Breed Standard

A breed standard reads like a checklist for the show ring, but it is more useful read as a description of a working dog. Almost every point in it protects some part of what the Polish Hunting Spaniel was built to do.

Take the outline. The PSM is a medium spaniel with a rectangular body and a little more leg than the familiar British breeds. The height off the ground gives reach in dense cover and stability on broken terrain, and it produces the breed's level, economical trot. A dog that has to work long days in mixed country cannot afford a flashy, high-lifting gait; the standard describes an efficient mover because efficiency is what the work needs.

The coat works the same way. It is straight or lightly wavy over a dense undercoat that behaves like practical water-working kit: water runs off it, the undercoat often stays dry through repeated entries, the dog warms quickly, and the moderate feathering sheds debris and rarely mats. The chocolate roan colouring and white tail tip come from the reconstructed foundation stock.

Moderation runs through the whole standard for the same reason. A general-purpose spaniel has to search, flush, retrieve, track and swim across a long day, and exaggeration in any direction, of coat, angulation, size or drive, tends to cost some of that. Moderation is also what keeps the show and working dogs from drifting into separate types: while the points rewarded in the ring still describe a dog that can do the job, the two stay in step.

A show evaluation is therefore information, not a verdict on the whole dog. A grading records how one judge read a dog's structure against the standard on one day; it says nothing about the dog's nose, their problem-solving or how they live, which is why we treat conformation results as one input among several. For a technical walk through how a standard translates into working structure, see my own The anatomy of a breed standard.

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The official standard

Official English translation of the Polish Hunting Spaniel breed standard, reproduced from polishhuntingspaniel.com (translation: Renata Berlińska). A Dutch translation is also available there (Marjoleine Roosendaal).

General appearance

Medium-sized dog, of compact build providing great mobility and resistance for difficult working conditions, mainly in fields, meadows, rushes, bogs and water. The limbs of fairly strong bone; the ears hanging, covered with fringes of longer hair. Feathering is present also on the tail, belly and back of the legs. The coat colour is most frequently chocolate roan with patches of different shade, less often black roan. Fawn tan markings sometimes occur. The characteristic feature is the white tip of the tail.

Important proportions

Moderate size, allowing the dog to move unnoticed in dense bushes and tall grasses; rectangular build, ratio of height at withers to length of body 9 : 10–12 (bitches may be slightly longer). Ratio of muzzle length to skull length 1 : 1. Leg height from ground to elbow equals half the height at the withers. The medium-length neck appears longer due to well-defined withers.

Behaviour / temperament

Balanced and self-possessed. Courageous and active at work, capable of excellent, tireless work in difficult terrain and in water. Intelligent and easy to train. When scenting game, the dog crouches and crawls, waiting for the command to flush it by jumping and barking.

Does not show aggression but may be wary towards strangers. An excellent hunting dog, good companion on walks, and watchdog. Likes contact with people and familiar children.

Head

Noble, quite large but in proportion to the body.

Skull: same length as the muzzle but slightly convex; occiput well defined. Stop: slightly pronounced.

Nose: black or brown according to coat colour; large, protruding ahead of the upper lip, nostrils wide open and mobile. Muzzle: well filled, deep, somewhat blunt, nose bridge straight. Lips: upper lip fleshy, slightly pendulous, well overlapping the lower lip. Jaws/teeth: white, quite large; scissors bite natural, pincer bite acceptable; full dentition desirable but not required. Cheeks: lean, filled, visibly chiselled below the eyes. Eyes: medium sized, almond or triangular-shaped, friendly expression, colour light to dark hazel corresponding to coat colour. Ears: hanging, lying close to the cheeks, usually reaching the nose, covered with fringes; mobile and carried slightly higher when the dog is working or alert.

Neck

Medium length, well muscled, oval cross-section, well fitted into the ribcage. Skin lean, without folds or dewlap.

Body

Top line: smooth, not broken or visibly arched. Withers: well defined, higher and more pronounced in males. Back: straight, fairly broad and well muscled. Loin: broad, muscular, medium length. Croup: fairly broad and muscular. Chest: deep — often reaching below the elbow in adult dogs — very capacious, with long, oblique ribs. Underline and belly: only slightly tucked up.

Tail

Medium length, set not too high, reaching at least the hock joint, often ending in a light tip (the "tracer"). Carried low and curved slightly upwards at rest; may be carried a little higher than the top line in action.

Forequarters & hindquarters

Seen from the front, straight and parallel; distance from elbow to ground equals half the height at the withers. Shoulders quite short and oblique, well muscled. Forearms straight, lean, of fairly strong bone. Forefeet with long, elastic toes and large, firm pads, "slippers" of longer hair between them.

Hindquarters straight and parallel from the rear, set slightly "behind the dog" and well angulated when seen from the side. Thighs well muscled; stifle and hock joints lean, well pronounced, with marked angulation. Hind feet compact, slightly oval-shaped.

Gait / movement

Free, flexible in the joints, agile and parallel when trotting, with a fairly long stride that is not lifted high above the ground — the movement must be economical. When working with a hunter, the dog moves easily and quickly, low above the ground, on bent legs, crouching and sitting, with sudden changes of direction, stops or springy jumps.

Skin & coat

Skin: not too thick, without folds or wrinkles, no dewlap. Coat hair: medium length with undercoat; straight, soft, weather-resistant, no tendency to curl or wave. Longer hair forms fringes on the ears, limbs, forechest, belly and tail plume. Coat colour: most often roan with patches, chocolate colour prevailing in various shades, occasionally black roan; fawn tan markings sometimes occur. The characteristic feature is the white tip of the tail.

Size

Height at withers: males 43–48 cm (± 2 cm); females 39–44 cm (± 2 cm). Weight: 12–26 kg.

Faults

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault, and the seriousness with which it is regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect on the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.

Disqualifying faults

• Aggressive or overly shy dogs.
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities.
• Lack of the type required in the breed standard.

N.B.: 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.