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Step 1
Appreciate the history of the breed. By the early 1900s, the species was disseminated throughout Europe and parts of America, becoming a popular gift between nobles. Of course by this time the fighting instinct was bred out of the borzoi, creating a fine companion good for fetching thrown lures as well as sighting game when hunting. The fighting instinct was largely lost, meaning that the borzoi may run quarry to ground but it would be unsure of what to do when facing an animal more inclined to fight back than run. There are a few select breeders in northern Russia that have kept borzois isolated and maintained their wolfhound tendencies, making them ideal for hunting large, fast game animals, but obviously they would be too dangerous to keep as pets.
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Step 2
Begin by looking at the dog’s size and build. A male should be at least 28 inches in height from the shoulder, a female 26 inches. A male can weigh between 75 and 100 pounds and the females are typically about 10 pounds lighter. Despite being so heavy, they look thin and lightly built. They have narrow chests and hindquarters, long and thin legs, and small paws. The tail usually falls all the way to the ground, a thick bottlebrush of fluffy fur.
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Step 3
Examine the dog’s fur. It should be long and silky, either wavy or curly. The colors can be white, golden, tan or gray with black markings, in either solid or mixed colors. An extremely thick necked ruff is characteristic of the species. The fur on the head itself as well as the lower legs should be short and fine.
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Step 4
Finally, look at the dog’s head. It should be extremely long and narrow. The muzzle should arch downward slightly from the front of the skull. The eyes should be almond shaped and very dark, either black or brown. The ears are long and floppy, lying naturally back along the neck. If the dog matches this description then it’s a borzoi.
