The Borzoi is a breed of dog also called the Russian Wolfhound. They have medium-length, slightly curly hair and are similar in shape to Greyhounds. They are a member of the sighthound family.

Appearance

Borzois can come in almost any color or color combination. Their coat is silky, flat and should never be wooly. This breed is a large variety with males reaching in excess of 100 pounds (45 kg). Males should stand at least 28 inches while females shouldn't be less than 26 inches.

Temperament

The Borzoi is an intelligent, active dog. They are gentle with people and have good manners but sometimes are nervous around children and need to be reared with small children if they are to be the pet in a family which includes very small children. As seen in the United States, they are dogs used to pursue (course) game and they have a strong instinct to chase things that run from them. They do not have strong territorial drives compared to breeds such as Mastiffs and German Shepherds. They are not to be thought of as a "fighting dog". They need a home with a fenced yard if automobile traffic is present within several miles of their home because their instinct to chase such game as rabbits and squirrels can cause them to ignore the danger created by automobile traffic.

The Borzoi can be brutal against wolves and other wild canids. It is not generally territorially aggressive to other domestic dogs. Borzoi will defend themselves against other breeds, but lacks the body weight and the strength to combat a mastiff or similar hefty breed.

It is quite common for Borzois at play sometimes spontaneously join forces and course (run down) another dog, seizing it by the neck and holding it immobile. Young pups do this with their littermates, trading off as to who is the prey. Older dogs will even do this with strange dogs in dog parks. It is a hunting behavior, not a fighting or territorial domination behavior.

Health

The most common serious health problems are gastric torsion and cardiac problems including cardiomyopathy and cardiac arhythmia disorders. A controversy exists as to the presence of progressive retinal atrophy in the breed. A condition identified as Borzoi Retinopathy is seen in many individuals, usually active dogs, which differs from progressive retinal atrophy in several ways. Firstly, it is rarely seen in animals less than 3 years of age, secondly, a clear cut pattern of inheritance has not been demonstrated and finally, most affected individuals do not go blind.

Life expectancy is 10 to 12 years, females usually living longer than males. Exceptional individuals have lived to be more than 16 years of age. Dogs that are physically fit and vigorous in their youth through middle age are more vigorous and healthy as elderly dogs, all other factors being equal.

History

Tradition says that they were brought to Russia by Kublai Khan. Although this might be true, the original Borzoi stock was crossed with different Russian herding dogs, which explains the breed's ability to deal with wolves—this was an important part of a herding dog's work in the past, when wolves were more common.

Borzois were popular with the Tsars before the 1917 revolution, and for a long time Borzois could not be purchased but only given as gifts from the Tsar. The most famous breeder was Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaievich of Russia, who bred hundreds of Borzois at Perchino, his private kennel. During Tsarist times, several varieties of wolfhounds were bred; however, after the revolution, many of the Tsarist breeds were neglected.

During that time, Russians also performed "hunting tests", to show that Borzois could actually hold a wolf until the hunter arrived. The wolf hunt itself was organized with riding hunters and Foxhounds on the Russian steppe. When the wolf was sighted, the hunter would release a pair of Borzois. The Borzois would charge the wolf, attack its neck from both sides, and hold it until the hunter arrived. The classical killing was by the human hunter with a knife. These dogs are bred for team work and enjoy the company of other similar breeds. Hunting groups often consisted of three Borzois; one of which would be a clearly dominant male. After singling out a wolf, the two subordinate dogs would attack the wolf's ears (or general head) allowing the dominant to reach the throat.