Is a Polish Hunting Spaniel right for you?

Introduction

The Polish Hunting Spaniel is a versatile and tireless hunting dog developed in Poland during the early 20th century for all-purpose bird flushing and retrieval work. While its name includes ‘spaniel’, this breed differs greatly from its milder English Cocker Spaniel cousins and other companion-bred spaniel lines. The Polish Hunting Spaniel retains the athleticism, endurance, fearlessness, and relentless hunting drive of its working spaniel ancestors.

Today’s Polish Hunting Spaniels remain prized by hunters for their excellent scenting ability, eagerness to range and quarter in the field, and willingness to work closely with a handler. Yet their high exercise and engagement needs also make them rewarding competitors and companions for active pet owners seeking an athletic canine partner. This medium-sized spaniel excels at locating and flushing upland game and retrieving waterfowl in diverse terrain.

With its attractive appearance, the Polish Hunting Spaniel may give a misleading impression that sometimes leads inexperienced owners to choose this breed without understanding its actual working temperament and needs.  Like many other working breeds, the PSM needs a higher level of both physical and mental stimulation as well as training than a companion breed dog. This is not the easiest breed for a completely inexperienced first-time dog owner, or someone who does not enjoy an active, outdoorsy lifestyle.

This article provides an in-depth look at the Polish Hunting Spaniel’s working traits, exercise needs, trainability, and suitability for different lifestyles. Read on for a comprehensive guide to responsible Polish Hunting Spaniel ownership and whether this energetic, versatile spaniel is the right fit for you.

Hunting ability and use

The Polish Hunting Spaniel was developed in Poland in the early 1900s to be an all-purpose, versatile bird dog able to locate, flush, and retrieve different types of upland game and waterfowl.

Their hunting abilities include:

• The stamina and tireless energy to range and quarter back and forth while working the field for hours searching for hidden game.
• The agility and athleticism to penetrate dense, overgrown cover and negotiate all kinds of rugged terrain from marshes to mountainsides.
• A strong retrieval drive focused on swiftly locating downed birds and bringing them back undamaged to hand.
• The ability to systematically quarter the field back and forth to effectively cover ground seeking game.
• A willing eagerness to enter cold water of any depth to retrieve waterfowl no matter the conditions.
• The trainability to ignore and avoid non-target animals when focused on game.
• Attentiveness to handler signals and willingness to take direction regarding where to search or quarter.

In addition, the Polish Hunting Spaniel possesses:

• A strong hunting desire and instincts – this is a true working breed regardless of home life.
• Courageous perseverance and athleticism allowing them to cover vast, difficult terrain.
• Keen scenting skills that aid them while locating and tracking game.
• A bright, biddable personality that enables them to excel at scentwork like tracking and search and rescue.

The Polish Hunting Spaniel’s blend of traits makes them a versatile hunter able to pursue various birds over diverse landscapes and conditions. Their energetic working temperament and innate abilities are ideally suited to flushing and retrieving work.

What the Polish Hunting Spaniel is like

Polish Hunting Spaniels have personalities as lively and energetic as their hunting drive. This is a breed that typically maintains a youthful temperament well into adulthood, exuding playfulness, exuberance and zest for life.

Polish Hunting Spaniels form deep, devoted bonds with their family that go beyond mere loyalty. They are truly velcro dogs, tending to follow their special person from room to room just to be near them. While initially wary of strangers, once a Polish Hunting Spaniel accepts someone, they treat them with great affection. This breed craves attention and thrives on physical touch and praise from their people.

The Polish Hunting Spaniel’s aim to please and close connection with their owner make them highly responsive to training when done properly. Positive reinforcement methods work extremely well, as this sensitive breed can be very affected by scolding or correction. Keeping training sessions fun, playful, and rewarding is key to success with this intelligent dog. They are eager to learn but can be cunning in exploiting any inconsistencies or lapses in training.

Out in the field, Polish Hunting Spaniels are the epitome of persistence and endurance. Their intense drive to hunt makes them tireless and attentive workers, eagerly covering ground and tracking game. At home, their energy and work ethic translate to enthusiastically participating in any play session, training activity, or chance to be outdoors working with their owner.

In summary, the Polish Hunting Spaniel’s personality combines a loyal, loving temperament with vivacious energy and an innate drive to work closely with their human. They thrive when provided consistent training guidance and plenty of opportunities to channel their enthusiasm.

What the Polish Hunting Spaniel needs

As a driven working breed, the Polish Hunting Spaniel has some specific needs to live happily and harmoniously with humans. We’ll cover the exercise they require, activities that engage their minds.

Physical Exercise

The Polish Hunting Spaniel was developed for all-day hunts across rough countryside and water. Their athletic build, tireless temperament, and innate stamina enable them to quest energetically across all types of terrain when pursuing game.

Polish Hunting Spaniels are not suited to a primarily sedentary lifestyle – providing them with plenty of vigorous activity and mental engagement helps them become calm, well-mannered companions. As working dogs bred for endurance, they need ample daily activity to be satisfied and content in the home. Due to these strong working abilities, Polish Hunting Spaniels typically need upwards of 60 minutes of daily activity to stay fit and content. Brisk long walks, jogging, hiking, swimming, and allowing them to explore new outdoor places provides the physical exercise they thrive on. Without sufficient outlets for exercise, they are prone to boredom and may exhibit undesirable behaviours.

Providing them with regular active jobs that challenge both their bodies and minds is ideal for this breed. They love activities that engage their natural hunting drive and mental focus. Adequate daily exercise helps transform the energetic Polish Hunting Spaniel into a relaxed and enjoyable companion.

Mental Exercise

However, Polish hunting spaniels also need mental stimulation to be fully satisfied. As working hunting dogs, their minds crave engagement – merely providing physical exercise will make the dog increasingly fit, while not satisfying their need for a mental challenge. Activities that mimic real hunting behavior provide a constructive cognitive outlet. Regular sniffing, sniffing games, tracking exercises and search tasks utilize their problem-solving abilities and instinctive drives.

Regularly learning new behaviors and tricks is also mentally stimulating, and encouraging your dog to sniff out hidden treats or look for toys during walks encourages natural hunting behavior in dogs living in more urban environments. In these contexts, intellectual games, sniffing mats, and chews can provide additional indoor enrichment, but the Polish Hunting Spaniel thrives best when exercising both mind and body through training and hunting-related tasks.

Importantly, Polish Hunting Spaniels tend to require a higher level of physical exercise and mental stimulation on a frequent, ideally daily, basis – not just occasionally.

Training

This highly intelligent breed benefits from lifelong training that provides mental stimulation along with reinforcing rules and manners. Early socialization to new places, people, animals and experiences is key to raising a confident, stable adult.

Polish Hunting Spaniels are sensitive and respond best to positive reinforcement training methods using rewards like praise, play and treats. Although setting firm boundaries and teaching impulse control from puppyhood is critical, harsh corrections can damage their eagerness to work as well as eroding their trust in humans, in worst cases leading to aggression. This is not unlike many breeds, but the gentle appearance of PSM can mean the maladaptive behaviours come as a surprise, even though they are typically a result of human actions.

Their energetic nature means training must be consistent, patient, and kept interesting. Short, frequent sessions are most effective at holding their attention span. Owners must commit to reinforcing training day in and day out to manage this energetic breed.

Preventing Problems

Just like many other working breeds, if their needs are not met, Polish Hunting Spaniels may develop unwanted behaviors like chewing, barking and digging due to boredom and under-stimulation. Their close bonds with family means separation anxiety can also contribute to problem behaviors. Their strong hunting instinct can also lead to recall issues, so early and consistent training is essential.

Understanding the root causes of potentially maladaptive behaviors allows owners to address their Polish Hunting Spaniel’s underlying needs through positive training and enrichment – rewarding good behaviors, not just preventing problems, is equally important. The key is providing sufficient exercise, training, and activities to engage their minds and bodies.

Who is the PSM for?

You might be a good fit for a PSM if you are…

1. Prepared to properly socialize and train a sensitive, intelligent hunting dog from puppyhood.
2. Willing and able to commit to providing relatively high levels of physical activity, mental enrichment, and training for this energetic breed.
3. Eager to participate in channeling the breed’s strong natural hunting drives and instincts into positive outlets.

You might want to consider if the PSM is the right choice if you are…

1. Seeking a casual pet rather than an active sporting or working dog or otherwise unable to meet the needs of this energetic breed
2. Away from home frequently or for long periods of time each day.
3. An inexperienced first-time dog owner unprepared for handling a high-drive hunting breed (unless you are keen to learn a lot about dog training!)

In summary

The Polish Hunting Spaniel is a versatile sporting dog that retains the tireless working abilities of its spaniel ancestors. While their good looks may catch the eye of novice pet owners, these dogs have substantial needs for exercise, training, and engagement. These dogs thrive when their energy and instincts find positive outlets through activities, sports, training, and time with their owner.

Their lively, affectionate temperament and bonding potential make them rewarding companions for those able to properly channel their enthusiasm.

For active individuals able to provide consistent training, reinforcement, and outlets for energy from puppyhood onwards, the Polish Hunting Spaniel’s versatility and loyalty make them delightful partners.