Lets Talk Borzoi

mrose_s

BusterLove
Joined
Mar 27, 2005
Messages
12,169
Likes
0
Points
36
Age
34
Location
QLD, Australia
#1
Romy - I'm looking at you.

So... I adore the 'Zoi. I've had a thing for them forever. I just find them so stunning. I've never had much contact with them in real life, I havn't actually had a lot of ongoing contact with many sighthounds. We have a few Grey's and a young Irish Wolfhound that train with us but it's pretty limited.

I've said for years they are on my a "one day list" when I have room for a dog I don't need to be super fast, trainable and athletic.

So at the moment, it's realistically atleast 6 years+ away.
I was thinking about contacting a local breeder sometime this year and just seeing if I could come meet their dogs and talk to them, but as always. I know Chaz is a good first point of call for online info.

What is they're prey drive like? Atleast compared to other sighthounds. Obviously this would vary between lines and dogs, was just wondering to what degree it might impact on their ability to live with smaller animals (cats/rodents), socialise with other dogs or be allowed off leash.

Are they as stoic and charismatic as they look or are they goofy in disguise?

Generally what are they like with strangers? Aloof and reserved or affection seekers?

What are they like with their people as far as affection goes?

Trainability? Ofcourse they arn't going to be a Border Collie but how fast do they pick things up and how drivey are they if you work on it?

Health? Things to be aware of?

How much time/effort does that coat take?

Anything else you want to add? Breed quirks?

What do you think are their "worst" traits??

PICTURES!!!!
 

Romy

Taxiderpy
Joined
Dec 2, 2006
Messages
10,233
Likes
1
Points
38
Location
Olympia, WA
#2
I've said for years they are on my a "one day list" when I have room for a dog I don't need to be super fast, trainable and athletic.
:rofl1: I put a GPS jogger's watch on Strider. My ex used to put him in a harness and have him pull him on a 5 mile loop around Evergreen Parkway on his longboard. They used to pass traffic. The top speed the GPS clocked him at was 42 mph, pulling a 180 lb man on that board. He averaged 27 mph on his runs. Borzoi are superior athletes, individuals can be extremely trainable. They're supah fast couch potatoes.

Here is Kaia making a 20 foot jump over a muddy creek. She doesn't like wet feet. She totally made it across too.



So at the moment, it's realistically atleast 6 years+ away.
I was thinking about contacting a local breeder sometime this year and just seeing if I could come meet their dogs and talk to them, but as always. I know Chaz is a good first point of call for online info.
What part of Oz are you in? There are some good breeders there with really nice lines. :)

What is they're prey drive like? Atleast compared to other sighthounds. Obviously this would vary between lines and dogs, was just wondering to what degree it might impact on their ability to live with smaller animals (cats/rodents), socialise with other dogs or be allowed off leash.
It varies, but generally if they're raised with the small animals in question they'll play nice. I wouldn't tempt them by leaving them unsupervised together, and I wouldn't put the pet bunny loose in the dog yard with them or anything. lol.

Kaia was only raised with our cat, but she was able to learn to respect the other small animals. She really wanted to eat the chinchillas and bearded dragons, but lots of desensitization and patience and she's perfect with them now.

Strider has really strong prey drive but he deeply respects and understands when an animal is "mine" and won't touch it. With the chickens, he wanted to eat them so bad but wouldn't. In fact, when a neighbor dog came over and chased them he stepped up and defended them from the other dog. I spent a lot of time teaching him impulse control though.

"If you can't eat 'em, join 'em."


As far as wild animals, mine have really strong prey drive and they do kill stuff. I would never recommend letting them off leash in an unfenced area unless you were out hunting far away from roads and possibly had a GPS. If you're hunting and wait to slip them until they have game sighted, they only run as far as the game. So, how far they goes depends on whether or not they catch it, and how far it gets before they stop it.

Are they as stoic and charismatic as they look or are they goofy in disguise?
BOTH.

So elegant. Very wow.


So doge.


It varies from dog to dog. Strider is seriousdog. He rarely plays, because seriousdog is seriousbusiness.

Kaia is a really elegant megaderp. Her breeder showed her at an enormous show in Seattle and she ended up rolling all over some strange man's feet in total happiness after she got out of the ring. He loved her so much he ended up buying her cousin who needed a home.

Generally what are they like with strangers? Aloof and reserved or affection seekers?
Again, my two are opposite ends of the spectrum. Strider is pretty reserved with most strangers, especially men. The exception is small children. He loves to sneak up and kiss their ears. Sometimes he really loves a random stranger for no apparent reason.

Kaia is like a golden retriever on crack (including the crazy eye). She loooooves all the people.

What are they like with their people as far as affection goes?
Most of them are super affectionate. Strider is not snuggly. He does not like being on the furniture. I sleep on the floor with the dogs at night. Strider likes to sleep an arms length away. Kaia likes to lay across my legs. I have one friend that Strider looooves to snuggle with on the couch and it's totally mystifying. He only sees her once or twice a year, but hey! lol

This is how Kaia sits on me.


Trainability? Ofcourse they arn't going to be a Border Collie but how fast do they pick things up and how drivey are they if you work on it?
They're surprisingly trainable. Borzoi are not very tolerant of repetition and got bored very easily so short fun training sessions are best. However, they learn really fast and are wicked smart. They do have a strong desire to please you.

I don't know if this dog is taking the cues from the written word itself or some other thing she's doing (foot position?) but this is a pretty awesome example of what they're capable of.
[YOUTUBE]DEIQruOe79c[/YOUTUBE]

Health? Things to be aware of?
There are DNA tests for degenerative myelopathy now, so you can avoid getting an affected puppy. Carriers are totally fine.

Cardiomyopathy can be an issue. That tends to run in lines. I've never personally known a dog with a bad heart though.

Bloat can be an issue. It seems to be linked with an anxious temperament, and tends to run in lines. American breeders breed away from it. In Europe a lot of breeders don't believe it is genetic so they don't mention it when talking about the health of their line. They're not trying to be dishonest or anything, it's just something to be aware of when asking about health because they don't consider it issue so you might have to specify it.

Osteosarcoma is the other big one. That tends to run in families too.

How much time/effort does that coat take?
Surprisingly little. It's a single coat. I'm ashamed to say that I rarely brush my dogs. Mostly it's just a bit to detangle their butt feathers. It's supposed to be very silky. Some dogs have fur that is more cottony, and that tends to mat. If your dog is cottony and thick behind the ears it's a good idea to thin it out with thinning shears to prevent ear mats.

I'll have to think about the quirks and worst traits. They're pretty much the perfect dog for me so it's hard for me to think of what the negatives might be for other people. lol
 

Romy

Taxiderpy
Joined
Dec 2, 2006
Messages
10,233
Likes
1
Points
38
Location
Olympia, WA
#3
Just to contrast the two, here is seriousdog.



Here is megaderp


And here is seriousdog smiling for me. Yes, this is a happy smile. Some borzois are grinners and it's genetic.
 
Joined
Apr 13, 2011
Messages
3,557
Likes
1
Points
36
Location
Hudson Valley
#4
Romy, I love your dogs. 'Zois are so pretty and definitely on my 'to dream about' list. Don't know if they'll ever be on my 'to own' list, but looking at pictures of them certainly makes me happy :)
 

Laurelin

I'm All Ears
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
30,963
Likes
3
Points
0
Age
37
Location
Oklahoma
#5
I love Kaia. She's such a goof.

It's amazing how fast sighthounds are. I don't think video really gives you the right impression but man I was IMPRESSED when I watched the coursing a few weeks ago.
 

PWCorgi

Priscilla Winifred Corgi
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
14,854
Likes
0
Points
36
Age
34
Location
Twin Citay!
#7
My next breeder dog will be a Borzoi. Unlike other breeds where the more I learn the less sure I get, with these guys the more I learn the more I am sure that this breed will be a good fit. I love love LOVE LOVELOVELOVE the Russian dogs. LOVE! Their head structure and coat is just swoon-inducing. There is a woman in the US that regularly imports Russian dogs. I want to meet her dogs. Now.


Soooo....I'll be ready in 7+ years...if my next dog ends up being a breeder dog rather than rescue. For now I just swoon.
 

gilles

New Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2014
Messages
100
Likes
0
Points
0
#8
nice dogs romy! impressive jump over the mud! are borzoi prone to hip and joint problems like heavy mastiff breeds and LGDs ?
 

Romy

Taxiderpy
Joined
Dec 2, 2006
Messages
10,233
Likes
1
Points
38
Location
Olympia, WA
#9
This is going to be short (I'll try anyway) 'cause I'm trying really hard to get to sleep in about 5 minutes.

PW, just remember Russian doesn't always mean superior. ;) Many of the lines in Russia are descended from dogs outside of Russia. Most Russian borzois were slaughtered by the bolsheviks. The breed was saved by the fact that a lot had been given as gifts to other nobility over the years.


nice dogs romy! impressive jump over the mud! are borzoi prone to hip and joint problems like heavy mastiff breeds and LGDs ?
No, their joints are very healthy as a breed. Many breeders don't bother doing xrays. I admit I didn't bother with Kaia when she had her first litter. Part of that is anesthesia makes me really nervous.

However, I am taking her in this month to do her OFA hips and elbows because there's a local sighthound breeder doing a breeder special where both will be less than $100 combined, then the OFA fees after that. They don't sedate the dogs for the xrays, so I'm happy about that and there's not reason not to get it done.

They're very long lived for a giant breed too. 12-14 years is typical. I've met a few that were 15 and going strong. Something I've noticed is early death and catastrophic diseases like osteosarcoma and heart disease tend to crop up more in highly linebred animals, like with a 30%+ COI.
 

mrose_s

BusterLove
Joined
Mar 27, 2005
Messages
12,169
Likes
0
Points
36
Age
34
Location
QLD, Australia
#10
Thanks for that Romy,
I thought I already replied to this thread. But apparently not.

I'm in south east Queensland, but it's not overly hard to get to most of the eastern states and for the right breeder I'd go nationwide.

The only downside I see is the prey drive because I love off lead time. But thats sighthounds.
 

Members online

No members online now.
Top