PetzloverBlue Paul Terrier is originated from United Kingdom but Hortaya Borzaya is originated from Russia. Blue Paul Terrier may grow 19 cm / 7 inches shorter than Hortaya Borzaya. Blue Paul Terrier may weigh 10 kg / 22 pounds lesser than Hortaya Borzaya. Blue Paul Terrier may live 3 years less than Hortaya Borzaya. Both Blue Paul Terrier and Hortaya Borzaya has almost same litter size. Both Blue Paul Terrier and Hortaya Borzaya requires Low Maintenance.
Known also as the Scottish Bull Terrier, the Blue Poll or the Blue Poll Bulldog, the Blue Paul Terrier’s origins, as with many unusual dog breeds, are still not known precisely. However they do appear to have been bred with Staffies at some point and appear to have slowly transformed into the Staffie or Pit Bull as we know them today.
There doesn’t seem to be much documentation on the dog’s origins, making many stories of its origins to be looked upon as folklore. It seems as if the dog originated out of Scotland. The name ‘Paul’ is included in the name simply because it is believed that John Paul Jones, who was a sailor, brought the dog to the USA in 1777.
Because this dog has superb fighting skills, it was introduced as part of Staffordshire Bull Terrier breeding in the early 19th century. It is believed that the first dogs came with English immigrants to the United Stated in the middle of the 19th century. At some time, the dog became extinct, but dates of this time can’t be established.
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 Blue Paul Terrier was a smooth coated, medium sized dog. His coat was mostly dark blue but this sometimes varied to red or brindle. He was a muscled and well built dog, much like our pit bull terriers. He weighed about 20 to 25kg kg, measuring up to 56cm at the withers. He had a broad chest, large head with small cropped ears and a tail that was set low. He is a dog that always stood strongly on his legs. It seems as if he had an aggressive nature as they were used by local dog fighters.
There is not much information on the temperament of the Blue Paul Terrier, but we can assume, that because he was a Terrier, he would have been full of character and self confidence. Most Terriers don’t actively look for a fight, but will certainly get into a fight if provoked. Aggressive by nature and a fighter, the Blue Paul Terrier possibly had some Staffordshire Bull Terrier in him, so his temperament would be that of a fighter.
He may have been able to live peacefully with children and other dogs and cats in the home, but he would no doubt have had to be raised from a puppy in such a household. Stubborn and headstrong, he would require a firm owner who could take charge of him and training would have been imperative for such a 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.
Nobody is quite certain what the Blue Paul Terrier was like. He definitely seemed to be a mix of Pit Bull and Staffie – the same compact, muscular build with a look that speaks of confidence and boldness.
Perhaps if the Blue Paul Terrier wasn’t used for fighting, he might well have made a good pet with training and socialization. Nobody really knows. Maybe he was so aggressive that when dog fighting didn’t work out, and it was discovered that he wasn't really pet-material, nobody bothered when the breed went into extinction. That's the thing with Blue Paul Terriers, nobody is really certain about what they were really like.
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.
The Blue Paul Terrier Health was generally a healthy dog, but he would no doubt have had the same common dog ailments that most dog breeds have to contend with. All those years ago, when the Blue Paul Terrier was ill, his owner no doubt would have taken him to see the veterinarian for a full screening.
Just like with other dog breeds, he would have been watched for hip dysplasia , ticks and fleas, cataracts and skin infections. It is possible that in those days, owners of the Blue Paul Terrier weren’t aware of how plaque could cause dental problems or gum disease.
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.
Because these dogs were used in fighting, it is a breed that no doubt would have required plenty of exercise and mental stimulation to keep him fighting fit. No doubt he would have received a high quality food to build up his strength and stamina. Because he was no doubt a high energy dog, his owners would have had to give him nutritious food and ensured fresh, clean water for him.
The Blue Paul Terrier had a short, smooth coat, so they were no doubt low maintenance dogs who received a brush down every now and then to remove his loose hair.
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.