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:
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:
Seen from above, narrow, elongated into an oval shape; seen in profile, almost
flat.
Stop:
Very slightly marked.
Facial
Region:
Nose:
Large, mobile, considerably prominent in relation to the lower jaw.
Muzzle:
Long, filled out in all its length, arched near the nose. 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:
Teeth white, strong; full dentition; scissor bite or
pincer bite.
Eyes:
Large, expressive, dark hazel or hazel coloured dark
brown, very slightly prominent,
almond-shaped, but not slit-eyed, set obliquely.
Ears:
Small, supple, mobile, set on above the eye level and backwards, almost towards
the nape of the neck, the tips of the ears 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, carried rather low.
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 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 of 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, 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 little
superior to half the height at the withers.
Shoulders:
Shoulder blades 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 plane to the median plane of the body.
Forearm:
Clean, long, of oval cross-section; seen from the front, narrow, seen in profile,
broad.
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 true, 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,
places 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.
Metatarsals:
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. 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.
Colour:
All colour combinations, apart from any combination
including blue, brown (chacolate) and any derivatives of these colours.
Combination of colours: white and yellow of all shades; white and wolf grey (banded
hair, agouti); white and light fawn with black overlay, white and red; white and
red fawn with black overlay, white and brindle; white and black.
All
the colours above mentioned may be solid or pied. The fringes, “breeches”,
featherings of the tail are considerably lighter than the background 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.
Animals 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.
General
appearance:
