Other names: Russian wolfhound, Borzoi Hunting Sighthound, Russkaya Psovaya Borzaya, Barzoi
Here is the official Borzoi standard. Please visit other pages for Russian wolfhound review, breed video and beautiful Borzoi pictures.
FCI-Dog Breed Standard N° 193 / 22. 11. 2006 / GB
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID DOG BREED STANDARD : 25.10.06.
UTILIZATION : Hunting sighthound, racing and coursing hound.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 10 Sighthounds.
Section 1 Long-haired or fringed Sighthounds.
Without working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : The Russkaya Psovaya Borzaya has been an integral part of the national culture and Russian history for 9 centuries. The French Chronicle of the XIth century shows that three Borzois accompanied the daughter of the Grand Duke of Kiev, Anna Iaroslavna when she arrived in France to become the wife of Henri I. Among the owners and breeders there were many famous people including Tsars and poets : Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Nicolas II, Pushkin, Turgenev. The creation of the famous kennel « Pershinskaya okhota » by the illustrious breeders the Grand Duke Nicolai Nicolaevitch and Dimitri Valtsev had great importance. From the end of the XIXth century, the Borzoi is seen in the biggest breeding kennels of Europe and America.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Dog of aristocratic appearance, of large size, of lean and at the same time robust constitution, of a very slightly elongated construction. Females are generally longer than males. Strong bone structure but not massive. The bones are rather flat. Muscles lean, well developed, especially on the thighs, but not showing in relief. Harmony of form and movement is of prime importance.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : In its everyday life the Borzoi has a quiet and balanced character. At the sight of game it gets suddenly excited. It has a piercing sight, capable of seeing very far. Its reaction is impetuous.
HEAD : Viewed from above as well as from the side, lean, long, narrow, aristocratic. Seen in profile, the lines of the skull and muzzle form a long, slightly convex line, the line of the sagittal crest being straight or slightly oblique towards the well marked occipital protuberance. The head is so elegant and lean that the principal veins show through the skin.
CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Narrow; seen from above : elongated into an oval shape; seen in profile, almost flat.
Stop : Only very slightly marked.
FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Large, mobile, considerably prominent in relation to the lower jaw.
Top of muzzle : Long, filled out in all its length, slightly arched near the nose.
Muzzle : The length of the muzzle from the stop to the tip of the nose is equal or slightly superior to that of the skull, from the occiput to the stop.
Lips : Fine, clean, well fitting. The eye-rims, the lips and the nose are black whatever the colour of the coat.
Jaws/Teeth : Strong underjaw. Teeth white, strong; scissor bite or pincer bite.
Eyes : Large, very slightly prominent, expressive, dark hazel or dark brown, almond-shaped, but not slit-eyed, set obliquely.
Ears : Small, thin, mobile, set on above the eye level and backwards, pointing almost towards the nape of the neck when not alert. The tips of the ears are situated near each other or directed downwards along the neck and close to it. When the dog is alert, the ears are carried higher and on the sides or forward; sometimes one or both ears are erect like horse ears.
NECK : Long, clean, flattened laterally, muscled, slightly arched, never carried high.
BODY :
Withers : Not marked.
Back : Broad, muscled, elastic, forming with the loin and croup a curve which is more pronounced in the males. The highest point of this curve is situated ahead of the middle of the loin or in the region of the 1st or 2nd lumbar vertebra.
Loin : Long, prominent, muscled, moderately broad.
Croup : Long, broad, slightly sloping. The width of the croup measured between the two hip bones (iliac crests) must not be less than 8 cm.
Chest : Of oval cross-section, not narrow, yet not wider than the croup, deep, well developed in length, spacious, reaching down almost to elbow level. The region of the shoulder blades being flatter, the chest gets gradually wider towards the false ribs, which are short; seen in profile, it forms a change in slope. The ribs are long, slightly prominent. The forechest is slightly prominent in relation to the scapular-humeral articulation.
Belly : Well tucked up, the underline rises abruptly towards the abdomen.
TAIL : In shape of sickle or sabre, low set, thin, long. Passed between the hindlegs, it must reach up to the hip bone (iliac crest), furnished with abundant feathering. When the dog is standing naturally, the tail hangs downwards. In action, it is raised, but not above the level of the back.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS :
Forelegs clean, muscled, seen from the front perfectly straight and parallel. The height of the forelegs from the elbow to the ground is equal or a little superior to half the height at the withers.
Shoulders : Shoulder blades are long and oblique.
Upper arm : Moderately oblique; its length is barely superior to the length of the shoulder blade. Angle of the scapular-humeral articulation well pronounced.
Elbows : In parallel planes to the median plane of the body.
Forearm : Clean, long, of oval cross-section; seen from the front, narrow, seen in profile, broad.
Metacarpus (pastern) : Slightly oblique in relation to the ground.
HINDQUARTERS : Seen from behind : straight, parallel, set slightly wider than the forequarters. When the dog is standing naturallly, the vertical line dropping from the ischiatic tuberosity (point of buttocks) must pass in front of the centre of the hock joint and of the metatarsals.
Upper thigh : Well muscled, long, placed obliquely.
Lower thigh : Long, muscled, placed obliquely. The femoro-tibial and the tibio-tarsal articulations well developed, broad, clean; the angles must be well marked.
Metatarsus (rear pastern) : Not long, placed almost vertically.
All the articulations are well angulated.
FEET : Lean, narrow, of elongated oval shape (called « harefeet »); toes arched, tight; nails long, strong, touching the ground.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : When not hunting, the typical gait of the Borzoi is the extended trot, effortless, very supple and lifting; when hunting the charging gallop is extremely fast, with leaps of great length.
SKIN : Supple, elastic.
COAT
HAIR : Silky, soft and supple, wavy or forming short curls, but never small tight curls. On the head, the ears and the limbs, the hair is satiny (silky but heavier), short, close lying. On the body, the hair is quite long, wavy; on the regions of the shoulder blades and the croup, the hair forms finer curls; on the ribs and thighs, the hair is shorter; the hair which forms the fringes, the « breeches » and the feathering of the tail is longer. The coat on the neck is dense and abundant.
COLOUR : All colour combinations, but never with blue, brown (chocolate) and any derivatives of these colours.
All the colours may be solid or pied. The fringes, « breeches », featherings of the tail are considerably lighter than the ground colour. For the overlaid colours a black mask is typical.
SIZE:
Desirable height at the withers : dogs : 75 - 85 cm,
bitches : 68 - 78 cm.
In males, the height at the withers is equal or barely superior to that from the summit of the croup to the ground. In females, these heights are equal. Subjects exceeding the maximum height are acceptable provided the typical morphology is preserved.
FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog, especially:
Teeth :
Colour :
SEVERE FAULTS :
General appearance :
Head :
Teeth :
Eyes :
Ears :
Neck :
Back :
Croup :
Belly :
Tail :
Forequarters :
Hindquarters :
Feet :
Coat :
ELIMINATING FAULTS :
Behaviour / Temperament :
Teeth :
Eye :
Tail :
Hindquarters :
Colour :
Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
TRANSLATION : R.K.F., revised by U. Fischer, R. Triquet and J.Mulholland
Source of dog standard: FCI
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