What Are Borzois Like?

[Kare]

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This may sound like a very broad question- and I know there are not many 'zoi owners about and that I could just read a book about them (I will do at some point though), but it's not the same- I want to here it from the horse's mouth So a summary of what they are like? I suppose mainly I want to know how they compare to lurchers in temperament, amount of excercise needed, how they are with people and other dogs? Can you make this distinction or in your opinions does it depend on the individual dog? I want to own a borzoi at some point, I'm just going over and over trying to decide when the right time is and would really like to know more, something, about them that's not structured for a general-reaidng book. Thank you!

 

[Macha]

When I was a teenager I walked a neighbour's borzoi; they had 3 bitches and a dog who all got on well together. Good natured dogs. I didn't think they were as smart as whippets.

 

[Janimal]

My friend has 4 of them....lovely dogs... but dont know any more about them to post on here...apart from it takes her

around 4 hours to prepare them all for a show. :lol:

anyway heres a picture of one of them for you taken at a local show.

 

[kirsty]

My friend has 4 of them....lovely dogs... but dont know any more about them to post on here...apart from it takes heraround 4 hours to prepare them all for a show. :lol:

anyway heres a picture of one of them for you taken at a local show.

Wow what a gorgeous dog :wub: :wub: :wub:

 

[FeeFee]

There's a gorgeous but very nervous Borzoi up for rehoming on Lurcher Link http://www.lurcherlink.org/llink/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51287

The only Borzoi I've known well is one who comes to our training class. He is enormous, much taller than any other Borzoi I've seen, but a complete wimpy-mummy's-boy :wub:

He 'won't' walk across the few feet of wooden flooring between the entrance and the matting that is laid down for the training class, his owner has to bring a special rug for him him to walk over. His Retrieves are brilliant - so long as his retrieve object is his special fluffy giraffe :lol:

He's only a baby - just under a year old -he is such a sweet gentle boy (with the occasional spectacular boingy moment), but needs a lot of reassurance and very gentle handling.

 

[gina]

I adore all sighthounds but Borzois have always been my real faves since i saw a pic of one in a dog book as a child (i was OBSESSED with dog books at school!!) I decided last year it was the right time to become a Borzoi owner now my son is big and old enough to cope with such a large breed, but ended up fostering a Lurcher that needed SERIOUS rehabilitation before he could be rehomed, so i missed out on the litter i was interested in fingers crossed the same breeder is planning a litter early this year so i really hope it works out and i can have one at long last!) I decided against a rescue this time again as i feel my son is at the perfect age to help raise a pup and form that strong bond and have wonderful memories of choosing a puppy, it arriving and growing up and help educate him in how to raise a pup (he was too young to remember Gucci arriving the size of a mouse!) If all goes well, i would then love to rescue one further down the line as they seem to thrive among their own kind... Also their sheer size i thought it would be best to start with a puppy that has no 'issues' caused by another persons mistakes...so watch this space and i would also appreciate any Borzoi owners advice on the breed

 

[Seraphina]

I had Borzois for many years; I had one that was so shy and easily spooked that I would not dare to let her off the leash anywhere, except at home on our 6 acre property. But most were very good, all were very clean, easily trained, most loving, gentle and intelligent. But they are big & hairy.

Temperament definitely runs in families, so if you meet the parents, and they have good temperament, you should be fine with their pup.

Borzois should be relaxed and friendly in slightly reserved fashion; that means they smile at you, wag their tail slightly but will not jump all over you - that is a greeting they save for close friends

But reserved should not mean shy.

Some of mine were real characters; like Jeremiah (Aust.Ch. Astragorn Vallum) who absolutely adored all babies; from our lambs to the human ones (had to be careful with him walking on the street, he would try to kiss babies in their prams).

He also was a very good guard dog, with sense of humour. We lived on few acres with the house about 30m from the gate, which had a sign (big one) PLEASE DO NOT ENTER, RING THE BELL - DOGS ON PREMISES. Jeremiah used to like to sit on a cane sofa under the veranda (when I was at home). As we lived in the end of no through country road, any car arriving was coming to us, so the moment I heard a car I would look out of the window. I would often see a person (stranger) come to the gate, read the sign, look at the dog, who seemingly paid no attention, and then 9 out of 10 people would decide to enter without ringing the bell. The dog would wait until they got more than half way to the house, then he would stand up and bare his teeth. And kept the intruder bailed up until I had enough fun watching them in panic and "rescued" them.

When I went out, my dogs were left in the house with an access to a court yard and the gate was locked.

I kept several Borzoi males at one time, and they were great together, even when I had bitch in season. I love Whippets, but if I could have another Borzoi I would. However, they need more space to stretch their legs out than a suburban yard. And being a large dog you need to be careful with other people's small dogs. Excited 7-8 month old playful Borzoi puppy can seriously hurt small dog.

 

[Chaumsong]

I've owned 15 borzoi over the last 23 years My current boy will be my last though, I've moved onto the miniature version (silken windhound)!

So...what are borzois like? As the previous poster has said they are quiet and reserved with strangers, loving with their special people (but not needy like my collies are). Most of the time you won't notice them in the house as they'll be lying sleeping, probably not even bothering to greet visitors unless they know them. None of my borzoi have been nervous, none have been spooked by fireworks, loud noises, trucks or similar but all were very well socialised as youngsters. Basically they are very stable companions, loyal and loving without being clingy.

They have down sides though. They cast like no other breed on earth, there's no getting away from the hair - it's in your dinner and all over your best clothes, even if said clothes have never even been in the same room as the dogs.

We also need to remember what borzois were originally bred for, they were bred to hunt wolves and had to be courageous and fast. Most borzoi dogs when adolescent will occasionally 'course' dogs they meet outside. For everyones safety a muzzle is a sensible precaution. They are also typical sighthounds and suffer from selective deafness when chasing. Over the years I've been in tears many times because I've (temporarily) lost dogs when they've raced off after deer, hare or bunnies. They've always came back but it's real heart in the mouth stuff.

All my zois have been well behaved, for most of their off lead walk they'll walk along just behind me or leaning against me, but when they see something they're off!

Borzoi are not usually great dogs for very young kids, they can be reactive when sleeping and snap first and think later if they're stood on, same if they hurt themselves in any way. They scream like they're dying if they stub their toes They are excellent family dogs for quieter households though.

To sum up I would recommend a borzoi to any sighthound enthusiast who had their own field for exercise. For people like myself who need to walk them on public ground they require a bit more thought. I've spent years trekking all over the place trying to find safe places to walk them. Now I only have one elderly zoi I can walk anywhere, down country parks etc as when borzois settle down (around 4 or 5 ) they are brilliant dogs. Unfortunately they tend to die around 7 to 9 years old so you don't get to enjoy the good times for long!

Some recent pics of my current boy with his harem...

 

[Seraphina]

Here is link to website for my last Borzoi SERAPHINA

 

[pippywhippet]

What beautiful photos of the gorgeous Seraphina :wub:

 

[Janimal]

Here is link to website for my last Borzoi SERAPHINA

Gosh ...absolutely beautiful..thanks for sharing :thumbsup:

Beautiful dogs on this thread. :wub:

 

[TillynPip]

Just browsing and found this thread for the Borzoi. All Stunning pics of them but Seraphina's show just how big they are next to the whippet. Just the difference in head size! :wub: :wub: :wub: