| A Polish Tatra Sheepdog | ||||||||||
| Other names | Tatra Mountain Sheepdog Owczarek Tatrzanski Owczarek Podhalanski Polski Owczarek |
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| Nicknames | Podhalan Tatra |
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| Country of origin | Poland | |||||||||
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| Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) | ||||||||||
The Polish Tatra Sheepdog is a breed of dog introduced into the Tatra Mountains of Southern Poland by Vlachian (Romanian) shepherds, probably in the 14th century, and used to guard and herd sheep. It is therefore related to the Romanian Bucovina, Carpathian and Mioritic breeds.
The Tatras are large (45–60 kg/100–150 lb) white dogs with heavy dense fur. These dogs are very similar in appearance and temperament to the Pyrenean Mountain Dog and the Hungarian Kuvasz.
Tatras are a breed of dog that almost died out in Poland during the wars, due to starvation. They are primarily considered an LGD. Their instinct, through hundreds of years of breeding, is to protect livestock, though they easily adopt a family as a flock. They are a good companion dog as well as a protection dog. They are not an attack dog, but rather move threats away through intimidation. They have a loud bark. They shed white fur, but are tight lipped and don't drool as much as some similar breeds. They are not all that similar in temperament to their Mountain dog cousins the Kuvasz, Great Pyrenees or Maremma Sheepdog. They are less aloof than the other breeds, tending to be better tied into their breeding and not as domesticated or inbred as some of their cousins.
In the USA the Tatra sheepdog is considered a rare breed. It is not recognized by the AKC.