Breeds / Large
Borzoi puppies
Quiet, dignified and affectionate at home, the Borzoi is a sighthound bred to course wolves, gentle with its own people and reserved with strangers. It keeps a powerful chase instinct and needs secure fencing.
The facts
- Size class Large
- Country of origin Russia
- Adult weight 27.2 to 47.6 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 60 to 105 lb
- Adult height 66 to 71 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Medium silky and curly
- Typical lifespan 9 to 14 years
- Good with children Fine with supervision
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
About the Borzoi
The Borzoi was bred by the Russian aristocracy to course wolves across open country, hunting in pairs and running the quarry down by sight and speed alone. It is a tall, narrow sighthound with a deep chest, an arched loin and a long silky coat that lies in waves and curls. Indoors it is quiet, clean and undemanding, given to lying on the furniture for hours at a stretch. Outdoors the same dog becomes something else entirely the moment a rabbit or a cat moves.
Exercise means daily walks plus room to gallop inside securely fenced ground, because a Borzoi off lead follows its eyes and hears nothing. The coat wants a brush every day or two with a pin brush or comb, and a heavier session once a year when it drops. Training is slow going: this is an independent dog that cooperates rather than obeys, and heavy handed correction simply closes it down. The usual mistake is trusting recall in an open park.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Borzoi puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Hip and elbow dysplasia, screened by radiographic evaluation of breeding stock
- Osteochondritis dissecans, a joint cartilage problem of growing dogs, diagnosed by x-ray
- Progressive retinal atrophy, screened by an ophthalmologist evaluation
- Bloat and gastric torsion, a surgical emergency in deep chested dogs
- Anaesthetic sensitivity common to sighthounds, which the vet should be told about before any procedure
From Borzoi breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/borzoi/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Borzoi puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Borzoi.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 27.2 to 47.6 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other large breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.