SIROVNA BORZOI
If you are contemplating a borzoi, you must think of several things. Borzoi are sighthounds; this means that they are bred to hunt by finding game with their eyes rather than their noses, and then to run after it and kill it. Unfortunately this also means that many borzoi have the instinct to run after anything that moves, catch it, and attempt to kill it. This might include any small animal such as a cat, squirrel or skunk. For this reason, it is imperative to keep your borzoi on a leash at all times when it is not in a fenced area. Most borzoi breeders will only sell puppies to people who have fenced yards. It is also important to socialize your puppy with people and other animals. If your dog is to live with other, smaller, dogs, or with cats, you must teach it that these are not prey.
Borzoi have a lot of hair. Hair falls out about twice a year. You have no idea how much hair an adult borzoi has until you have to clean it out of your vacuum cleaner! For this reason, it is important to keep your dog brushed and clean. The more you brush, the less you have to sweep up. The good news is that borzoi are easy to groom, they don't mat readily as they have silky coats, much like human hair. The dirt also falls out of their coats pretty easily and they don't need to be trimmed or clipped like many other breeds. The coat is wash and wear.
How much exercise does a borzoi need? A young dog, up to about 18 months of age, should have a lot of free running exercise in a fenced area. If you have other dogs for it to play with, all the better, as they will exercise themselves. Until a borzoi is a year old, or, until the growth plates in its joints have matured, it should not have forced exercise except for walking on leash: no biking, running, jogging, etc. with your dog. The dog should be outside as much as possible and allowed the freedom to develop. After the dog is fully mature, it should be able to bike or jog with you with no problems. An adult borzoi doesn't need as much exercise as you might think to keep it in reasonable condition. Free exercise is always best. For show or performance conditioning, you should consult an expert.
A borzoi, or indeed, any sighthound, is not for everyone. They have special needs and special characteristics that endear them to those of us who love them. Go to a dog show, talk to breeders whose dogs you admire and get to know a borzoi - it will be worth the trouble.
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Dogs at Sirovna
BIS Am. Ch. Radozny Aviann Opium Asgard
Sirovna Berkeley Square
Bitches at Sirovna
Ch. Sirovna Coppelia at Clairidge
Sirovna Satin Doll
Sirovna Clairidge Miranda
Nickolai Pavlip Anisette
Lythe Sweet And Lowdown
Sirovna One Of The Roving Kind
Sirovna Swansdown
Bitches elsewhere
Coquetel Ode To Belskaya
Ch. Sirovna Clairidge Aemilia
At the Bridge
Our Bridge
Ch. Sirhan Zygmunt Breketovich
Ch. Sirhan Pavlova Antonova
Sirhan Sirovna Karsavina
BISS Can. Am. Ch. Aviann Occum's Razor
Ch. Nickolai Gambler Clairidge
BIS Can. Am. Ch. Lythe Sea of Dreams
Can. Am. Ch. Aviann Dance Among Stars