History of the "Borzoi" Russian Wolfhound

Breeding Russian Wolfhounds

(from a booklet published in 1930 by the Russian Wolfhound Club of America)

Study very closely the different points according to the standard of the Russian Wolfhound Club of America, find out the good and bad points of both dog and bitch, go over the pedigrees of both very carefully and make sure the animals are not too closely related. Do not be decieved or misled by ads, but demand actual facts from those who advertise stud dogs. Do not think because a dog has won at a popular dog show that it is necessarily the best for breeding, find out how many Russian wolfhounds were present to compete with it. Remember that there are many individuals who own hounds that may be very good, but which are never exhibited at a show.

After breeding your bitch keep her in confinement for the first five weeks, do not let her run or jump, but give just enough exercise to prevent her from going stale or getting out of condition. The last four weeks walk her daily from two to five miles, and it is advisable to feed a bitch in whelp bone-making food, such as raw meat, eggs, cod liver oil, etc.

Be sure to have a well ventilated, well lighted and carefully disinfected dry whelping place away from other dogs if possible, and if the whelping is to take place in the winter, warm.

Commence to feed the puppies at the age of three weeks with boiled milk, half water, a few drops of cod liver oil in a pan and letting them lap it up will help them greatly. Lactol, a British preparation, is also very useful in raising puppies and for bitches in whelp. It should be used according to directions. At five weeks it is known that a little lean raw chopped meat is very good, aside from whatever you may feed your puppies, increasing the amount as they grow older. Puppies should be wormed at four weeks of age and if it is found that they have worms, they should be wormed every month after that until cleaned out.

Breeding and raising Russian wolfhounds in Russia before the World War and in other countries then, such as Belgium, France and Holland, apparently led the other countries for type and quality, Germany and England led in number, and still do. Italy, Roumania, Austria, Hungary and Luxembourg also have some. We are not sure if there are any left in Russia and other small countries bordering Russia at the present time, worth mentioning. Breeding and raising these hounds in Russia appears to have been easier than in any other place in the world, very seldom would one see a hound there that had bad legs and feet, or out of coat; unsoundness was scarcely known. Solid black and black marked with brindle or brown, was not wanted and many breeders would do away with such puppies at birth. Roman-headed hounds were considered as freaks and this was then in Russia, and is today in Europe, a very bad fault and in some countries a disqualification.