Borzoi
Dogs
Borzoi
Borzoi |
A Borzoi
|
Alternative names |
Barzoď
Russian Wolfhound
Russkaya Psovaya Borzaya |
Country of origin |
Russia |
Common nicknames |
|
Classification and breed standards |
FCI: |
Group 10 Section 1 #193 |
|
AKC: |
Hound |
|
ANKC: |
Group 4 (Hounds) |
|
CKC: |
Group 2 - Hounds |
|
KC (UK): |
Hound |
|
NZKC: |
Hound |
|
UKC: |
Sighthounds and Pariah Dogs |
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Not recognized by any major kennel club |
This breed of dog is
extinct |
Notes |
|
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. Although it is
brutal against wolves, the Borzoi is a brave dog that will try to dominate many
other breeds, but lacks the body weight and the strength to combat a
mastiff or
similar hefty breed. Even now, young Borzois at play sometimes spontaneously
join forces against another dog, seizing it by the neck and holding it immobile.
Health
The most common health problems are
progressive retinal atrophy and
gastric torsion. Life expectancy is 10 to 12 years.
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 the Russian
Grand Duke
Nikolai Nikolaievich, (son of
Nicholas I 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.
Miscellaneous
A stylized Borzoi serves as the
logo for the Knopf
Publishing Group, an
imprint of
Random
House publishers.
[1]
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