Hortaya Borzaya vs Keeshond - Breed Comparison | Petzlover

Keeshond is the term used for German Spitzes and although many American references have it that the Keeshond originated in the Netherlands, some say the dog originated in Germany and is a member of the German Spitz family.

The Club for German Spitzes was founded in 1899. The Nederlandse Keeshond Club was formed in 1924. The Keeshond is also referred to as ‘The Smiling Dutchman’.

It was in the 17th and 18th centuries that the Keeshond was used greatly as a watchdog, appearing in England in the late 1800s, but after the turn of the 20th century, Mrs. Wingfield Digby of Dorset, England and Mrs. Alice Gatacre, a Dutch breed authority, living in England, stirred interest in the breed with their kennels.

An English breed Club was formed in 1926, and the first Keeshond was registered with The American Kennel Club in 1930.

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 Keeshond is a medium-sized dog and a member of the Spitz group of dogs. He stands at 43 – 48cm in height and weighs 14 – 18kg.

He has a 2-layered, dense coat which is fairly long, straight and coarse and colors are grey, silver, black and cream. His undercoat is a very light cream color. He has erect ears, a fairly shop muzzle and a feathery, plumed tail which curves over his back.

The hair on his legs is fairly short accompanied with some feathering. A typical marking-feature of the Keeshond is the dark line which runs from the outer corner of each eye to the lower corner of each ear. It's what gives the dog his well known keeshond expression. The eyes of the dog are dark brown.

Temperament:

The Keeshond, just like other Spitz dogs, are playful, affectionate, friendly and eager to please. He is intelligent too and will respond well to training and socialization.

He makes a wonderful family pet as he is friendly and playful with children, loving all their games. He gets on well with other pets too. He is a social dog, thriving on being with his human family, wanting to participate in all family activities.

They are sensitive, loving pets and become very attached to their owners. They have even been used as comfort dogs in rescue situations, as they bond so well with people.

He makes a good watchdog too with his loud bark which he uses to deter intruders. He may well be a good watch- and guard dog but he isn't an aggressive dog.

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 Keeshond, with his thick double coat, loves to be outdoors in cool weather. He won't be there too long however, because he will be missing his human family. He is such a social dog, craving human company and therefore isn't a dog to be put out in the backyard and left day after day.

He loves games and being totally involved with his human family. Look after your Keeshond well – he is a companion dog - and you will find him to be a most exceptional friend of yours.

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.

With good food, fresh water, exercise and lots of interaction with your Keeshond, he can reach 12 to 14 years of age.

No matter how healthy your dog is, he can still get ill, but the chances are less likely when he is feed nutritionally. Nonetheless look out for hip dysplasia, bloat, ear infections, skin rashes and eye diseases.

Cataract:

This is a problem in the lens of the eye. Your dog has a cloudy look to the eye. A cataract can occur when the cells are damaged. A disease such as diabetes can also cause a cataract and high blood sugar levels can change the metabolism of the cells in the lens.

The lens should be crystal clear, but with a cataract, the vision of the dog is obscured. It can cause blindness. Thankfully, cataracts aren't painful and most times dogs with cataracts can still see. There is the option of surgery to remove them too.

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.

Grooming:

With his double coat, your Keeshond will need regular brushing to get rid of all those loose hairs. He is a dog which doesn't have that typical dog odor about him so bathing him is discouraged. Too much bathing irritates a dog's skin and dries it out.

Check the inside of his mouth and make sure that his teeth are in a healthy state. If you are unsure, speak to your vet about dental hygiene as bad teeth won't only cause pain and discomfort for your pet, the teeth can affect his immune system and other body parts.

Check his claws too and have them cut when they become too long. When they are long they can hook on things and injure the sensitive area of the paws.

Exercise:

The Keeshond is a sturdy dog, loving all the activities and games that his family are involved in. He will love to be your walking companion and looks forward to his walk every day.

He is such a playful, adventurous dog and is always willing to join you in new games. Never put him in your back garden and forget about him, as this will make him ill and depressed. He must be part of the family to be healthy and happy and relies on you to include him in all your activities. He can live in the city or the countryside but will require being exercised wherever he is.

Diet:

Top quality dry kibble will work for your Keeshond. If you want to keep him bright eyed and bushy tailed, mix in some quality home-made food too such as cooked chicken, rice and vegetables. You can also try to sometimes include a little bit of raw meat as well.

He is an active dog and will need a diet high in protein. Also, his thick coat needs to be maintained, and apart from regular brushing, look for quality dog foods that have Omega-3 fatty acids in them so as to maintain the skin and coat of the dog. Make sure he always has access to fresh, cool water.

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.