Russian hound: a lucky hunter of domestic selection

Large dark eyes, a wide forehead, long paws, a muscular body, as well as a ringing voice and endurance - all these and not only characteristics distinguish hound dogs. These qualities are definitely inherent in the pride of Russian dog breeding - the Russian hound.

• 2 Table: description of the breed according to the RKF standard
  2.1 Photo gallery: Russian hound standard

History of the Russian Hound breed

It is not clear exactly when and how the hounds came to Russia, although researchers are inclined to believe that the Tatar-Mongols brought the breed with them.
There is a second version, put forward by A.V. Kamernitsky, according to which the Russian hound is the result of mating imported cops with native huskies. One way or another, domestic breeders began to fully hunt with the ancestors of today’s RGs in the 12th century, and in the middle of the 19th century the dogs were already being fully demonstrated at exhibitions, where they appeared under the name “eastern hound”. By the beginning of the 20th century, the phenotype of the breed was almost formed, but the civil war intervened in the course of breeding research, after which work to restore the number of animals and improve their hunting characteristics had to be started anew. In addition, the matter was greatly hampered by the excessive diversity of the domestic livestock: in Tsarist Russia there was a huge number of lines of hounds, partially preserved even after the revolution. Nevertheless, in 1925, at the All-Union Congress of Cynologists, a separate standard was adopted for the breed, which distinguished its representatives from among their relatives in the group. But the year 1939 became truly fateful for dogs, when an official ban was introduced on the breeding of any types of hounds, except Russian and Anglo-Russian (later renamed Russian piebald).

As for testing the working qualities of the breed, the first tests to identify the hunting capabilities of Russian hounds were compiled in 1901. True, in this way it was possible to test only the dog’s ability to work in a pack. It became possible to select hounds based on individual characteristics only after 1925, when a special set of tasks was developed to assess the initiative and hunting talents of each individual individual.

Which litter should you choose puppies from?

It is better to buy Russian hounds from the first three or four litters. If the litter (mother) was mated before reaching the age of one and a half years, then such puppies will be underdeveloped. This litter most often produces fluffy, boneless hounds.

If the puppy has already lived for more than eight or nine autumns, then you should not buy such puppies either. Autumn knots often produce rickety offspring. Most hounds raised from this offspring have a fairly weak immune system, so they are constantly exposed to various diseases. However, the age of the survivor has a lesser influence on the offspring, but it is still not recommended to breed bitches with overly autumnal survivors, as well as take such puppies.

Appearance of a Russian hound

The Russian Hound is a dog of impressive size and strong constitution with somewhat feral habits. It is impossible not to note the external resemblance of representatives of this breed to wolves, which is especially clearly visible during hunting. For example, it is typical for a working hound to pursue prey with its head down, which is reminiscent of the tactics of a forest predator. The RG is also related to wolves by its physique features - in particular, its conspicuous high forwardness.

Head

The distinctive features of the Russian Hound's head are the general dryness of the contours and the wedge-shaped outline. The dog's skull is flattened, the eyebrows and the transition to the back of the head are faintly outlined.

Nose

The lobe is black in color, large, clearly protruding forward. The transition from the bridge of the nose to the muzzle is smooth.

Teeth and bite

Only a scissor bite type is acceptable. The teeth should be massive, white and in full quantity.

Eyes

The Russian Hound has dark brown eyes with expressive black eyelids and a graceful slanting cut.

Ears

The standard representative of the breed has thin, drooping ears set above the eye line. The ear itself should be triangular in shape and fit snugly to the head.

Neck

The length of the Russian Hound's neck is equal to the length of its head. In general, this part of the dog’s body looks dry and muscular at the same time.

Frame

Representatives of this breed are real strong men with harmoniously developed bones and dense, dry muscles. The chest of the Russian Hound is wide, strongly drooping downwards. The back is massive with a short, slightly convex, but fairly strong loin. The croup is elongated and sloping, the belly line is well selected.

Limbs

The Russian Hound's legs are characterized by muscularity and moderate bonyness. In a healthy purebred individual, the forelimbs and hindlimbs are set parallel to each other and have good articulation angles. The animal's elbows look back, the pasterns and metatarsals are set almost vertically. The angles of the glenohumeral joints (100-110°) and hock joints are also well defined.

The shape of the Russian hound's paws is oval. The fingers are arched, gathered into a large ball.

Tail

The correct rut (tail) should be thick at the base, and its thin tip reaches the hock joint or is located higher by a centimeter or two (the latter feature is typical for males). In an excited animal, the tail can rise to the line of the back, but not higher.

Wool

The coat on the dog's body is double, but heterogeneous. For example, on the ears, head and legs of an animal, the hair is short and less dense. Around the neck and on the hips the dog is noticeably richer and more magnificent. The base and middle of the Russian Hound's tail are covered with medium-length hair, the tip is short.

Color

A typical Russian hound is a saddle, crimson or grayish and tan dog. The traditional color of tan marks is faded yellow or whitish. Sometimes small white marks may be present on the neck and legs, which is allowed by the standard.

Defects and disqualifying defects

In order not to be admitted to exhibition competitions, a Russian hound only needs to have a mousey or coffee-colored coat, suffer from heterochromia, or have a depigmented iris. The absence of a canine or molar M1, M2, as well as any deviations from a scissor bite, also lead to disqualification.

Serious developmental defects that do not exclude an animal from the ranks of competitors, but reduce its chances of getting a good grade to zero, include:

• short-legged or long-legged;
• stretched or shortened body;
• dry or damp constitution;
• color with bright red tan, speckling, as well as large white or dark spots on the ears, forehead and under the eyes;
• shaggy, wavy coat without undercoat;
• overgrown muzzle;
• pronounced snub nose;
• ears that are too large, shaggy, on cartilage or rolled into a tube;
• long neck with chin;
• absence of an incisor or four or more premolars.

Quite common and serious faults are: a narrow, underdeveloped chest, everted hocks, small angles of articulations, as well as a tail laid on its side, too short or with a pendulous tail.

Socialization

From the age of three months you can start raising a puppy. It is very important to instill qualities such as courage. Communication with peers is very important: sitting alone, the puppy will never learn to defend itself.

Basic training will help you get used to other people. Special training programs, especially for hunting dogs, will lay the foundation of hunting skills: not to be afraid of barking, loud sounds of a shot and a hunting horn, in order to be able to catch game correctly.

If there is a small child in the family, you need to carefully monitor how he communicates with his four-legged friend. A puppy, feeling threatened by a small person, may bark and even bite in order to defend itself. A puppy who grows up with a child will be more loyal to him.

Character of the Russian hound

The Russian Hound is a hard-working dog with a fairly calm and at the same time strong character. These passionate trackers clearly distinguish between hunting and everyday life, and therefore demonstrate two diametrically opposed lines of behavior. So, for example, in a home environment, the Russian hound transforms into a calm, balanced pet, which cannot be affected even by the most harmful children’s pranks. As a result, you can safely leave the animal to look after the baby, and if you need to leave urgently, turn down the heat on the stove.

Russian hounds only have bad relationships with cats, decorative dogs and other small animals. Like any hunting breed, the RG tends to see prey in every four-legged creature. Hence the race for homeless purrs during walks, as well as constant conflicts with Pekingese, toy terriers and other midgets of the dog world.

Russian hounds are by and large unsuitable for guard work, although they are capable of issuing a good-natured “Woof!” towards an insolent attacker. However, if you remember the size of the breed, such a sluggish attack can also be effective. And yet, acquiring a Russian hound in order to get a devoted watchman is pointless. The only type of activity to which a dog is devoted entirely and completely is hunting. All other duties that any mongrel dog can perform are stubbornly ignored by the hound.

Vices of hound puppies

However, when buying a puppy, knowing what his ancestors were and the color of the baby is not enough. When choosing a one-month-old dog, it is necessary to cull those animals that have obvious defects.

• Jaws. Particular attention should be paid to the bite. If the puppy has a clearly expressed constriction (the upper jaw is much longer than the lower jaw), it should not be considered as a hunting dog. A bulldog jaw is also excluded when the lower one is longer than the upper one.

Malocclusion does not improve with age. It is transmitted only by inheritance and is a sign of degeneration.

• Tail. Particular attention should be paid to the tail. It shouldn't hang. This deficiency can be noticed in a puppy as early as one month of age. It is best when the tail is slightly raised and above the hock. This is an excellent sign of the strength of the back, the correct structure of the spine and, accordingly, the endurance of the hound.
• Eye color. They should be dark. One month old Beagle puppies often have bluish eyes. However, as they age, they begin to darken and turn nutty in color. Light or greenish - will remain greenish, light, light yellow for life. Such eyes are very ugly, so they are considered vicious by the standard. In addition, different eye colors are not allowed.
• Nose coloring. If the color of the nose is marbled, solid pink or light, it is considered a defect. A solid pink flair or any, if there are large pink spots on it, then this serves as a basis for rejection. Pied (English-Russian) dogs may have small pink spots by instinct, which disappear with age, completely darkening.

After all the puppies that had too obvious defects that cannot be corrected by either education or feeding have been culled, the remaining puppies should be examined. It is from these little ones that you can buy Russian hound dogs, since only large, powerful, bony ones with thick legs and short tails remain. Such a puppy, if properly trained, will grow into an excellent dog.

Such a hound will become hardy and will also fully comply with standard requirements.

Please note that if you plan to create a flock, then increased attention must be paid to color. It must be remembered that with age, the color becomes lighter, and by four months the baby will completely change its “puppy coat”.

Education, training, training

Russian hounds have high intellectual indicators: they are smart, intelligent and do not need numerous repetitions of the same command. Moreover, the diligence of the breed and its spiritual unity with the owner during the hunt have become a legend. On the other hand, inside every dog ​​there lies a cunning dominant, ready at any moment to change the demands of its teacher. Training is also somewhat hindered by the breed's innate workaholism - in order to feel in good shape, the Russian hound needs to give all its best physically. Before you start training, take your pet outside and let him practice detective work and chasing. There is no point in training a Russian hound that sleeps and sees when it will be taken out for a walk. The dog will stubbornly avoid work until it begs for exercise in the fresh air.

The Russian hound begins to prepare for hunting at 3-4 months. At this age, the puppy is taught proper manners and accustomed to the sound of a hunting horn. It is advisable to lock the baby before each meal and blow the horn. Gradually, the Russian hound will grasp the connection between the sound of the horn and the bowl of food, which will help it respond to the signal with lightning speed when hunting. It is equally important to restrain the dog’s natural instincts by training it in restraint and politeness. In particular, you should not allow the puppy to immediately rush to the bowl of food: a well-mannered baby should start eating only with the owner’s permission. Of course, driving an animal away from treats by wooing it with an oar, as was done in the old days, is fundamentally wrong, but it is still necessary to slow down the impatience of the rogue. Otherwise, when the puppy begins to fully hunt, you will have to be content with exhausted hares and holey fox skins.

As for training the breed, standard methods are used for the entire hound group. By the way, you can take your puppy out into the forest no earlier than he turns 10 months old. Until this age, Russian hounds can do little. It is wiser to conduct the first hunting lessons along the black trail, early in the morning, before the animal trail has cooled down and still has a strong smell. If you plan to work with a pack of hounds in the future, the puppy must be trained in advance to work in a bow (in a paired collar). It will be easier to do this if there is already an adult, experienced hound at home. In this case, just take your dogs for walks on one leash. An adult animal will take over the executive function and will correct the behavior of a younger and more gambling relative.

Important: before learning the intricacies of discipline, the pet must learn to perfectly carry out commands such as “No!”, “Drop it!” and “Stop!” A dog has the right to rush off in pursuit of an animal only upon a signal from its owner. A Russian hound that does not obey demands and independently decides when and whom to pursue will not become a good hunter and will most likely get lost in the forest on one of its first forays.

Be sure to take into account the breed’s innate desire for animal husbandry. Ideally, a dog should not consider domestic animals as a substitute for forest prey, but such indifference to poultry and cattle is always the result of upbringing. There is only one way to train a Russian hound to calmly react to domestic animals: by placing it on a peasant farmstead, in close proximity to the barn and chicken coop. However, the method does not always work, especially if the pet has already tasted a domestic goose or duck before.

Breed characteristics

Hunting with a Russian hound

The dog's task when hunting is to smell the animal, scare it away and drive it closer to the owner so that he can make an aimed shot. In addition, the Russian hound must use its voice to “inform” the hunter about what kind of prey it has discovered and how the rutting process is going. To do this, the breed skillfully changes the tonality and intensity of its bark, which among its representatives is particularly clear and musical.

The obligatory working qualities of the Russian hound are calliness (instant reaction to the owner’s call), climbing ability (the ability to work in bushes and forest thickets) and endurance (endurance). In particular, a well-trained Russian hound can chase a hare throughout the daylight hours, only occasionally taking short breaks. An important feature of the breed is its viciousness towards the beast. Sitting at home, in an enclosure, the Russian hound is meekness and obedience itself. While hunting, the dog transforms into a cruel and merciless hunter, seeing nothing in front of him except a “living target”. Extremes, however, are also undesirable, so even during an exciting chase, the Russian hound should not lose its mind and become overexcited. Fussiness in movements, nervousness - all this indicates that the animal has not inherited the best working qualities from its ancestors.

According to tradition, they hunt foxes and hares with the Russian hound, although some individuals are able to hunt down larger animals like wild boar or elk. There are two equivalent types of hunting with Russian hounds: stationary and running. In the first case, the hunter stops in a place convenient for making a shot and waits for the dog to start chasing the prey in his direction. In the second, both the hound and the person are constantly moving in search of the beast. By the way, with young individuals who do not have working experience, it is better to practice walking hunting in order to be able to control the pet and correct the mistakes it has made.

Despite the calliness for which the breed is famous, many Russian hounds have problems with returning, that is, the animal gets carried away in pursuit of prey, does not respond to the horn signal and gets lost in the forest. Later, the dog can return to its original position, following its own trail, so in the first hours after the pet disappears, you should not leave the hunting area. Collars with built-in GPS can also help in searching for “lost objects,” although even such electronics do not provide a 100% guarantee that the rescue operation will be successful.

Features of character and behavior

The Russian Hound is a born hunter with a strong freedom-loving character. Such a dog will not fawn on everyone; its priority is its owner. She will love her family and help people on the hunt. Multifunctionality is not about hounds. They are created only to chase game.

This dog is not suitable for a beginner. To raise and train him, you must have experience and a steady hand. Hounds need a leader they can follow. Otherwise, the dog will become uncontrollable.

Advantages

1. The most important advantage of the breed is considered to be its excellent hunting qualities.
2. Hounds are fast, agile, strong, and well trained. They easily track prey and help in its capture.
3. Hardy to both long-term hunting and temperature changes.
4. A separate advantage is the loud voice.
5. They can work both independently and in a flock.
6. They are balanced, calm, and do not have obvious aggression towards people.
7. They are devoted to their family and love to spend time with their owner.
8. Suitable for jogging, cycling, rollerblading, and can be played with older children.

Hounds get along well with other dogs, especially hunting dogs. They easily get along with them in the same house, enclosure, or yard. They have extraordinary mental abilities, which makes them easy to train.

Flaws

• Representatives of the breed have a difficult character. They are freedom-loving and arrogant, they know their worth. They rarely become ideal obedient dogs.
• They consider themselves to be the main ones in the house, they listen only to the owner (with good upbringing).
• Cunning, capricious manipulators for whom the rules are not written.
• Not suitable for apartment life. Too active. Some breeders claim that such an animal can only be kept in an enclosure, and it must be walked on a leash.
• Hounds are prone to running away due to their passion for game, and often get lost while hunting.
• A loud voice is a good adaptation in the forest, but at home it can become an irritant. Hounds are talkative and can howl and bark.
• They are not particularly aggressive towards humans, but they are touchy and will not tolerate rude treatment even from children.
• Such dogs will protect themselves from strangers. They are not particularly suitable as security guards, but they will definitely bark at strangers.

They do not like small animals: cats, birds, rodents. They don’t get along well with them and are chased on the street.

Maintenance and care

Historically, Russian hounds were kept in very ascetic, if not spartan, conditions. The animals spent most of their time outdoors, resting in log kennels only in the most extreme frosts. However, even modern breeders are of the opinion that heated premises negatively affect the temperament and working abilities of dogs, turning tireless hunters into pampered darlings afraid of the cold. Based on this, the optimal place of residence for a Russian hound remains a kennel made of tightly fitted boards, insulated and equipped with a curtain that prevents cold air flows from entering the kennel. Hay or dry leaves are suitable as bedding.

The safest option is a booth installed in an enclosure with a canopy. Dogs are placed in such conditions if the fences on the plot are not strong and high enough. Moreover, it is better to make the bars of the enclosure from wood or to tighten the space between the supports with a strong metal mesh, since with a classic chain-link the teeth of Russian hounds are straightened in no time. An alternative to an aviary could be a log kennel barn, but this is not the healthiest option. Dogs that constantly live in poorly lit rooms (meaning lack of sunlight) develop rickets. It is much more reasonable to cut out a spacious hole in the wall of the barn and attach an enclosure to it, where in good weather the dog will stay most of the day.

For pregnant and lactating bitches, as well as Russian hound puppies, it is necessary to build separate enclosures.

It is better to cover the floor in the enclosure with sawdust to make cleaning easier. At the same time, you can throw a few shovels of gravel at the entrance: walking on the pebbles will help the hound's paw pads harden, which will reduce their sensitivity. The minimum dimensions of the enclosure for one dog are 3x3 meters.

It is recommended to walk your Russian Hound at least three times a day. Moreover, if you take your pet to crowded places, take care of the muzzle - hounds do not tend to attack people, but it is better to be on the safe side. In addition, buy long and short leashes to make it easier to control the animal while walking.

Hygiene

The lush, dense coat of Russian hounds does not need careful brushing, but systematic cleaning with a damp mitten and a stimulating massage will not harm the dog. It is not necessary to set aside time for these procedures every day, although the more often you brush your pet’s fur, the more elegant it looks. A thorough wash using shampoos and conditioners should also have a place in the life of the Russian Hound. Bathe your dog during the warmer months (the hound will have to dry outside) and when its fur really looks dirty. In winter, you can simply rub your pet’s back and sides with snow, which does a good job of “pulling out” dead hair and dust. Well, in the summer it’s better to swim with a hound in a river or lake. The main thing is not to forget to rinse the animal with running water afterwards.

Regularly check the cleanliness of your dog's ears by removing excess wax from the ear canal with a napkin - both veterinary lotions and folk remedies such as boiled and cooled vegetable oil will do. After the hunt, be sure to examine the surface of the hound's paw pads. If splinters are found - which happens quite often - they should be removed, and the wounds and cracks should be treated with any antiseptic and lubricated with cream. Inspection of the oral cavity and interdental spaces, in which fragments of bones and wood get stuck, is also a mandatory point in caring for a Russian hound. And of course, we keep a vigilant eye on our eyes, removing debris and mucous lumps from them with a cloth dipped in strong tea or chamomile decoction.

Important: workers and individuals who regularly go hunting must be vaccinated against piroplasmosis and other infections carried by ixodid ticks. The animal should be vaccinated a month or two before the hunting season. For added security, you can also use drops that repel blood-sucking insects, including fleas and ticks.

Feeding

Russian hounds do not make a cult out of food and calmly absorb everything that appears in their bowl. Of course, no dog will refuse an offered treat, but constantly thinking about how to beg for another delicacy is not typical for representatives of this breed.

The basic diet of the average hound should consist of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and contain sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals. The main nutritional and building materials are lean meat, ocean fish fillets, offal and chicken eggs (boiled or in the form of an omelet). The Russian hound's body can obtain the required amount of fat from butter and sour cream. It is also useful to season dog stew with rendered beef fat, which, unlike pork fat, is easily digested.

The carbohydrate part of the hound's menu consists of porridges - buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, corn. Usually their share in the diet is calculated according to the principle: 15 g of porridge per kilogram of animal weight. From time to time it is allowed to treat your pet with rye crackers, which can be soaked in meat broth for variety.

A Russian hound can get the vitamins necessary for health and a full life from the following products:

• carrots (vitamin A);
• egg yolk (vitamin D);
• liver (vitamins K, B2, B5, B6, B9, A);
• seasonal greens (vitamins K, C);
• fruits and vegetables (vitamin C and others);

In addition to vitamins, the animal’s body needs mineral supplements, which include micro- and macroelements such as iodine, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sulfur and copper. However, ideally, a vitamin-mineral complex is selected only after the dog has been examined by a veterinarian.

Application

It is recommended to buy a hound for hunting only. This dog is not suitable as a pet. The hunter's instincts are quite strong. Non-use depresses the dog and contributes to a change in character. A dog may run away from its owner during a walk.

During the hunt, the animal realizes its skills. This is its native element. The dog senses the game well and is able to follow it for a long time without getting tired. Properly trained Russian pied hounds will be able to bring the animal as close as possible to the hunter. After the shot, the dog will find and bring the prey.

Hounds are capable of chasing any animal, even one as large as a wild boar or a wolf. But it’s better to track small animals - hares, foxes.

Runners never say “bitch” or “dog” or “boy” or “girl.” There is a “vyzhlovka” and there is a “vyzhlovka”.

Health and diseases of Russian hounds

How healthy a Russian Hound will be depends on its pedigree. Unfortunately, many owners of working animals still continue to experiment with breeding and crossing, which leads to the birth of frail offspring. If we talk about typical ailments of the breed, they include degenerative myelopathy, hip dysplasia and malignant hyperthermia (occurs as a response of the body to anesthesia). Some individuals may exhibit a rare disease such as myositis. In addition, Russian hounds have sensitive eyes with a congenital predisposition to conjunctivitis.

Diseases

The Russian Hound is a very healthy and hardy breed. Life expectancy can reach 12–14 years. The only genetic disease that can affect dogs is degenerative myelopathy.

The disease appears in dogs over 8 years of age. The cause of development is a mutation in one of the genes, leading to an amino acid substitution. The disease affects the dog's spinal cord, which is why it is called neurodegenerative. It is characterized by impaired function of motor neurons in the spinal cord due to degeneration of nerve endings. This leads to paralysis of the hind limbs.

It is impossible to cure the disease, but there is a genetic test that allows you to identify carriers and sick animals. Such individuals are not allowed for breeding.

Russian hounds do not suffer from many ailments

How to choose a puppy

• Try to find out from the seller as much information as possible about the puppy’s parents: how old is the dog (bitch), whether she has working and exhibition diplomas, whether there are individuals in the pedigree with a penchant for animal husbandry or silent ones who do not vote during the hunt.
• Find out how many births the bitch has had. The best option is considered to be litters from the second to the fourth. Earlier or later offspring means the likelihood of getting sickly and weak puppies.
• Try to get the largest and most active baby from the litter - this is the clear leader, who will become a good hunter as he grows up.
• Give your Russian hound puppy a thorough examination: a clogged rut (tail), pronounced bulldog or brittleness (when the upper jaw is longer than the lower) are good reasons not to make a purchase.
• If you are afraid of making a mistake and not noticing a puppy’s physical defect, buy 5-6 month old teenagers. At this age, all exterior defects are already clearly visible. In addition, the individual character traits of mature Russian hounds are better determined than those of two-month-old babies.
• If you have the opportunity to visit the hatchling and its offspring in the first days after birth, do not miss the chance to test the puppies for their sense of smell. To do this, place the cubs at some distance from the mother and allow them to independently reach her nipples. The puppy that smells the milk first and crawls to the bitch is considered to have the most subtle sense of smell.

How to buy a working hound dog

When choosing puppies, a novice dog breeder most often has to rely on the conscience of the breeder. First of all, choosing a baby beagle starts with choosing a specific litter. To do this, you need to get acquainted with the manufacturers, as well as their pedigree. First of all, you need to take into account the field and exhibition assessments of not only the hounds’ parents, but also distant ancestors. It is necessary to find out whether there are other breeds in the pedigree of dogs, since some puppies may not be hounds precisely because of such an ancestor.

Russian hound price

A Russian hound puppy without a pedigree costs about 3000-5000 rubles. Often such babies are sold by hunters who decided to breed their own working animals, but for some reason did not want to deal with the necessary paperwork. The price tag for a puppy with a birth certificate and certified parents is usually twice as high: 8,000 - 10,000 rubles.

There are also plenty of advertisements for the sale of adult animals on the Internet. For example, an experienced Russian hound that has managed to take part in several hunting seasons, but does not have documents confirming its breed, will cost 4000-5000 rubles. At the same time, a dog with a working/championship diploma and an elite pedigree will cost at least 15,000 rubles, or even 30,000 rubles.

Features of the structure of the head

When the puppy has reached four to five months, you will notice some shortcomings that will not disappear with age. These include broad forehead, short pinches, as well as other deviations in the structure of the skull, dampness of the constitution and chin. These shortcomings sometimes discredit a completely flawless hound.

The head of a hound is the first sign of the breed. Therefore, you should not buy a pet with any deficiencies in the structure of the head. However, sometimes a puppy will have a head that feels heavy and rough at an early age. In this case, as you grow older, things can still change. Only the hound's head can change while it grows to the age of 1-1.5 years. This rule has no relation to other parts of the body.

Health

The Russian piebald hound is distinguished by good health. Innate immunity makes it resistant to infections. Treatment for skin parasites (fleas, ticks) and regular deworming are required.

Diseases

There are no genetic diseases. Representatives of the Anglo-Russian hound breed may have the following diseases:

• Allergy to food.
• Conjunctivitis.
• Dysplasia.
• Myositis.

Vaccinations

To get a healthy dog, you need to get vaccinated on time. The preparation phase for immunization includes measures to combat fleas and worms. The presence of parasites reduces the effectiveness of vaccinations. You should not skimp on antiparasitic drugs - their inaction or weak effect can lead to unsuccessful vaccinations.

The first vaccination is given to the puppy no earlier than 2 months of age. It has been scientifically proven that carrying out immunization activities at an earlier date not only does not increase immunity, but also significantly increases the risk of disease. List of recommended vaccines: Avangard, Duramun, Nobivak, Eurican. On the day the vaccination is scheduled, the puppy is examined by a veterinarian. Any deviations in health status are unacceptable. Temperature and stool should be normal, skin without rashes.

Description of the routine vaccination schedule:

• The first vaccination is carried out at 8-10 weeks, against diseases such as plague, enteritis, parvovirus.
• The second - in a week (booster vaccination). Added rabies vaccination.
• The third - in six months (vaccines against all previously designated viruses).
• Fourth – one year (vaccines against all previously designated viruses).

And then all vaccinations are done once a year, for life.

After vaccinations, it is important to follow a gentle regimen. At this point, the immune system is suppressed. It is forbidden to take the puppy outside, make changes to its diet, or take a bath. Physical activity is prohibited.

Mating

To find a suitable party, they turn to dog clubs. It is unacceptable to look for an advertising partner on the Internet or through friends. Only in the club can you get reliable information about the health and pedigree of the “groom” or “bride”.

The mating partner must be “vocal”, that is, have a melodic, persistent and melodic bark, characteristic only of the Russian Hound breed.

The optimal age of a bitch for mating and offspring is from one and a half to six years. Right now the dogs are in full bloom. Previous or later matings can lead to premature birth or weakened offspring.

During mating, the bitch must be treated for fleas and worms. It's best to double-check that you have all the required vaccinations. Only in this case will the mother be able to provide her puppies with her immunity during the first 8 weeks of the babies’ lives. Mating occurs in the morning; the animals are not fed. Let him walk a lot. The bitch enters the dog's territory. They have time to get to know each other. If the dog is mating for the first time, then perhaps human help is needed. The dogs are placed side by side, and the dog is helped to put its paws on its back. Control matings are carried out in a day or two.