The Borzoi or Russian Hunting Sighthound is a Russian

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

hunting dog A hunting dog is a Dog, canine that hunts with or for hunters. There are several different Dog type, types of hunting dog developed for various tasks and purposes. The major categories of hunting dog include hounds, terriers, cur type dogs, and ...

sighthound Sighthounds (also called gazehounds) are a Dog type, type of hound dog that hunts primarily by sight and speed, unlike scent hound, scent hounds, which rely on scent and endurance. Appearance These dogs specialize in pursuing prey, keeping it ...

type. It was formerly used for

wolf hunting Wolf hunting is the practice of hunting Wolf (disambiguation), wolves. Wolves are mainly hunted for sport, for their skins, to protect livestock and, in some rare cases, to protect humans. Wolves have been actively hunted since 8,000 to 10,000&n ...

; until 1936, the breed was known as the Russian Wolfhound.

Etymology

The system by which Russians over the ages named their sighthounds was a series of descriptive terms rather than actual names. is the masculine singular form of an archaic Russian adjective that means 'fast'. ('fast dog') is the basic term for sighthounds used by Russians, though is usually dropped. The name derived from the word , which means 'wavy, silky coat', just as (as in hortaya borzaya) means shorthaired. In modern Russian, the breed commonly called the Borzoi is officially known as . Other Russian sighthound breeds are (from the

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

), called ; and (from the

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

), called .

History

The Borzoi originated in the sixteenth century Russia by crossing Saluki and European sighthounds with thick-coated Russian breeds. The Borzoi was popular with the

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

s before the 1917 revolution. For centuries, Borzois could not be purchased but only given as gifts from the Tsar. Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaievich of Russia bred countless Borzoi at Perchino, his private estate. The breed was almost rendered extinct after the revolution, as the communists associated the breed with the upper classes and killed Borzoi in large numbers. The Russkaya Psovaya Borzaya was definitively accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1956. File:1879 Borzoi Flock.jpg, Borzoi owned by Max Hartenstein, Berlin, Germany, 1879 Borzo by a Chair-George Hare.jpg, ''Borzo by a Chair'' ( St George Hare, 19th century) File:Tikhmenev (1904) Wolf hunt with borzois.jpg, ''Wolf hunting with borzois'' (1904), Efim A. Tikhmenev File:Sarah Bernhardt Clairin Henderson.jpg,

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...

, portrait by Georges Clairin

Description

Appearance

Borzois are large Russian

s that resemble some central Asian breeds such as the

Afghan hound The Afghan Hound is a hound distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat, and a tail with a ring curl at the end. The breed originates in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. Its local name is () or (). Other names for this breed are Tāzī, Balkh ...

, Saluki, and the Kyrgyz Taigan. Borzois come in a variety of colours. The Borzoi coat is silky and flat, often wavy or slightly curly. The long top-coat is quite flat, with varying degrees of waviness or curling. The soft undercoat thickens during winter or in cold climates, but is shed in hot weather to prevent overheating. In its texture and distribution over the body, the Borzoi coat is unique. There should be a frill on its neck, as well as feathering on its hindquarters and tail.

Temperament

The Borzoi is an affectionate and athletic breed of dog with a calm temperament. In terms of obedience, Borzois are selective learners who quickly become bored with repetitive activity, and they can be difficult to motivate. Nevertheless, Borzois are definitely capable of enjoying and performing well in competitive obedience and agility trials with the right kind of

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

Coat gallery

File:Medalowy borgoj.jpg, Red File:Borzoi black female.png, Black File:Three Borzoi.jpg, White and yellow-and-white File:Borzoi red & white.jpg, Red and white File:Black and white borzoi.jpg, Black and white File:Borzoi 600.jpg, White and brown File:Kidai.jpg, White and grey File:Borzoi portrait Flickr.jpg, White and sandy

Health

A 2024 UK study found an average life expectancy of 12 years for Borzois, with a sample size of 43, compared to 12.7 for

purebred Purebreds are cultivars of an animal species achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be pedigreed. Purebreds breed true-to-type, which means the progeny of l ...

s and 12 for mongrels. An American study looking at echocardiographs of clinically healthy Borzoi found 53.8% to have heart murmurs, 30.2% to have trace or mild mitral regurgitation, 36.1% to have mild tricuspid regurgitation, and 14.4% to have cardiac disease.