Borzoi/Russian Wolfhound/Russian hunting sighthound/Russkaya Psovaya Borzaya

This noble and elegant breed with a proud look and a sterlig temperament is a Russian breed, as they are also known as the Russian Wolfhound. It has been an integral part of Russian culture, as it was a popular hunting-dog used by nobles. Many famous russians throughout the centuaries have owned borzois, including tsars and writers such as Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Nicholas II, Pushkin and Turgenev. Though most commonly kept as companion dogs today, their prey drive is still strong and they require a fenced-in running room to blow off some steam.

Average lifespann: 10- 15 years

Height:

• Males: 75-85cm or 30-33 inches
• Females: 68-78cm or 27-31 inches

Weight:

• Males: 35-50kg or 75-105 lbs
• Females: 25-40kg or 55-90 lbs

Looks and characteristics:
These dogs radiate elegance and an aristocratic nobleness. It's easy to get impressed by their tall sizes, silky coats and beautiful colors. Being sighthounds, they resemble and share a lot of common traits with Asian sighthounds such as salukis or afghan hounds. These traits are long and slender legs, deep chests, arched loins and long tails that are set low with a curve. They have long, slightly arched, muzzles that adds to their graceful appearance. Their ears are small and lay back on the head, their dark eyes have a slant to them. The hair on the neck, hindquarters and tail is longer than the hair on the rest of the body and is silky and long, often wavy.

Colors:
AKC's breed standard has accepted following colors: black, black & brindle, black & cream, black & tan, brindle, cream, gold, red, red brindle, sable, white, silver sable, silver brindle, gold brindle, gold sable, brindled sable, sabled gold, sabled red.

History and origins:
The true origin of the borzoi dogs are a bit unclear as different sources states different things. Some say they came from Persian greyhounds and European sighthounds mixed with thick-coated Russian breeds. Others say they came from Mongolia with the conquering of Genghis Khan.

One things for sure and that is that the breed has been part of Russian culture fpr centuaries and that the modern Borzoi indeed is a Russian breed. Noblemen used these dogs to hunt wolves (hence their nickname Russian wolfhound), foxes, hares and deer.

Temparement:
Borzois are dignified, calm, even-tempered dogs with a mannerism that can only be described as elegant. They have a bit of an arrogant attitude towards silly things and it's considered to be typical borzoi behaviour. They aren't too fond of roughhousing since they're a bit too dignified for those kind of things. Inside they are very calm, lazy even, but tend to explode with energy the moment they're outside and they are allowed to roam around loose (in a fenced area). It's not ideal to keep other pets if you own a Borzoi since their prey drive can be quite high. They dislike rain and may even refuse to go on walks if the weather doesn't suit them.

Health:
Hip dysplasia, osteochondritis dissecans, and progressive retinal atrophy is present in the breed. Dog guardians/dog owners should be careful and look out for bloating as they have deep chests.

Recommended Health Tests From the National Breed Club:

• Thyroid Evaluation
• Degenerative Myelopathy DNA Test
• Cardiac Exam
• Ophthalmologist Evaluation