ORIGIN : Poland.
UTILIZATION : Hound.
FCI's CLASSIFICATION : Group 6 Scent Hounds and related breeds
Section 1.2 Medium sized Hounds
With Working Trial.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Medium size dog, of strong and compact build, powerful bone-structure and quite massive with legs in proportion. The whole outline is that of power and endurance rather than speed. The voice on the trail is sonorous and pure, of changeable medium pitch, generally higher pitched in the female.
HEAD : Rather heavy, nobly chiselled. In profile looks like a medium length rectangle; the elongated muzzle is truncated at the tip, neither wedge-shaped nor pointed. Lips thick and drooping; nose black and large; corner of bottom lip drooping. Strong jaws, sufficiently long, with regular bite. Cheek muscles well developed. Skull as long as the muzzle. The line of the forehead forms a blunt angle with the top line of the muzzle. The superciliary ridges very developed, forehead very wrinkled. Occipital protuberance well pronounced. Cranial-facial depression well defined.
EYES : Gentle and serene expression; set on the slant, not very deep-set, dark brown; lower lid drooping in older dogs.
EARS : Set low, quite long, hanging, slightly rounded at the tip. The base of the ear flap is twisted and hangs close to the head.
NECK : Remarkably thick at point of insertion with the body, powerful, muscled, of medium length. Dewlap is loose and very richly folded.
FOREQUARTERS : Chest is capacious, broad and deep in porportion; forearm quite well muscled. Shoulder oblique, well developed muscles. Pastern joint well defined, prominent, neat, lean, of size corresponding to the pastern.
FEET : Of quite a strong bone structure, strong muscles, toes well closed, strong nails, thick and short in working dogs. They are light coloured when the toes are white, and black when the toes are fawn.
BODY : Thoracic cage is ample, wide and deep in proportion. The sternal region descends to the elbows, ribs well sprung, long like the whole rib cage, closer to the vertical position than in other breeds. The back is long, broad and muscled. The croup is not sloping; it is broad. Belly capacious, broad, nearly as deep as the chest. Abdomen not too tucked up. The flank is not hollow, is well filled, rounded with a possible hollow in the region of the hypocondrium.
HINDQUARTERS : Thighs have a strong bone structure, long, strong and well developed muscles. Sloping second thigh, fairly short, well muscled. Well defined lean hock. Nails are thick, strong and curved.
HIND FEET : Metatarsal slightly inclined, toes well closed, pads large, covered with thick skin.
TAIL : Rather low set, thick, covered with long hair in its lower part, hangs below the hock, slightly drooping; from half the length of the leg, slightly curved. In normal movement slightly raised but not rolled up. In action, slightly raised, but not above the horizontal.
COAT COLOUR : Head and ears, except the lateral sides of the skull, of tan colour; the ears a little darker than the rest. The legs, sternal region and thighs also tan. Body black or dark grey almost black; in ancient Polish hunting language it was called "podzary" (burnt). The tan colour, essentially fawn, has various intensities of that tone up to cinnamon, very much appreciated in the Polish Hound. The white hairs, admitted in shape of a star, forming a blaze reaching to the muzzle, on the chest, the extremeties of the legs and of the tail. The black may form a mantle which extends as far as on the head. Distinct tan spots above the eyes. Black which extends as far as the muzzle of the Polish Hound is a case for disqualification.
COAT : Medium length hair, thick, with a dense undercoat, a little longer on the back, at the back of the hindquarters and on the lower part of the tail.
WEIGHT AND SIZE :
a) Weight : bitches 20 - 26 kg
dogs 25 - 32 kg
b) Size : bitches 55 - 60 cm
dogs 56 - 65 cm
GAIT/MOVEMENT : Normally moves at a slow and heavy short trot. When hunting he quarters and chases at a heavy gallop.
ANATOMICAL AND TYPE FAULTS :
- Ears too long or too short and standing away from the head.
- Head with occipital crest not enough pronounced, and upper orbital
arches not sufficiently defined.
- Muzzle too pointed.
- Eye too light.
- Black muzzle.
- Insufficient musculature.
- Flat pads.
- Down in pastern.
- Tail fine, too short or too long, barely covered with hair, rolled up.
- Chest underdeveloped.
- Defective teeth.
- Hoarse voice.
N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.