Skull Morphology of Shepherd Dogs in Poland

Edyta Pasicka; Maciej Janeczek; Ozan Gündemir

doi:10.33988/auvfd.1624722

Research Article

Skull Morphology of Shepherd Dogs in Poland

Year 2025, Volume: 72 Issue: 3, 305 - 312, 01.07.2025

Edyta Pasicka Maciej Janeczek Ozan Gündemir

https://doi.org/10.33988/auvfd.1624722

Abstract

This study aims to assess the skull morphological features of shepherd dog breeds raised in Poland, with an emphasis on native breeds such as the Tatra Sheepdog and Polish Lowland Sheepdog, by utilizing a detailed dataset to analyze and compare the structural traits of their skulls. To achieve this, a total of 32 dog skulls were modeled in 3D, and geometric morphometric analysis was performed to reveal skull shape variations. Among the shepherd samples used, the Polish Lowland Sheepdog exhibited the smallest average skull size. The Tatra Shepherd Dog displayed a skull size similar to that of other sheepdog breeds, although it was larger than that of the Polish Lowland Sheepdog. The results indicate that the Tatra Shepherd Dog possesses a more robust and elongated skull structure compared to the Polish Lowland Sheepdog. Both of these Polish shepherd breeds share similar skull morphology with other shepherd breeds, with the notable exception of collies. Collie breeds exhibit a markedly dolichocephalic skull morphology that sets them apart from the other samples in this study. The analysis revealed that neither Procrustes distance nor shape variation from PC1 had a statistically significant effect on skull size. To enhance our understanding of Poland's shepherd dog diversity, future studies should focus on expanding the dataset to include additional native Polish breeds and exploring a broader range of morphological features beyond the skull.

Keywords

Carnivora , geometric morphometrics , shape analysis , skull

Ethical Statement

This study does not present any ethical concerns.

Supporting Institution

This research received no grant from any funding agency/sector.

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There are 25 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language	English
Subjects	Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology
Journal Section	Research Article
Authors	Edyta Pasicka 0000-0002-9852-400X Maciej Janeczek 0000-0003-4357-2271 Ozan Gündemir 0000-0002-3637-8166
Early Pub Date	April 10, 2025
Publication Date	July 1, 2025
Submission Date	January 21, 2025
Acceptance Date	March 20, 2025
Published in Issue	Year 2025 Volume: 72 Issue: 3

Cite

APA	Pasicka, E., Janeczek, M., & Gündemir, O. (2025). Skull Morphology of Shepherd Dogs in Poland. Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi, 72(3), 305-312. https://doi.org/10.33988/auvfd.1624722
AMA	Pasicka E, Janeczek M, Gündemir O. Skull Morphology of Shepherd Dogs in Poland. Ankara Univ Vet Fak Derg. July 2025;72(3):305-312. doi:10.33988/auvfd.1624722
Chicago	Pasicka, Edyta, Maciej Janeczek, and Ozan Gündemir. “Skull Morphology of Shepherd Dogs in Poland”. Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi 72, no. 3 (July 2025): 305-12. https://doi.org/10.33988/auvfd.1624722.
EndNote	Pasicka E, Janeczek M, Gündemir O (July 1, 2025) Skull Morphology of Shepherd Dogs in Poland. Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi 72 3 305–312.
IEEE	E. Pasicka, M. Janeczek, and O. Gündemir, “Skull Morphology of Shepherd Dogs in Poland”, Ankara Univ Vet Fak Derg, vol. 72, no. 3, pp. 305–312, 2025, doi: 10.33988/auvfd.1624722.
ISNAD	Pasicka, Edyta et al. “Skull Morphology of Shepherd Dogs in Poland”. Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi 72/3 (July2025), 305-312. https://doi.org/10.33988/auvfd.1624722.
JAMA	Pasicka E, Janeczek M, Gündemir O. Skull Morphology of Shepherd Dogs in Poland. Ankara Univ Vet Fak Derg. 2025;72:305–312.
MLA	Pasicka, Edyta et al. “Skull Morphology of Shepherd Dogs in Poland”. Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 72, no. 3, 2025, pp. 305-12, doi:10.33988/auvfd.1624722.
Vancouver	Pasicka E, Janeczek M, Gündemir O. Skull Morphology of Shepherd Dogs in Poland. Ankara Univ Vet Fak Derg. 2025;72(3):305-12.

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