Russian Spaniel: training, photos, reviews

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Hunting with dogs was extremely popular in our country in the 19th century. In particular, Cocker Spaniels were brought to Russia to hunt waterfowl or wading birds. But cockers, so popular in their country, in Russia, could not fully satisfy the demands of hunters, because their short limbs could not help the dogs in winter bird hunting, as the animals simply got stuck in deep snow.

History

The lack of a dog suitable for the Russian climate made breeders think about breeding a suitable breed on their own. They chose the longest-legged representatives of the breed, ordered sprinters from Europe to improve the livestock with their blood. This process was repeated over several herds, resulting in spaniels that did not fit the English breed standard.

By the thirties of the last century, Russia had many dogs that did not fit the standards of the breeds available at that time, but had common features. However, it was too early to talk about the appearance of a new breed that would satisfy the needs of hunters.

Completebreeding work began after the Second World War, and in 1951 the original breed standard was put into effect. The final, slightly modified standard appeared in 1966.

Dog appearance

The hunting breed of the Russian Spaniel is represented by individuals with a dry physique, rather short stature. Unlike English Spaniels, these dogs have high legs in relation to their height. The length of the forelimb from the elbow to the ground according to the standard is 50% of the height at the withers.

Height males - 38-44 cm, bitches - 35-42 cm at the withers. The norms do not indicate the weight of the animal, but for working individuals, 12-16 kg are the most comfortable.

The Russian Hunting Spaniel has a fairly long coat, very soft to the touch, slightly curly. On the chest, ears, limbs - feathering, on the tail - dewlap. The color can be one-color, two-color or consist of 3 colors. Acceptable colors in both mono-color and multi-color versions: black, white, red, brown.

Running at work - gallop. On a fairly rugged space - a lynx.

Character

The Russian Spaniel is a rather balanced but agile dog. The attitude towards the person is friendly. Most often, the dog has a cheerful and affectionate disposition. The center of the universe for her is the owner. Controlling the dog is easy.

Dogs have a well-developed instinct, they are unusually energetic, have high endurance, incredibly persistent. An innate quality is considered to be a thirst for search and a strong need for submission.

This dog is comfortable both at home and in the field. The hunting dog Russian Spaniel does not offend pets, caring for children. He will be happy to carry balls, toys and more. Training does not require much effort. Excellent watchman.

Choosing a puppy

Such a breed as a spaniel (Russian hunting), photos of this dog are presented in this article, loved by many and often purchased for children. If you buy an animal for a family, life in the city, you can not make special requirements for a puppy. But if you plan to take a dog for hunting, then you need to approach the choice very seriously.

Basic requirement: you need to purchase a puppy from good working parents. The puppy's parents must have documents confirming the breed, and in the pedigree, the exterior must be rated as "excellent". If the dogs have field diplomas, even better. This means that her working ability is judged by experts.

It is better to take a puppy large, active, vociferous. These are the first signs of a good working dog.

Purchasing a puppy

It is best to buy a puppy through a kennel club. They will recommend a breeder who has a dog that matches your needs. If you buy a pet through ads, there is a very high risk of getting a breed marriage or a puppy not from purebred dogs at all. If you are not an expert in this area, it is best to play it safe and go to reputed breeders.

Often in big citiesit is quite difficult to acquire a dog of hunting breeds. So, amateurs gather in clubs, nurseries, sections in order to help beginners, arrange competitions, just communicate with the same lovers of the Russian hunting spaniel breed. Moscow presents several nurseries where you can buy a pet and an assistant. In the future, here you can get advice and assistance in training and developing working skills. These are "Forest Hunter", "Section of lovers of ROS MOOiR", "Section of lovers of spaniels" and several others.

Dog care

Keeping a Russian Spaniel is not too difficult and is perfectly acceptable in a city apartment. An indispensable condition is long walks, allowing the dog to throw out the accumulated energy and keep the muscles in good shape.

Wool should be combed weekly while examining the ears. All sorts of inflammations on the ears are characteristic of this breed. It is not necessary to wash the animal often, it is better to do it after a long hunt, after running through swamps or rivers.

Feeding Features

Every dog needs good nutrition to stay he althy and active. Dry food should be left for the time when there is a shortage of time and there will be no time to prepare a complete meal.

Feeding the Russian Spaniel is no different from feeding dogs of other breeds. The only thing to remember is that the pet is very active, so he needs to consume a little more protein.

If you decide to feed him with natural food, you should use mainly fish (if possible - sea), offal and lean meat, fruits and vegetables, which dogs of this breed love very much. Once every two weeks, it is advisable to arrange a fasting day for the animal.

Feeding puppies

Once a puppy has been taken from a breeder, there is no need to rush to establish a new routine for him. In order to mitigate the stress of a change of scenery, you need to allow the pet to live in its usual mode for at least a few days. Change the diet, adjusting to your abilities and habits, you need to gradually.

Training

Even the most experienced dog breeder can teach basic working skills to a puppy of this breed.

Russian Spaniel training should begin in early childhood. First, the puppy is taught the general rules of behavior: they let him know what he can do in the house and what not. When training, you need to be patient, as any dog needs time to understand what is required of it.

Outdoor toilet training is an important step in learning. For the first 2 months, a puppy should not be taken outside, but an older dog should be taken out every time it begins to look for a place to satisfy its natural needs (you cannot force the puppy to walk up the stairs - in order not to harm the joints, it must be carried in your arms).

Incorrect and untimely education threatens with serious problems in the future. Untrained dogs,trained in the limits of what is permitted, are the causes of serious difficulties for the owner.

The main mistake of many dog breeders is to succumb to the charm of the sad eyes of a pet asking for a handout from the table during a meal. The first thing a puppy should learn is that you can't beg in this house. If the owner understands that he cannot refuse the pet a piece from the table, it is necessary to forbid the dog to be present when people eat.

After the Russian Spaniel puppy has mastered the basic concepts, it will be useful to go through the OKD (general training course) with him. This will allow him to better understand his master and teach the owner to control the animal. OKD can be passed in specialized schools, but you can also master it yourself, since there is a lot of literature on this issue and it is not at all difficult to find it.

Training in hunting skills is best done under the supervision of an experienced instructor, especially if the owner himself is still a beginner. Training for young dogs should take place in the form of a game - so the pet will better learn the necessary knowledge. The best game option for this breed would be hunting imitation. The club of dog breeders will be able to suggest sites where you can most effectively teach the animal working skills.

Training these animals is not too difficult due to their intelligence and great desire to please the owner. If it is not possible to turn to instructors, it is quite possible to independently teach hunting skills to dogs of the Spaniel breed (Russian hunting). Photos with detailed step-by-step instructions can be found in books ondog breeding.

Using dogs

The Russian Spaniel was bred to hunt a bird that chose water expanses as its habitat. The dog is widely used throughout the country. The main task of the dog is to find the bird and frighten it by “lifting it on the wing”. After the hunter makes a successful shot, the animal must find and bring the game.

Russian Spaniel puppies are often purchased as a companion for children. The breed is great for home keeping due to its cheerfulness, friendliness, affectionate disposition and responsibility. The dog enjoys spending time with his beloved owner everywhere - even in the mud of a swamp, even on a cozy sofa.

The search instincts of animals of this breed are so developed that today they are widely used to search for drugs or explosives or to rescue people from avalanches.

The dog's responsibility allows it to demonstrate excellent watchdog skills, protecting the owner's property when necessary.

Reviews

You can find a lot of reviews about the breed. Almost everyone who has ever encountered the breed notes the dog's friendliness, adoration for its owner, rare quick wit and activity. With proper upbringing and careful selection of a puppy, there are simply no unfavorable reviews. If someone remains dissatisfied with the choice, then the fault here will most likely be either the wrong upbringing or the wrong approach to choosing a breed: for example, a calm homebody will not be happy to be next to an active puppy, withwho need to take a long walk every day.

The majority of breeders admire dogs of the Russian hunting breed. Spaniel, reviews of which leave only the most positive, even enthusiastic, remains a true friend to man for many years. Most often, a person who buys a dog of this breed falls in love with them forever and in the future agrees to get only such dogs.