Hortaya Borzaya vs Labradoodle - Breed Comparison

The Hortaya Borzaya is an ancient sighthound from Asia with its origins in Kievan Rus = Grand Duchy of Lithuania = Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Empire of Russia. The Hortaya is a large dog, especially a long in body dog with a muscular build suitable for running fast. He is one of the most talented of sighthounds, able to track moving prey at quite great distances. He is an intensely active when running prey and quiet and well balanced when not working.

In Asia and Russia, it is still a working hunting dog, hunting a variety of game such as Saiga antelopes, wolves, foxes, and hares. With tremendous endurance, the Hortaya can run at great speeds and great distances on the hunt. The Hortaya Borzaya is a long distance runner rather than a sprinter like the greyhound we are all so familiar with. He also needs very little rest between runs of up to 4 km. The Hortaya uses his sense of smell as well as sight in the hunt. They hunt solo, in pairs or in packs.

It was not until 2004 that the Hortaya was first exported to Europe and given full breeding papers. They went to Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic in 2004. They went to Switzerland and Finland in 2005 and to the United States around 2005. Prior to this the Hortaya Borzaya was bred only in its original territory for thousands of years.

Unlike Western breeding programs, the Hortaya is not bred for the purpose of improving the breed. Like Asian thoroughbred horses the breed is considered “finished”. Because of this there was no inbreeding, linebreeding or incest. This is true for about 4-6 generations of a line. This helps the breed to stay healthy.

The breed was developed centuries ago being bred by many different groups of people throughout the region, making it impossible to say exactly where and how this Central Asian/Afghanistan/ southern Russian breed developed. The Russian Kynological Federation (RKF) member of the FCI, developed a standard for the Hortaya Borzaya, which unlike most breed standards, does not tell you what the Hortaya must be like. Instead it tells you what he cannot be.

It gives boundaries that the dog must fit inside in order to be considered a Hortaya Borzaya. This is because the breeds of these dogs in their native territories want to preserve as many different types and sub-types as possible under the banner of one breed. To most people these dogs would look like very different breeds. For this reason, they have not been accepted into International Breed Groups and Associations. The breeders of these dogs do not want to be tied down to one standard. They do not want the breed to be separated into western lines and the original line or show lines and working lines. They wish to keep all the dogs within one grouping.

The breed is recognized on the national level by the originating countries and federations, including Russia’s. There are an estimated 2500-3500 dog of this breed in existence to day. Only a few dozen of the breed exist outside of the original countries. In other Eastern and European countries, the dogs may be registered with hunting associations instead of a breed association.

The breed is held mostly by hunters in remote, local areas and villages that are fairly isolated. Here the Hortaya is seen as a partner in feeding the hunters family and the dog is invaluable. In these remote areas a good hunting dog is equal in value to the good horse. Both are essential to the hunter and his family’s livelihood.

The Hortaya Borzaya is a pack dog and does well with the family as well as an athletic hunter. They hunt in packs, small groups or alone and bring their catch back to the hunter for the family meal. No hunter had to go with the dog. In fact, the hunters would send the dogs several times for food. The Hortaya might travel for miles across tough terrain to get food for the family.

The Labradoodle is certainly a popular cross breed dog which was developed originally in Australia to be a hypoallergenic guide dog.

The dog is a cross between a Labrador and a Poodle, possessing some of the excellent characteristics from each dog while also being a low shedding dog.

The Labradoodle became known in 1988 when an Australian breeder, crossed the Labrador Retriever and Standard Poodle. The success of the dog led other breeders to begin breeding with Labradors and Poodles, with breeders wanting to move the dog from hybrid to official breed status. As of today, the Labradoodle isn’t recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club.

This athletic sighthound is a handsome dog, ranging from large to giant. Remember there are many different ‘types’ of dogs within the one line/breed of Hortaya. Breed standards are exclusionary, and performance based rather than inclusionary, and appearance based. Still most of the breed lines share many of the same traits.

They are a long legged breed with a very deep chest and flexible spine. They have immensely strong lungs and a narrow but long skull. Their gait is fluid, effortless trotting when not hunting. When she is hunting, they gallop like a horse and cover a lot of ground.

There eyes are usually black but can be any color and their fur is also any color. It is thick and dense. Finally, in the 2000’s, there were some dogs in a subline exported to Europe and to North America. Here, for this subgroup, a standard was established based on appearance and the color or the coat was now set at only white, blue, black, cream, red, sable and brindle, and piebald. They might or might not have a saddle. Definition of this type is still going on and has not been entirely settled yet. This standard is only for the European and American market show dogs.

These dogs, bred for show, have the same ability to run like the wind and for a very long time with his muscled body and long legs. The breed has strength and stamina that will fool you. He also has a long neck and broad back. He has thin, short ears.

The Labradoodle can come in different sizes – miniature, medium and standard. The standard Labradoodle is a large dog which stands at 53 to 63cm and weighs 23 to 30kg.

The coat also differs and it can be made up of tight curls or it can be thick and wavy or even straight. The coat is of medium length and is available in lots of colors – cream, apricot, black, whitish, brown and even a brindle color.

Strong and muscular, he has floppy ears and the tail which was once docked, is left long these days and hangs down or it can be carried somewhat upright and curved.

Temperament:

Known as a designer breed, your Labradoodle is sure to be nothing but a pleasure for you, being a 100% companion dog.

Because he comes from two popular dog breeds of which each possess some exceptional characteristics, your Labradoodle could inherit any or all of the characteristics from one or both dogs. He has also been bred to be a hypoallergenic dog which means you aren’t going to have to worry about too much hair flying around. But there again, if he has inherited more of the Labrador’s coat then there will be some shedding.

Because of his amicable nature, he makes a good first-choice dog for first-time dog owners too. The friendly nature of the dog doesn’t make him a particularly good watch dog however.

These are dogs which are happiest when they’re with their human family. They’re a dog breed which is also easy to train because he is intelligent and an eager-to-please dog. He gets on well with children in the home as well as with other pets.

He is the kind of dog that is willing to blend into your lifestyle. If you’re quietly reading indoors he will be lying with you and if you’re pursuing some outdoor activity, he’ll be happy to join right in with you.

The beauty about the Labradoodle is that he can adapt to any kind of lifestyle in the city or countryside, but he wouldn’t be recommended for a place with hardly any garden.He is the kind of dog who will certainly need to be exercised and he will want to join you in your outdoor activities.

It is important to remember that the way your Labradoodle turns out will be affected by socialization and training, his genes and your home and lifestyle.

Children friendliness

Children friendliness - yes, they are very good with children and will play with them for hours.

Special talents

They have tremendous stamina, speed and intelligence to hunt on their own without the hunter and bring the prey back in good shape for the hunter’s family to eat.

Adaptability

No they are not very adaptable in terms of living arrangements. They will not do well in an apartment and probably not in the city as they need land to run.

Learning ability

Learning ability yes, they are intelligent and learn easily.

Maybe it’s the diversity of Labradoodles that makes them so popular – as you never know quite what you’re going to get.

Everyone agrees however that these cross-breeds make lovable, wonderful pets - lovely to look at and with all the qualities needed to ensure he is man's best friend. They’re available in 3 sizes but each size is going to make you an incredibly amazing pet and companion.

As previously mentioned, the original breed is isolated and therefore has a pretty good health track record. Most of the breed specific illnesses or conditions that usually are inherited barely exist in this breed.

They have a propensity toward obesity and diet is essential to prevent other issues.

Chronic or acute pancreatitis is possible because the breed developed eating small meals and hardly any meat. Too much meat or fat could cause this.

No tolerance for high protein dog food. Can cause puppies to have life threatening damage to bones and cartilage that is irreversible.

Bloat – because of the deep chest and the intolerance for large meals they are prone to bloat.

Labradoodles can be a little bit unpredictable when it comes to their health because they can inherit problems common to one or both parent breeds. This means you could well have to deal with hip dysplasia or one of the many eye disorders there are.

These dogs could well be susceptible to an eye disease known as progressive retinal atrophy which is an inherited disease which can result in blindness.

Because they have floppy ears, the inside of the ear can accumulate dirt, wax and moisture, and this combination can lead to bacteria within the ear and to an infection if nothing is done to clean the inside of the ear. There are products available which can help you to gently clean the ears.

Addison's Disease is a disease found in Poodles and Labradors.It is where the pituitary gland doesn’t create the hormone ACTH. This hormone regulates cortisol and without cortisol, your Labradoodle can’t digest food properly.

Dogs with Addison's disease are usually lethargic, thirsty, they urinate often and they have an abnormally fast heart rate.

Feeding the puppy

As mentioned above do not overfeed a Hortaya Borzaya puppy. There is serious risk of irreversible damage if you do. Feed small meals 3-6 times a day with lower protein.

Feeding the adult

3 cups of an average protein high quality dog food served at least 3-4 times per day. To avoid bloat do not feed large meals before or after exercise and don’t let your dog drink a lot of water at one time.

Points for Good Health

They have tremendous stamina and speed.

Games and Exercises

This is an extremely active dog bred to hunt 5-6 times a day over wide expanses of various and rough terrain. They need exercise. If you run, they will run with you happily and they will outlast you. They are good at and enjoy fetch, chase, agility, and field trials. They will last hours at any game they play.

Grooming your Labradoodle will be necessary if you want the coat to look bright, vibrant and healthy. Not all Labradoodles will have the same coats, so grooming requirements might be different from dog to dog.

As with any dog, he will also need a brush-down twice a week. Also your Labradoodle might require trimming or clipping which will help you to maintain the coat in an easier fashion.

Make sure to ensure a top quality diet suited to his size, age and energy levels. Check him over regularly for illnesses and make sure you provide him with lots of love and attention.