General Appearance
The Polish indigenous hound, like so many of the European hounds, is unfamiliar outside his home borders. It is medium to large size dog with heavy muscular physique. There is quite big difference between subtle female and hefty male (male: height about 60-65 cm and weight about 30-35 kg, female height about 55 - 60 cm and weight 20-26 kg) . Their coat is short, smooth, and very dense, colour is generally tan and black very often saddled (it looks like a caparison).

Behaviour
Hunters generally utilize Polish Hound for trailing, rarely for hunting wild boars. During the hunt the dog moves at a steady trot or a heavy gallop, and is highly prized for his perseverance and beautiful voice. He trails the prey with a great stubbornness, "singing" - main characteristic of the breed is their melodious voice. Adapted to all terrain and weather, he is a dog of kind and gentle spirit. Although Polish Hounds become psychically mature very late, they work in forest very good even in the earlier age. They do not appear very often on competitions due to small number of hunting dogs but when they appear they often take leading places, even those which are raised by normal people, not hunters.

Presently Polish Hound very often plays accompanying role. Many people appreciate his gentleness and attachment to human family. He is very patient, placid and quiet dog. He need neither many tending nor special trainings. He also doesn't need a lot of exercise - long walks during which he can run without leash are quite sufficient. But if owner is very active and prefer to jog, horse or bicycle ride, etc - the dog will be happy to accompany him. Polish Hound is not a guard dog, he is a friend of all people and animals. He welcome the stranger with barking but do not expect that he will attack him. He can live at peace with cats, birds, rodents or other home pets.

History
Polish Hound is the hero of the first dog related written work called "Myslistwo z ogary"-"Hunting with hound dogs" by Jan Ostrorog from 1616. The dog was so popular that there is nothing in the book about what he looked like at that time, but a lot about his utility. Until the XIXth century the breed was very differentiated. At the end of the XIXth century almost extinct. After the Second World War two Colonels - Pawlusiewicz and Kartwik made an attempt to restore the breed. Kartwik's line was named Ogar Polski, while Pawlusiewicz's dogs are now called Gonczy Polski, however in English they have the same name "Polish Hound". Ogar Polski, recreated by col. Kartwik was based on the dogs imported in the sixties from the East of Europe, region Nowogrodek. The breed standard was created and registered by FCI in 1966.

When you think about right dog for you and your family - remember about that uninconvenient, placid breed. They are not very popular but they deserve more interests, especially as they know many interesting stories not only from wild forest, the stories they could tell us during long, dark evenings...

FCI Standards

Text based on description from Klub Ogara i Gończego Polskiego
www.ogaryigoncze.republika.pl
Prepared by X-mod