Polish Hunting

Hunting in Poland with scent hounds goes back as far as the 13th century where dogs helped the hunter to follow the big game through the deep forests. Nobility enjoyed hunting as a popular sport, as recorded during the 14th Century, and by the 17th century there were at least two types of Polish Scenthounds established. These were commonly known as the Polish 'brach', which was the heavier dog, and the other was the Polish Scenthound which was much lighter. After the first World War, the Polish Scenthound was still used for hunting, although their numbers had been affected by the long war. They were ideally built and bred for the difficult Polish mountains and arduous terrain. During the period of 1903 to 1979, a famous Polish cynologist named Josef Pawuslewich (who enjoyed hunting with Polish Scenthounds) became involved in developing the breed further. He wrote the first Breed Standard and through his involvement, the Polish Hunting dog was officially registered in the Polish Cynological Association. The Polish Hunting dog has strong bone structure but is not heavy; rather they are very mobile and can handle rugged mountainous conditions or regions. They were bred to hunt the deer and wild boar but were occasionally used to hunt the fox and the hare. They demonstrated a great work ethic and had the stamina to continue tracking the prey over many tortuous mountain trails. While they are not known as much outside their homeland, in Poland they are considered a rare dog and one who is valued for their scent tracking skills. They have a voice with a characteristic hound melody to alert the owner of their whereabouts but are otherwise they are quite a quiet dog who enjoys a good snuggle at the end of a busy day.