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Polish Tatra Shepherd |
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FCI standard Nº 252 |
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Origin |
Poland | |
Translation |
Brought up to date by Dr. Paschoud | |
Group |
Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs) | |
Section |
Section 1 Sheepdogs | |
Working |
Without working trial | |
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI |
Saturday 5 October 1963 | |
Publication of the official valid standard |
Thursday 6 February 2025 | |
Last update |
Monday 17 February 2025 | |
En français, cette race se dit |
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Chien de Berger des Tatras |
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar |
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Tatra-Schäferhund |
En español, esta raza se dice |
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Pastor Polaco de Tatra |
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd |
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Tatrahond |
In his country of origin, his name is |
Polski Owczarek Podhalanski |
Usage |
| Herder and watchdog. Its imposing attitude and beautiful appearance make it a good companion dog. |
Brief historical summary |
| Dogs that herd and guard sheep and other livestock have lived in the Carpathian Mountains for centuries. The Polish Tatra Shepherd breed originated from dogs of this type that were bred by the shepherding tribes who settled in the Podhale region of the Tatra range of the Carpathians in the fifteenth century. It is one of the so-called “mountain dogs” descending from the Tibetan Mastiff, and its history follows that of similar dogs from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania. The Polish Tatra Shepherd is an old, local breed, used primarily for flock guarding rather than herding. Its traditional colour was pure white, as white dogs could easily be distinguished from predators such as bear or wolf. According to Hans Räber, the first mention of these dogs outside of Poland occurred in 1938, in the German volume “Die bodenstandigen Hutehundeshlage” by W. Wiland, who named the breed “mountain dog.” First attempts at planned breeding were undertaken after World War I by two existing organizations: The Polish Association of Pedigree Dog Breeders, and The Society of Working Dog Breeders in Poland. The first standard was drafted in 1937, following the first show and breed survey in Zakopane, in the heart of the Tatras, on September 3-5. In May, 1954 the first post-WW II show and assessment took place, also in Zakopane, with some 120 dogs entered, the vast majority of which worked with sheep. A standard was subsequently drawn up, and it was eventually accepted by FCI on August 29, 1967 as no. 252a. Small changes were introduced in 1973 and 1985 (252b); the current version dates from June 8, 1988. The first pedigreed litter of Polish Tatra Shepherds was born in 1957 in the coastal town of Łeba, bred by Dr. Danuta Hryniewicz, whose foundation stock dated back to 1935. |
General appearance |
| Of strong and compact build giving the impression of stamina and mobility. |
Important proportions |
| Rectangular in shape, the length of the body of males being a little shorter than that of bitches. |
Behaviour / temperament |
| Temperament calm, intelligent and alert. |
Head |
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Cranial region |
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Head |
Lean, in good proportion to the body, carried at medium height both in movement and standing. | |
Skull |
Seen in profile slightly rounded ; the frontal groove is shallow. | |
Stop |
Distinctly marked, but without abrupt break. | |
Facial region |
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Nose |
Black, of medium size, with the nostrils wide open. | |
Muzzle |
Strong, gradually tapering ; its length is slightly greater or equal to the length of the skull. | |
Lips |
Desirably taut and well fitting ; the edges of the lips should be dark. | |
Nasal bridge |
The nasal bridge is broad. | |
Jaws and teeth |
Strong, regularly set. Scissor bite, pincer bite accepted. | |
Eyes |
Medium size, expressive, set slightly slanting ; the iris is dark brown ; the eyelid rims are dark. | |
Ears |
Set on at the height of the external angle of the eyes or a little higher, medium length, rather thick, triangular, well furnished with hair ; the front edge of the ear is in slight touch with the head ; auricle mobile. | |
Neck |
| Of medium length, muscular, without any dewlap, with a profuse mane ; the upper line of the neck is higher than the topline of the body. |
Body |
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Body |
Long and massive. | |
Withers |
Distinctly marked, broad. | |
Back |
Level, broad. | |
Loin |
Broad , well coupled. | |
Croup |
Oblique, slightly sloping. | |
Chest |
Deep. | |
Ribs |
Oblique, rather flat. | |
Underline and belly |
Belly slightly tucked up. | |
Tail |
| Set on not too high, carried below the topline ; when excited carried above the topline, but not curved ; hanging, it reaches the hock ; the tip of the tail may be slightly curved. |
Limbs |
Forequarters |
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Generality |
Forelegs muscular, with plenty of bone, but not too heavy ; seen from front straight and parallel. | |
Shoulders |
Slightly sloping, well adapted to the body. | |
Pastern |
Slightly sloping forward. | |
Forefeet |
Compact, oval in shape like a relatively big fist. With hairs between the toes. Pads strong, hard and dark ; nails strong, blunt and dark. | |
Hindquarters |
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Generality |
Viewed from the rear hind legs vertical ; seen from the side slightly set backwards, moderately angulated. | |
Metatarsus |
Seen from the side vertical. | |
Hind feet |
Like the forefeet. | |
Coat |
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Hair |
On head, muzzle, frontpart of forelegs and on the hindlegs from the hock downward the hair is short and dense. The neck and the body are covered with long, thick, straight or slightly wavy hair, hard to the touch. Undercoat profuse. On the neck a rich ruff ; the thighs are covered with profuse, long hair ; on the tail hair also profuse, forming a flag. | |
Colour |
Uniformly white ; little cream coloured patches are undesirable. | |
Size and weight |
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Height at withers |
For males 65-70 cm, for bitches 60-65 cm. | |
Faults |
| • Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work. • Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness. |
General faults |
 Frontal furrow distinctly marked. Poor pigmentation of nose, eyerims and lips. Light eye (called « bear eye »). Entropion. Ears set high, directed backwards or cropped. Neck carried horizontal. Croup overbuilt. Tail carried constantly above the topline. Dewclaws. Lack of hair between the toes. Lack of ruff, lack of feathering on the legs. |
Disqualifying faults |
| Aggresive or overly shy. Stop too shallow. Pointed muzzle. Several missing teeth. Over-or undershot mouth. Ectropion. Hair curly or silky. Lack of undercoat. Coat with coloured patches. Nervous character. |
NB : |
| • Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified. • The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying. • Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. • Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding. |
Bibliography |
| https://www.fci.be/ |
English (United Kingdom)