MyDogBreeds
Segugio Italiano is originated from Italy but Hortaya Borzaya is originated from Russia. Both Segugio Italiano and Hortaya Borzaya are having almost same height. Segugio Italiano may weigh 8 kg / 17 pounds lesser than Hortaya Borzaya. Both Segugio Italiano and Hortaya Borzaya has almost same life span. Both Segugio Italiano and Hortaya Borzaya has almost same litter size. Both Segugio Italiano and Hortaya Borzaya requires Low maintenance.
Known also as the Segit, the Segugio Italiano is an ancient dog breed believed to have descended from Egyptian hounds.
Both males and females stand at between 48 and 58cm and they weight between between 18 and 28kg. It’s a medium to large sized dog. The dog is a scenthound and was at first used for wild boar hunting in ancient times. Once wild boar numbers become much less, the Segit itself dropped in numbers, and it faced extinction.
Dedicated houndsmen worked hard to restore the numbers and the dog was successfully bred. It is a popular dog in Italy today. The Segugio Italiano isn’t recognized by the American Kennel Club whereas the Kennel Club in the UK recognizes it in the Hound Group.
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 Segugio Italiano has a distinctive look to him. He’s a large dog standing at between 68 and 76cm in height and weighing between 16 and 27 kg.
The body is lean and muscular and the Italian Scenthound has an amicable looking expression on his face. The coat of the dog is available in two types - short-haired or wire-haired.
The short-haired variety needs to be brushed on a weekly basis but is generally easy to maintain. Wire-haired dogs may require hand-stripping several times a year.
The coat of these dogs range from deep red to wheaten or black. Many dogs have white markings on the head, chest, feet, and the tip of the tail. The ears are long and floppy. If you want your dogs to have puppies, you can expect a litter size of between 4 to 6 puppies.
As a Scenthound, the Segugio Italiano is an intelligent dog, easily trained. He is best trained and socialized as he tends to be stubborn and he is also an independent strong-willed dog. It’s not an aggressive dog and yet it makes a good watchdog.
He’s adaptable but wouldn’t adjust well to living in a small space in the city.
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 amicable Segugio Italiano just wants to please. They get on well with children and pets. They’re easy going dogs that will require a good deal of exercise.
They make wonderful pets and companions, being particularly well suited to outdoor type of people. They make good watchdogs too, and with his interesting looks, his intelligence and gentle nature, you’re going to have an exceptional canine companion.
Children friendliness - yes, they are very good with children and will play with them for hours.
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.
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 yes, they are intelligent and learn easily.
When you have a Segugio Italiano, you’re not likely to be spending much money at the vet, as these dogs are fairly healthy.
If your pet does show signs of illness, as a responsible pet owner it is your job to get him pet to the vet quickly as this can prevent other problems developing.
Dogs with such long ears can be more prone to ear infections. Your pet can be in pain and he will shake his head and paw at the infected ear. He may also be vomiting from nausea. You need to get your dog to the vet as soon as possible because with severe ear infection cases, there can even be facial nerve damage.
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.
The Segugio Italiano comes with two coat types, the short-haired variety as well as the wire-haired variety. The short-haired dog will need to be brushed at least twice a week, while the wire-haired dog may require hand stripping.
Segugio Italianos love a good bout of exercise, and out on the hunt they are constantly on the move. They’re known for their stamina, but once back at home, they can settle down quite calmly. Make sure this pet of yours is well exercised, whether walks, running off his leash or ball games.
Have a good look at the size of your dog, his age and energy levels before choosing dog food. When feeding your dog, don’t make it all complicated. All your dog wants is a simple, nutritious meal.
There are good commercially manufactured dog foods on the market and by reading the labeling you can ensure the best kibble for your pet. Try and give him some home made food too.
Boiled chicken, brown rice or pasta and spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots are a healthy choice for your pet – simple, tasty and nutritious. You can add a little bit of this twice a week to the dry kibble. Your dog will love it and it won’t cause any digestive problems.
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.
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.
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.