Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Borzoi Breed Overview
- History of the Borzoi Breed. Where Borzois came from
- What the Borzoi Looks Like
- How Much is the Borzoi Puppy?
- Best Borzoi Breeders
- Borzoi Growth
- What Colors do Borzois Have?
- The Temperament of the Borzoi
- How Long Borzois Live
- Borzoi Litter Size
- How Fast Borzois Can Run
- How Intelligent are Borzois?
- How Popular are Borzois with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Borzois and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Borzoi
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Borzois
- Other Things to Know About Borzois
Borzoi Breed Overview
The Borzoi is a giant-sized dog.
The adult Borzoi stands 26 to 32 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Borzoi belongs to the Hound Dogs group.
Dogs in the Hound Dogs group, like the Borzoi, were bred to pursue and hunt warm-blooded animals. Hounds hunt by using their good sight or their good sense of smell. Dogs that belong to the Hound Group have strong prey drives and often will stop at nothing to catch what they are pursuing.
The fact that the Borzoi belongs to the Hound Dogs group is one of the reasons why Borzois have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Borzoi is generally described as:
- Athletic
- Gentle
- Independent
- Intelligent
- Quiet
- Respectful
History of the Borzoi Breed. Where Borzois came from
The Borzoi was named after his quickness and agility.
The Borzoi first appeared in Russia in the 17th century.
The breed was created by crossing an Arabian Greyhound with a thick-coated Russian Sheepdog.
Aristocrats bred the Borzoi as a coursing sighthound, and as a result, hunting with Borzoi became the national sport of Russian aristocracy.
The first breed standards were written in 1650.
Many Borzoi were killed during the Russian Revolution of 1917 because they were associated with the czars.
Borzoi was given to Queen Victoria of England, Prince of Wales, and King Edward VII by the Czar of Russia.
Borzois were not only Queen Alexandra`s companions; she also bred and exhibited them.
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What the Borzoi Looks Like
They have long, slender legs, a narrow body, a deep chest, curved backs, a tucked abdomen, and a long tail, similar to the Greyhound.
Borzois have feathered tails and hindquarters.
The Borzoi has a strong neck and jaw, a slightly domed skull, and an extremely long and narrow face and muzzle.
Their eyes are dark and have a gentle expression.
The Borzoi has a very graceful and elegant appearance, but it is also agile, strong, and fast.
Their coat is long and silky, and can be curly, wavy, or straight.
Their neck is adorned with a thick ruff of curly hair.
Although all colors and patterns are permitted, the most common pattern is white with patches.
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How Much is the Borzoi Puppy?
The average price of a Borzoi puppy is $1560. The price of a Borzoi puppy ranges from $1500 to $1500.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Borzoi. These factors include what health records the Borzoi puppy has, the lineage of the Borzoi puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Borzoi based on the many factors that determine the price of the Borzoi puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Borzoi puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Borzoi breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Borzoi Breeders
We have researched reputable Borzoi breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Borzoi breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Ellen Starski
Puppy Price: $2500
Kelcorov
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Berkshyr Borzoi
Puppy Price: $2500
NIRVANAH BORZOI
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Susan Motisi
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Borzoi Growth
New Borzoi owners need to know about the growth of their Borzois. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Borzoi will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Borzoi early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Borzoi puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Borzoi at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Borzoi
What Colors do Borzois Have?
Borzois come in the following beautiful primary colors:
Borzois come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:
The Temperament of the Borzoi
The temperament of the Borzoi based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the Borzoi for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Borzoi here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Touch Sensitivity | 9.1 percent |
| Prey Drive | 87.0 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 8.4 percent |
| Stubbornness | 58.0 percent |
| Energy Level | 42.0 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 4.1 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 4.0 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 36.4 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 31.5 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 16.9 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 13.3 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 10.7 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 1.1 percent |
| Excitability | 0.0 percent |
How Long Borzois Live
The lifespan of the Borzoi is typically from 10 to 12 years.
Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Borzoi. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 87 pet Borzois lived.
From the study, it was found that Borzois have an average lifespan of 9.08 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Borzois to live as long as 14.2 years.
Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Borzoi to live long.
Borzois live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
There are also dog supplements that you can give your Borzoi to improve your Borzoi`s quality of their life.
Click here to learn more about how to make your Borzoi live long.
Borzoi Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 9 different Borzoi birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Borzois can have is 7 puppies. Also, the Borzoi can have as few as 4 puppies per litter and as many as 10 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Borzoi will have depends on factors such as the age of the Borzoi, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Borzoi will have and how the litter size of the Borzoi compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Borzois Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 217 different Borzois, the average speed of the Borzoi is 28.4 mph (45.7 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Borzoi ran in a race is 38.6 mph (62.1 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Borzoi is 4.4 mph (7.1 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Borzoi compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
How Intelligent are Borzois?
| Borzoi | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 75 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 80 To 100 Repetitions Or More! |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Borzoi has an obedience intelligence rank of 75 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Borzois in the `Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Borzois tend to learn new commands after 80 to 100 repetitions or more!.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Australian Cattle Dog | 10 |
| Belgian Tervuren | 14 |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 17 |
| Cocker Spaniel | 20 |
| Airedale Terrier | 29 |
| Welsh Springer Spaniel | 31 |
| Cairn Terrier | 35 |
| Norwegian Elkhound | 36 |
| Affenpinscher | 37 |
| Bedlington Terrier | 40 |
| Curly-Coated Retriever | 41 |
| Kuvasz | 42 |
| Finnish Spitz | 43 |
| American Water Spaniel | 44 |
| Boxer | 48 |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback | 52 |
| Akita | 54 |
| Norfolk Terrier | 56 |
| Maltese | 59 |
| Afghan Hound | 79 |
How Popular are Borzois with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Borzoi.
The popularity of the Borzoi averaged over the years is Number 100 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Borzois and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Borzoi is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Borzoi puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Borzoi breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Borzois for:
- Autoimmune thyroiditis
- Cardiac Evaluation
- Degenerative Myelopathy
- Elbow Dysplasia
- Eye Examination
- Hip Dysplasia
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Borzois here.
How to Take Care of Borzoi
To take good care of your Borzoi, you need to make sure that you groom your Borzoi regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Borzoi regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Borzoi`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Borzoi daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Borzoi.
Also, you need to feed your Borzoi high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Borzoi from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Borzoi and how much food to feed the Borzoi at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Borzoi has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Borzoi needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Borzois
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Borzoi.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Borzoi:
- Chinook (69 percent match with Borzoi). Learn more about the Chinook here.
- Collie (69 percent match with Borzoi). Learn more about the Collie here.
- English Toy Spaniel (69 percent match with Borzoi). Learn more about the English Toy Spaniel here.
Other Things to Know About Borzois
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Borzoi that you need to know about the Borzoi breed: