Borzoi

We're the Russian Wolfhounds, the Sowaya Barzaya, and we've been pretty much as you see us today since the 16th Century. Before that, crosses with the Asian Greyhound, the northern Laika or Saluki, and maybe some Russian sheepdog or other long-haired local canines produced a wolf-hunting hound for royalty. Imagine a pack of a hundred or more Borzoi dashing across the plains of Russia. Those were the days. The Borzoi was recognized by the AKC in 1891 as a wolf hunter and placed in the Hound Group.

• Adaptable to apartment life -- with ample exercise
• Affectionate, devoted family friend
• Agile and active
• Aloof and proud
• Always alert
• Born to run, happy to walk
• Busy is better than bored
• Classy canine
• Confident and self-assured
• Courageous canine
• Energizer doggie
• Even-tempered, good-natured

• Hardy hunter
• Independent thinker
• Intelligent and ready to learn
• Lives to work
• Loves kids and vice-versa
• Possibly aggressive toward other dogs, strangers
• Outdoors enthusiast
• Caters to the country, tolerates town
• Socialization and training must start early
• Spirited
• Steadfast and strong
• Stubborn streak
• Novice owners might be challenged with this breed
• Training must be firm, patient, consistent
• Wary of strangers
• Willing watchdog

I need you to start my training and socialization early, to be consistent and patient, and to be respectful of my sensitive nature. Warn children that I'm not some silky soft toy to wrestle with. And please remind me that cats are not for chasing. Now if you have all that, let's go for a run.

Some susceptibility to hip dysplasia and bloat. Also possible skin, bone, eye (PRA or cataracts), thyroid, and blood disorders.