Russian Piebald Hound

History of the Russian Piebald Hound breed

In Russia at the beginning of the XIX century, everyone was engaged in breeding hounds, which eventually led to the loss of a single breed type by animals. Every landowner capable of maintaining a kennel considered it his direct duty to play the breeder. As a result: the dogs were spontaneously infused with the blood of harlequins, as well as Polish and brudast hound, which affected not only the appearance, but also the working qualities of the offspring. In particular, by the middle of the XIX century russian hounds lost their natural malice and became unsuitable for hunting a wolf.

They decided to correct the situation by crossing domestic livestock with foxhounds. The latter at that time were considered reference hunters and already had a stable phenotype, which was so lacking russian hounds . As a result of the mating of two breeds, elegant and hardy dogs were born, who inherited aggressiveness to the beast from the English parent, and outstanding abilities to rut and sonorous, melodious barking from the Russian.

At first, experiments on breeding a universal hunting dog were haphazard in nature and were not always successful. In addition, some of the owners, except for English hounds, used French producers for mating. Nevertheless, by the 30s of the XIX century, there was a group of leaders among the breeders, whose flocks were considered the most successful in the exterior and working plan. In particular, individuals from the kennels of S. M. Glebov, P. A. Bereznikov and I. L. Kramarenko enjoyed increased popularity among professional hunters.

At the beginning of the XX century, the descendants of foxhounds and Russian hounds began to be bred purposefully. By that time, the breed had managed to declare itself at exhibitions and acquire its own name. Now its representatives were called Anglo-Russian hounds – in memory of their British roots. Unfortunately, after the collapse of the Russian Empire, the animals were on the verge of extinction. As an example: only eight individuals were exhibited at the 1923 exhibition, and even those differed greatly from each other in external indicators.

The Anglo-Russian hound received its first official standard at the All-Union Cynological Congress of 1925, which dramatically increased its value in the eyes of ordinary people and amateur hunters. So, before the Great Patriotic War, there were already about six elite hounds in the USSR, whose representatives became the ancestors of all today's individuals. Russian Russian Piebald Hound, this procedure was carried out in 1947 (according to another version – in 1951).

Video: Russian Piebald Hound

Russian Piebald Hound's appearance and its differences from the Russian hound.

Despite the close family relationship between the piebald hound and the Russian hound , the breeds are not complete copies of each other, although it can be difficult to establish the animal's belonging to a particular clan on the go. Usually the Russian piebald hound is identified by its bright spotted color with characteristic blushes. In addition, representatives of this family are "dressed" poorer than their fellow tribesmen. There are small differences between the breeds and in the shape of the ear cloth, as well as in movements (step russian hound noticeably lighter). At the same time, the growth of the Russian hound , and the piebald hound is almost the same. Males reach 58-68 cm at the withers, females - 58-64 cm– The Russian piebald hound should weigh from 25 to 35 kg.

Head

The head of a dry-type dog, with an oblong, voluminous, but not too wide skull. The eyebrows and occipital protuberance are barely noticeable, the transition from the head to the muzzle forms an expressive, but gentle ledge. The profile of the muzzle of the Russian piebald hound has a classic rectangular shape.

Teeth and bite

Massive, even, often set teeth close into standard "scissors".

Nose

With an even back and a bulbous black lobe.

Eyes

The eyes of the Russian piebald hound are medium-sized, oval or slightly slanted, with a dark edge of the eyelid. The iris of pedigreed individuals varies from brown to dark brown tones.

Ears

The triangular, slightly rounded at the tip of the dog's ear is located above eye level and is always in a hanging position. Sometimes the skin on the ear can gather into a fold, but this is not a mandatory requirement.

Neck

The neck of the Russian piebald hound has pleasant rounded contours and is characterized by moderate muscularity.

Housing

Russian piebald hounds are dogs of a relatively strong constitution, with a massive chest lowered almost to the elbows, a wide back, a convex loin and a solid sloping croup. The belly of the representatives of this breed is pulled up above the chest level.

Limbs

The legs of the Russian piebald hound can be characterized as bony, dry, but at the same time emphatically muscular. The angles of the shoulder joints of the dog are approximately 100 °, while the angle formed by the hock joints can reach up to 130-140 °. The pasterns and metatarsals of the animal are almost vertical. As for the paws, they can be oval or slightly rounded with arched fingers gathered into a ball in an RPG.

Tail

The saber-shaped, thickened at the base and tapering towards the tip of the dog's tail is perkily raised upwards. The standard length of the tail is up to the hock joint or 2-3 cm shorter.

Leather

Elastic, but dense, does not form wrinkles and wrinkles.

Wool

The coat of the double-type Russian piebald hound with an abundant undercoat. Usually on the head, ears and legs, the dog's fur is short, and on the rest of the body it is longer (about 4-5 cm). The most abundant and long hair is on the back of the neck and the outside of the thighs.

Color

The most common color of the breed is black–piebald in blush. The size of black spots is not limited by the standard, even if they flow into an obvious cheprak. The tan (blush) is always located on the head, rump and shoulders, while the legs and belly of the dog remain white. Acceptable types of colors are also considered purple-piebald with minor specks and gray-piebald in blush.

Possible vices

• Head and neck in folds of skin.
• Thick speckled coat color.
• Lack of blush, blue and brown spots on the dog skin.
• Snub-nosed or hunchbacked muzzle with a steep stop.
• Raised, twisted into a tube and decorated with long hair ears.
• Green, blue eye color; heterochromia.
• Tail with suspension or piled on its side.
• Club-footed or in a stretch of legs; kozinets.
• Wool with a wave or devoid of undercoat.
• Brown, spotted or flesh lobe.

Character of the Russian piebald hound

The Russian piebald hound outside of hunting is a calm, sometimes slightly lazy creature that does not create any special problems, but whose antics will have to get used to. In their free time from racing for forest inhabitants, RPGs prefer to save energy for the next march, so they are not particularly active at home. In relations with the owner and his family members, Russian piebald hounds are friendly and balanced goodies. More precisely, they are almost good, because the well-mannered behavior of an animal is often a cunning game for show, in order to reduce the owner's vigilance.

In general, representatives of this family make mediocre companions and pets. The breed likes to show maximum independence in all matters and is not eager to walk on the string. For example, instead of begging for forbidden food, the dog will prefer to steal it from the table, and will not hesitate to do this trick in front of the owner. It will not be possible to make friends with the Anglo-Russian hound and small pets like cats, decorative dogs and guinea pigs. Like any four-legged hunter, the piebald hound sees nothing in miniature fuzzies but easy prey that needs to be caught as soon as possible.

Russian piebald hounds are natural leaders and hunters, but territorial instincts and suspicion are absolutely alien to them. If you hope that in addition to the extraction of trophies, the pet will also carry out security activities, then it is completely in vain. Russian piebald hounds do not experience negative emotions towards strangers and the maximum they are capable of when a stranger appears on the threshold is to bark loudly and without malice.

Education and training

It is customary to speak of Russian piebald hounds as dogs with intelligence and remarkable memory, quickly solving educational tasks. However, the high mental abilities of the breed do not guarantee unquestioning obedience and attentiveness of its representatives. Moreover, the natural independence of the hound and its desire to be a leader wherever possible can mix all the cards for the owner. Do not delay with socialization and training and take the puppy into circulation as soon as he crosses the threshold of the house – then it will be too late.

Teenage stubbornness and the kid's attempts to assert himself will have to be taken for granted. Russian piebald hounds were born with these qualities and just don't part with them, so always leave the last word for yourself during training and never make concessions if you don't want to swap places with the dog. However, do not forget that there should be no place for physical punishments and screams in the training of the Russian piebald hound. Replace these ineffective antistimuli with treats and affection, but very moderately. An RPG should not work just to earn a delicacy.

It is better to start training the Russian piebald hound teams from 4-5 months of the dog's life. The training program begins with practicing the order "Sit!". As soon as the pet gets used to fulfilling this requirement, you can move on to the next stage – the commands "Lie down!" and "Next!". In addition, the age of 5-6 months is the optimal time to teach the Russian piebald hound to swim and walk in a muzzle. Do not forget, without the latter, the appearance of a hunting dog in crowded places is prohibited.

Hunting with a Russian piebald hound

The purpose of breeding the breed was to get a viscous (persistent in pursuit), vicious to the beast dog, with which one could go not only to the hare and fox, but also to the wolf. As a result, Russian piebald hounds turned out to be more vociferous and heavy in movement than their relatives – russian hounds , but with a less wide eye (search). An additional bonus can be considered the bright color of the breed: the dog can be seen from afar, which is already valuable, lingering in a dense thicket. In addition, in the process of chasing a spotted pet, it is impossible to confuse it with a wild animal, the same fox.

The hunting talents of Russian piebald hounds are inherited, so if the puppy's ancestors did not distinguish themselves in any way, it is useless to demand outstanding achievements from their descendant. Do not lose sight of the fact that the persecuting instincts of the breed are not so strong that its representatives can work without nataski. Accordingly, if you want to see a getter in a pet, get ready to work hard.

Important: Russian piebald hounds have developed the so-called cattle breeding. This means that the dog takes large domestic animals and poultry for an animal and practices hunting techniques on them. It is impossible to allow such attacks in any case, so if you notice that a pet catches a sheep or rushes at chickens, punish him – immobilize the dog and "beat" her with the same sheep.

They begin to introduce the Russian piebald hound to hunting from the chase. In autumn or spring, when the ground is free of snow, the puppy is taken to the forest, giving him the opportunity to run and take an animal trail. Walks should be intense, but not exhausting and not everyday, so that the dog does not lose interest in work, while it is not recommended to let the animal on a fresh trail. Of course, it is much easier to find a fox that has just walked under your nose, but in the future, a dog accustomed to easy tasks is unlikely to show perseverance if it comes across a cold trail.

Curious fact: having discovered prey, the Anglo-Russian hounds report this to the hunter by voice. Moreover, it is very simple to guess which animal the dog tracked down: the barking of a hound at the sight of a hare and the same fox has different tonality and timbre.

The amazing viscosity of RPG, which has become a legend, often plays a cruel joke with dog owners. So, for example, there are cases when the hound, unsatisfied with the outcome of the hunt, jumped out of the car driving home to continue the search. On the one hand, such a pet's zeal causes most hunters to approve – who wants to leave the forest empty-handed. On the other hand, the dog's constant stubbornness is not always in the hands of the owner. Especially when an animal circles for hours on the old tracks of an animal that has managed to escape safely for a long time.

Maintenance and care

Like most domestic breeds, Russian piebald hounds are adapted to the weather conditions of the Middle Band. Yes, their wool is poorer than that of Russian hounds , but the animals will be able to overwinter in a barn or aviary in the presence of an insulated booth without compromising their health. In extreme frosts, it is recommended to temporarily place the dog in the house or any other heated room.

Walking enclosures for Russian piebald hounds must be built in such a way that the animals could not make a tunnel and break free. It is advisable to make fences of metal mesh, which is buried at least half a meter into the ground, laying wooden poles in the place where the metal goes into the soil. Do not skimp on the height of the walls of the enclosure: 2 meters or less, if you do not want to wander around the surrounding forests for days in search of a four-legged fugitive.

Individual owners manage to keep Russian piebald hounds in a typical city apartment, but you should not take such a forced measure as an example to follow. Despite the fact that RPGs are calm and balanced at home, restrictions on freedom of movement and excess heat cause severe discomfort to animals.

Walking with a Russian piebald hound needs a lot and at a pace, so if you are not ready for long runs twice, or preferably three times a day, buy a bicycle, fasten your pet to it and wind kilometers along country roads. The optimal distance for one walk is 5-6 km. You can let the dog off the leash in open spaces and in places where a stray cat will definitely not appear, or even worse, a wild animal. Seeing potential prey, the Russian piebald hound immediately turns on the pursuit mode, completely abstracting from the owner and his shouts.

Hygiene

If it weren't for hunting preferences and love of intensive walks, the Russian piebald hound could claim the status of a favorite dog of lazy people, because caring for it is the most unencumbered. Representatives of this breed are rarely bathed and only if absolutely necessary. Puppies are not washed at all for up to three months, so make sure that the pet has less contact with dirt, otherwise you will have to break the rule. There is also a little fuss with the dog's fur: it is enough to smooth it with a comb-mitten a couple of times a week, removing the dead undercoat. During the molting season, the procedure is carried out more often.

But the eyes of the Russian piebald hound, prone to conjunctivitis, will have to be wiped daily. However, special skill is not required here: just moisten a clean cloth with chamomile infusion or strong tea and walk it along the edges and corners of the eyelids, collecting dust and mucus. The ears of dogs are cleaned in the standard mode: once a week, with a napkin soaked in hydrogen peroxide or heated vegetable oil. Since working hounds have to run a lot and intensively, always check their paws after hunting and walking. Often small objects get stuck between the fingers of the animal, which can injure the pads. Once every two months, it is recommended to shorten the claws of the Anglo-Russian hound. It is allowed to neglect this procedure only if the pet leads an active lifestyle and manages to wear off the claw during jogging and hunting trips.

Feeding

The ideal food for the Russian piebald is raw lean meat, which is complemented by oatmeal porridge and seasonal vegetables. The amount of food offered depends entirely on the activity level of the animal. So, in the hunting season, the daily food allowance for RPG is as follows: 600 g of meat, 500-700 g of oatmeal, 150 g of vegetables (cabbage, carrots), 100 g of potatoes. When the period of forest forays ends, the norm of meat and potatoes is cut by a third, while maintaining the initial volume of cereals and vegetables.

For variety and in order to save meat, it is advisable to replace it with offal and sea fish with previously removed bones. However, due to the reduced nutritional value of such dishes, portion sizes will have to be increased. As for vitamin supplements like chicken eggs, they are not given entirely, since the dog's digestion is not able to cope with protein. Accordingly, if you want to treat your pet with a delicacy, feed him the yolk.

Butter and melted beef fat, also used as "thickeners" of cereal porridges, help to fill the fat deficit in the body of the Russian piebald hound. It is useful to introduce low-fat dairy products (yogurt, kefir), as well as cheese into the dog's diet. From a month and a half, a porridge of rye bread soaked in broth, which is considered a source of healthy carbohydrates, is placed in the puppy's bowl. But it is better to give rye and occasionally wheat bakery products to adult individuals in the form of crackers.

Health and diseases of Russian piebald hounds

You won't have to worry about the health of the Russian piebald hound. The breed has a good immunity and almost does not suffer from genetic ailments, with the exception of hip dysplasia. Nevertheless, like any hunting dogs, Russian piebald hounds risk catching infections carried by blood-sucking parasites. For safety, treat your pet in a timely manner with drops and sprays from ixodic ticks and fleas.

Many adults have a predisposition to allergies and dermatitis, so when preparing a diet for a dog, you should be extremely careful. It will also have to take into account that from time to time the breed is overtaken by diseases such as myelopathy, myositis, false rabies and conjunctivitis.

How to choose a puppy

• Evaluate the appearance of the vyzlovka (bitch). She should not look exhausted and exhausted by her own offspring.
• The presence of working diplomas from the parents of puppies is not a guarantee that the baby will become a first–class hunter. Check with the breeder what successes have been achieved by the littermates (brothers and sisters) of his producers. If vyzhlet and vyzhlovka come from a tribe of hereditary champions, consider this a sufficient reason to purchase a puppy from them.
• Try to find out if the ancestors of the kid you liked were cattle herders (dogs chasing pets) and silent ones (individuals chasing an animal without barking). Offspring with such heredity are not suitable for hunting.
• Carefully examine the puppy of the Russian piebald hound. He should not have a hernia, the so-called bulldog (the lower jaw is longer than the upper one) and a blocked tail.
• Choose the most bony, large puppy with thick legs and a short (above the hock) tail. The probability that growing up, such a baby will fully meet the standard is an order of magnitude higher.
• The best offspring of the Russian piebald hound are brought after the third or fourth litters. Not the most successful option – puppies from a bitch younger than one and a half and older than eight years. Usually such babies are painful and rickety.
• It is believed that the age of the male Russian piebald hound does not affect the quality of the litter. Nevertheless, experienced hunters prefer to be safe and not to take puppies from eight-year-old fugitives.
• It is much easier to acquire a promising male Anglo-Russian hound than a vyzlovka, since the breeders always leave promising female representatives to the tribe. If your acquaintance with the breed is just beginning, it is better to stop at the "boy" – so there is less chance that you will be sold a mediocre animal.

Price of the Russian piebald hound

Depending on the pedigree and the degree of publicity of the kennel, a Russian piebald hound puppy can cost from $50 to $150. In addition, many breeders put up for sale grown-up individuals who have passed the primary catch-up, and sometimes managed to take part in a full-fledged hunt. For the most part, the buyers of such "goods" are professional hunters, whose main goal is to get a working dog without spending time and effort on its training. There is an additional bonus for teenage hounds: they have more clearly visible defects of the exterior, such as shortness, broad-brow and chin. It is also better to buy grown-up puppies for exhibitions.