli Polish Lowland The APONC gained recognition by in front of you. When the standard talks Sheepdogs the Polish Kennel Club, the States about proportions, get out the ruler. APONC’s 25th Anniversary Kennel Club, and then the AKC. PONs Where it mentions shoulder angle, feel n the fall of this year, The American entered the AKC’s Miscellaneous Class your dog’s shoulder blade. IPolski Owczarek Nizinny Club will in 1999, and the breed competed for Ask a breeder or judge to show you how celebrate its 25th anniversary. Those of the first time for championship points to examine your dog’s conformation. What

AKC GAZETTE • 39 • SEPTEMBER 2012 GZ BREED COLUMNS

g are the judges feeling for when they returned home from dinner out one to protect sheep and their herders from

n “go over” your dog on the table? How evening, she took Josie, the Pyr Shep, wolves and brown bears the size of i do they determine angles and propor - and her housemate for North American grizzlies. d

r tions under all that coat? their routine trip outdoors. The Border When danger approaches, the little

e Watch your dog and other Pulis perform - Collie headed through the door first herding dogs might well sound the

h ing in herding events. After thoroughly and immediately burst into frantic this- alarm, but then the giant white dogs go studying the standard, watch the dogs is-big-trouble alarm barking. to work. in motion, and see why they have to As Maggie stepped out the door, this With no Great Pyrenees available, have that structure to allow them to is what she saw: Less than 15 feet away, brave, serious Josie just took matters make those quick, tight turns and be a huge wolf had pinned a desperate, into her own paws. The 5-year-old dog able to gallop or trot efficiently when very pregnant elk against the side of the is very fit, as she frequently accompa - necessary. house. nies her people on long horseback rides Join the Puli Club of America. Where “I looked at the wolf, and the wolf and gets daily swims as well. She gets to else will you find fellow Puli enthusi - looked at me,” Maggie said. have fun with agility and herding, too. asts? And at just that point, 24-pound “She’s a trouper; she’ll do anything Attend the national specialty show, sign Josie dashed from behind her owner to be around me,” Maggie said. Pyr up for the members’ education seminar, and and ran at the wolf, barking furiously. Sheps can be suspicious of strangers, ask if you can sit in on the judges’ education Horrified, Maggie—who always goes but Josie likes everybody, especially if seminar. Listen and learn. outside with her dogs precisely to pro - they have treats, she said. “She’s a lovely Join a regional Puli club if there is one in tect them from coyotes and the area’s dog.” your area. wolf pack—watched as her little dog Kathleen Monje lives in Oregon Join your local all-breed club and/or obe - chased the wolf for about 75 yards. with Pyrenean Shepherd and Great dience club. Other experienced dog peo - “She was running as fast as she could Pyrenees dogs. She can be reached at ple offer a wealth of information and go, a flat-out Pyr Shep gallop, and he [email protected]. —Kathleen support, as well as camaraderie. You will was just loping along,” she said. Monje, [email protected]; Pyrenean discover new friends with common The 120-elk herd that the cow Shepherd Club of America website: pyr - interests. belonged to had been watching the shepclub.com The best advice, though, is to estab - struggle from a couple of hundred yards lish and maintain a good working rela - away, standing on either side of a pas - Swedish Vallhunds tionship with your dog’s breeder. A ture fence. When the wolf reached the Coat responsible breeder will be there for fence and started up the fenceline, the egarding the ’s you throughout your dog’s life and be elk herd converged on him from both Rcoat, the breed’s AKC standard willing to answer all your questions. sides and finished chasing him off, says: Puppy buyers should feel like they Maggie said. Medium length hair, harsh; topcoat close can contact their breeder at any time if She’s certain her presence was a and tight. Undercoat is soft and dense. Hair they have any problems or concerns. deciding factor in the wolf’s choice to is short on the head and the foreparts of the Experienced breeders need to be there abandon his prey and leave without legs and slightly longer on neck, chest and to mentor newcomers and help them snapping up Josie as a consolation prize. back parts of the hind legs. Dogs are to be through the early stages of dog owner - Fortunately, too, the wolf was alone, shown in an untrimmed, natural state. ship. The future of our sport rests on without the rest of the dozen-member Faults include wooly, curly, or open coats. the shoulders of these newcomers, and pack that travels the region. Fluffy coats (longer hair on body and fur - we must do all we can to encourage The elk cow’s sides were heaving, but nishings, with ear fringes) are a serious fault. them. —Sherry Gibson, gibsons@blo - she was otherwise very healthy and This is a double-coated breed, which mand.net; Puli Club of America web - looked about two weeks away from means that a correct coat contains two site: puliclub.org calving, Maggie said. The couple found distinct types of hair: the topcoat, blood in the yard the next day, but a which is made up of longer, hard, harsh Pyrenean Shepherds thorough search turned up no elk car - hairs; and the undercoat, which is soft A Little Herder Takes on a cass, so they think the injured cow with a slight wave (this characteristic Predator must have survived the attack. gives it loft, which is what allows the ut in Montana, not too far from In the mountains of the Pyrenees coat to trap air and insulate the dog’s OYellowstone National Park, one Range where Pyr Sheps originated, the skin). Pyrenean Shepherd owner had a heart- small French shepherd dogs and their A correct Vallhund coat cannot easily stopping experience last spring. flocks are protected by very large Great be “fluffed” with a blow dryer, as a gen - When Maggie and her husband Pyrenees guardian dogs, originally bred eral rule; the topcoat should be hard

AKC GAZETTE • 40 • SEPTEMBER 2012 September 2012 Volume 129, Number 9 Table of Contents

AKC News 2 President’s Letter • 3 Updates • 7 Times Past • 8 Dog People •42 Secretary’s Pages

Breed Columns Toys Non-Sporting Herding 9 Affenpinschers 20 American Eskimo Dogs 28 Australian Cattle Dogs 10 Brussels Griffons 20 Boston Terriers 29 Bearded 10 Cavalier King Charles 21 Bulldogs 30 Spaniels 21 Chinese Shar-Pei 30 Belgian Malinois 11 Chihuahuas 22 Chow Chow 31 Belgian Sheepdogs 11 Chinese Cresteds 23 Dalmatians 32 Belgian Tervuren 12 English Toy Spaniels 23 Finnish Spitz 32 Border Collies 12 Havanese 24 French Bulldogs 33 Bouviers des Flandres 13 Italian Greyhounds 25 Keeshonden 33 14 Maltese 25 Lhasa Apsos 34 Canaan Dogs 14 Miniature Pinschers 26 Löwchen 35 Cardigan Welsh Corgis 15 Papillons 26 Shiba Inu 35 Collies 15 Pekingese 27 Tibetan Spaniels 36 Dogs 16 Pomeranians 27 Tibetan Terriers 36 Icelandic Sheepdogs 17 Pugs 37 Norwegian Buhunds 18 Shih Tzu 37 Old English Sheepdogs 18 Silky Terriers 38 Pembroke Welsh Corgis 19 Toy Fox Terriers 39 Polish Lowland Sheepdogs 19 Yorkshire Terriers 39 Pulik 40 Pyrenean Shepherds 40 Swedish Vallhunds

* Links to AKC Parent Clubs appear following Secretary’s Pages * BREED COLUMNS SCHEDULE Sporting and Working Hound and Terrier Toy, Non-Sporting, January, April, July, February, May, August, and Herding and October and November March, June, September, and December