Mary Allen
Shoulder height: 68 – 85 cm
Weight: 35 – 45 kg
Age: 8 – 12 years
Colour: all colors except blue and brown
Use: sports dog, companion dog
The Borzoi is a large, long-haired greyhound native to Russia. It is a passionate hunter and needs a lot of living space and sufficient exercise possibilities. Cross-country races (coursings) are particularly suitable.
Origin and history
The Borzoi is an ancient Russian breed of hound. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the ancestors of the Borzoi were used by Russian landowners to hunt hares, foxes, and even wolves. In the 18th century, these hunts by the Russian nobility reached their peak. The first breed standard was created in 1888. As with many other dog breeds, the two world wars led to a significant decline in the breed’s population. Nevertheless, after 1945 it was possible to set up a new breed from a small purebred group.
Appearance
The Borzoi is a very large, aristocratic-looking dog. The head is long and narrow, the eyes are large, almond-shaped, and dark in color. The ears are small, thin, set high, and folded back. The saber-shaped tail is set low, thin, long, and covered with plenty of hair.
The Borzoi’s fur is silky soft and supple. The hair is longer and wavy on the body and shorter on the ribs and thighs. With the Borzoi, all color combinations – except blue-grey and chocolate brown – are possible. All colors can appear monochromatic or spotted. For darker shades, a black mask is typical.
Nature
The Borzoi has a very calm and balanced personality. It is considered sensitive, very affectionate, and personal. Although it is devoted to its people, it has a very strong personality that it will never give up. Like most greyhounds, borzoi is not wasters of energy. At home they are very quiet and inconspicuous, in the wild, they become boisterous, passionate hunters. Borzoi is also alert and defensive.
The Borzoi is intelligent and docile and can be trained well with a lot of sensitivity and loving consistency. It is obedient but almost uncontrollable in the face of the game.
The large Borzoi needs a lot of living space – ideally a house with a large lot – and sufficient opportunities for exercise. Greyhound races (racetrack or coursing), extensive cycling and jogging tours, or horseback rides are suitable.