Hortaya Borzaya vs Cordoba Fighting Dog - Breed Comparison

Hortaya Borzaya is originated from Russia but Cordoba Fighting Dog is originated from Argentina. Hortaya Borzaya may grow 13 cm / 6 inches higher than Cordoba Fighting Dog. Hortaya Borzaya may weigh 20 kg / 44 pounds lesser than Cordoba Fighting Dog. Both Hortaya Borzaya and Cordoba Fighting Dog has almost same life span. Both Hortaya Borzaya and Cordoba Fighting Dog has same litter size. Both Hortaya Borzaya and Cordoba Fighting Dog requires Low maintenance.

History

hortaya borzaya - historyThe 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 Cordoba Fighting Dog is believed to be an extinct dog breed, but research will reveal that there are still those who believe that some of these dogs do still exist.

The dog was regarded as an aggressive, fighting dog and was a crossbreed of the Mastiff, Bull Terrier, Boxer and Bulldog.

Known also as the Argentine Fighting Dog or the Perro de Presa de Cordoba, this dog comes from Argentina where it was used for dog fighting, hog hunting as well as being a guard dog. It is thought that it became extinct in the 20th Century.

Breeders in Cordoba worked at developing a new fighting breed of dog based on the Bull Terrier. The breed became known as the Perro de Presa de Cordoba or Fighting Dog of Cordoba. He resembled the Bull Terrier and came in shades of fawn and brindle, although Argentine fanciers preferred the plain white dogs.

Over breeding for white coated dogs led to skin problems and other health problems, making it that except for fighting, the dog wasn’t in demand elsewhere. As fighting of dogs became more frowned on, the dog became extinct.

Description

hortaya borzaya puppy - descriptionThis 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 Cordoba fighting dog is a mixed breed. Bull Terrier, Mastiff and Bulldog make up this dog breed.

He was a large dog, standing at between 58 and 62cm and weighing between 32 to 55 kg. He was lean and muscled with a wide chest and small ears that were cropped. His powerful jaws were to be avoided as once they settled around another dog’s throat, the grip was vice-like. The dog’s coat was short and was essentially white with black marks on the body and around the head.

Temperament:

A Cordoba Fighting Dog is aggressive and strong. While most dogs benefit immensely from training and socialization, these dogs, even with training, remained somewhat aggressive, so they were no doubt not a good choice for first time dog owners, or for those with children in the home. Also the dog was always aggressive towards other dogs.

You could safely say that if these dogs were around today, they would not be looked upon as the ideal family pet.

Characteristics

Children friendliness

hortaya borzaya dog - characteristicsChildren 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.

The Cordoba Fighting Dog was a hunter and also a fighting dog. It was a fierce, aggressive dog, and while he may have formed a bit of a bond with his owner, he wouldn’t have made a good family pet.

With an unstable temperament, who knows when he could have turned on his owner or the owner’s family? Certainly he wouldn’t have tolerated any other pets in the home.

Perhaps it is better if he has become extinct because dog fighting is abhorrent and hopefully being banned today, and he would never have been much good as a family pet.

Health Problems

hortaya borzaya puppies - health problemsAs 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 Cordoba Fighting Dog was a generally healthy breed but even so, its very lifestyle made it want to gobble down his food without much chewing. This possibly resulted in a number of problems such as bloat.

Bloat:

Bloat is a serious condition which the Cordoba had to deal with and which happens with modern day dogs too. It is an ailment not to be taken lightly. Your dog will need to get to the vet as soon as possible. The dog’s stomach fills with gas, which can also result in the stomach twisting.

When the stomach fills with gas, pressure is put on the diaphragm, making it difficult for the dog to breathe. The dog’s abdomen is swollen, he has difficulty with breathing and he will likely be drooling. It is an ailment which can happen to any breed of dog, regardless of age. Larger dog breeds, however are more prone to it.

Caring The Pet

Feeding the puppy

hortaya borzaya dogs - caringAs 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:

The Cordoba Fighting Dog was a short haired dog and no doubt his owner would have given him a brush down every now and then to keep him looking presentable.

Diet:

The Cordoba was used for fighting to the death with other dogs, so a strong dog like this will have required a high-protein diet. The owners particularly wouldn’t have wanted a dog with hip- and elbow dysplasia and they would have ensured a good choice of raw meat, cooked brown rice and vegetables.

Manufactured dog food started emerging about the mid-1800s and the dogs would have been fed this, made up of wheat meals, meat and vegetables which was then mixed with cooked meat and vegetables.

Basic Information

Group:
Hound dog
Molosser dogs
Origin:
Russia
Argentina
Height Male:
65 - 75 cm
25 - 30 inches
58 - 62 cm
22 - 25 inches
Height Female:
61 - 71 cm
24 - 28 inches
58 - 62 cm
22 - 25 inches
Weight Male:
18 - 35 kg
39 - 78 pounds
32 - 55 kg
70 - 122 pounds
Weight Female:
16 - 32 kg
35 - 71 pounds
32 - 55 kg
70 - 122 pounds
Life Span:
14 - 15 Years
11 - 14 Years
Litter Size:
6 - 8
4 - 8
Size:
Large dog
Large dog
Other Names:
Hort, Chortaja borzaja, Kурч, Kurtas Chortaj Hortaya Horty, Xорт, Hrt, Chort
Argentine Fighting Dog, Perro de Presa de Cordoba, Cordoban Fighting Dog
Colors Available:
brown, black, white, red, piebald , brindle
White, brindle, fawn
Coat:
short yet dense
Short and smooth
Shedding:
Minimal
Minimal
Temperament:
Affectionate, Alert, Energetic, Friendly, Gentle, Independent, Intelligent, Loyal, Playful
Aggressive, Alert, Courageous, Energetic, Independent, Intelligent, Lively, Protective, Responsive, Territorial
Grooming:
Low maintenance
Low maintenance
Trainability:
Moderate
Moderate
Hypoallergenic:
No
No
Kids Friendly:
Yes
No
New Owners Friendly:
Yes
No

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