Borzoi - Commentary on the Breed Standard

ℹ️ This material is based on a DogWinner video interview recorded at the Eurasia 2019 Dog Show

Marina Ostrovskaya - judge, breeder, and expert on the Borzoi (Russian Psovaya Borzaya) | Eurasia Dog Show 2019

Interview: Sergey Sidorov / DogWinner

The Borzoi Is, First and Foremost, a Hunting Hound

To properly understand the Borzoi breed standard, one must first remember that this is a hunting breed, developed for great speed, an explosive burst of acceleration, and the pursuit and capture of game.

For this reason, virtually every aspect of the Borzoi’s anatomy is functional. Its unusual appearance and distinctive construction are directly related to the breed’s original purpose and its need to develop tremendous speed.

A Borzoi should not be short in body. A short-bodied dog finds it considerably more difficult to run at great speed.

Back, Loin, Croup and Topline

One of the characteristic features of Borzoi construction is the relationship between the back, loin, and croup.

In dogs of more conventional proportions, the loin is generally short and approximately equal in length to the croup. This relationship can be represented approximately as:

2 parts - back → 1 part - loin → 1 part - croup

In the Borzoi, the proportions are different: the loin is longer than the croup.

However, this must not be achieved by shortening the croup. The Borzoi’s croup should be long and strong, as it plays an important role in the powerful propulsion that drives the dog forward during the gallop.

The characteristic length of the loin is achieved through a certain shortening of the back.

This also creates the Borzoi’s distinctive topline. People unfamiliar with the breed sometimes describe the Borzoi as looking “hunchbacked.” This is incorrect.

The topline should form a smooth curve, with its highest point approximately over the first or second lumbar vertebra.

This characteristic arch is also functional - it helps the dog literally launch itself forward in the gallop.

The Loin - the Borzoi’s “Spring”

The loin performs an exceptionally important function. It acts as a spring that propels the Borzoi forward.

The loin must therefore be:

• broad

• powerful

• arched

• muscular

The croup should be broad, long, and strong.

There should be sufficient width between the hip bones (makloki) to accommodate a good-sized man’s palm - at least approximately 8 cm.

Head

The Borzoi is an extraordinarily beautiful and elegant dog, but its beauty cannot be separated from correct breed construction.

The head should be lean, long, and noble.

The head should be so refined and dry that large veins and blood vessels can be clearly visible beneath the thin, close-fitting skin.

The skin itself should be thin and fit tightly to the head.

Eyes and Expression

The Borzoi’s eye should be large and expressive.

This feature received considerable attention in old Russian hunting literature. Hunters even debated which bird’s eye the eye of a Borzoi should resemble.

Some believed it should resemble the eye of a woodcock or a wader - a large, gentle, expressive eye of a marsh or meadow bird.

Others argued that the Borzoi’s eye should resemble the eye of a falcon - also large and dark, but with a fierce, predatory expression.

Eventually, a fascinating conclusion emerged: the eye of a true Borzoi should resemble both the eye of a wader and the eye of a falcon at the same time.

In other words, its expression should combine seemingly contrasting qualities:

gentleness and nobility - together with fierceness, predatory intensity, and expression.

Ears

Correct ears are another very important breed characteristic.

Today, one can often see ears that are too large, heavy, low-set, and hanging alongside the neck.

The Borzoi ear should be small, tightly folded, and set very high.

The high set and correct construction of the ear allow the Borzoi to raise its ears when excited or intensely alert.

In traditional Russian Borzoi terminology, this position is called “konem” (конём) - literally, “like a horse.”

When a Borzoi becomes alert in the field, the ears can rise and become almost erect.

A heavy, large, low-set ear will never be able to do this - the Borzoi will not be able to raise such an ear “konem.”

Neck

The Borzoi’s neck should be long and oval in cross-section.

It should never be round in cross-section; a round neck is considered uncharacteristic of the breed.

The length of the neck is also directly connected to the Borzoi’s original function.

The Borzoi is a tall hound pursuing game at tremendous speed. At the moment of capture, it must be able to reach forward and seize the quarry without losing momentum.

Thus, the long neck is not simply part of the breed’s beautiful and elegant silhouette; it is part of its functional hunting construction.

Chest

The chest should be sufficiently deep.

Again, this is connected with function. A hound capable of extremely fast and intensive running requires sufficient thoracic capacity to accommodate what Marina Ostrovskaya calls “the heart of a catcher.”

Angulation

The angulation should be well defined, but never excessive.

There should be no exaggerated or extreme angulation.

The pastern also functions as a kind of spring, and therefore must have the appropriate slope.

The hindquarters should likewise have well-defined angulation, but without exaggeration.

Excessive angulation changes the entire breed silhouette. The Borzoi begins to resemble a German Shepherd: the dog becomes too high in front, the excessively long limbs have “nowhere to go,” and the characteristic Borzoi outline is lost.

The Rusachya Foot

The breed is characterized by the traditional "rusachya" foot (русáчья лапа) - literally, a “hare-like” foot.

It is an elongated foot with long, tightly closed toes.

The toes should not be short, thick, or fleshy.

This construction is also functional: the foot is the first part of the limb to receive the impact and load as the Borzoi moves and gallops.

Psovina - the Borzoi Coat

One of the most distinctive characteristics of the breed is reflected in its full Russian name — Russkaya Psovaya Borzaya (Русская псовая борзая).

The Borzoi’s coat is traditionally called psovina (псовина).

Correct psovina can be compared in quality to silk or an extraordinarily expensive fabric. It should be exceptionally pleasant to the touch and beautiful.

At the same time, the Borzoi should not be uniformly shaggy over the entire body.

Correct psovina forms beautiful feathering and furnishings: on the chest, beneath the body, on the thighs (“breeches”), and on the richly feathered pravilo.

Pravilo - the Borzoi’s Tail

Pravilo (правилo) - is the traditional Russian Borzoi term for the tail.

The name is directly connected with the way the dog works.

During sudden "ugonki" (угонки) - sharp changes of direction while pursuing game - the Borzoi uses its tail rather like a rudder, helping to steer and control its movement.

This is the origin of the traditional name "pravilo" - from the idea of steering or guiding.

What Does a Judge Look for First in the Ring?

When asked what a judge notices first when a Borzoi enters the show ring, Marina Ostrovskaya emphasizes above all:

breed type, refinement, elegance, and the overall characteristic appearance of the breed.

Next comes movement.

She summarizes one of the most important principles of evaluating a Borzoi in a remarkably concise phrase:

“No movement - no sighthound.”

The Borzoi is a functional hunting breed. Its entire construction - the topline, powerful loin, long and strong croup, chest, limbs, pasterns, "rusachya" feet, and long neck - must ultimately enable the dog to move with speed, power, and efficiency.

The beauty of the Borzoi does not exist separately from its function. Its refinement, elegance, distinctive silhouette, and characteristic breed lines were shaped by its fundamental purpose - the high-speed pursuit and capture of game.

A Short Glossary of Traditional Borzoi Terminology

Psovina (псовина) - the traditional Russian term for the Borzoi’s coat.

Pravilo (правилo) - the Borzoi’s tail; traditionally associated with its role in helping the dog steer and control its body during sudden changes of direction.

Rusachya foot (русáчья лапа) - the characteristic elongated, hare-like foot with long, tightly closed toes.

Makloki (маклоки) - the prominent points of the pelvis/hip bones; the distance between them can be used, among other things, to assess the width of the croup.

Ears “konem” (уши «конём») - the traditional expression for the position in which a Borzoi raises its high-set ears when excited or intensely alert.

Ugonka (угонка) - a sudden change in the direction of the quarry during pursuit by a sighthound.

Sukhost / refinement (сухость) - the absence of coarseness, looseness, and excessive subcutaneous tissue; an important characteristic of correct Borzoi breed type.

Source and Copyright

This material is based on a DogWinner video interview recorded at the Eurasia 2019 Dog Show (link to this video)

Expert: Marina Ostrovskaya - breeder, judge, owner of the Solovyov kennel, and President of the Russian National Borzoi Breed Club.

Interview: Sergey Sidorov / DogWinner.

This text is an adapted transcription of Marina Ostrovskaya’s spoken commentary, prepared to make the material accessible and convenient for study by a wider audience.

Copyright in the original DogWinner video and related materials remains with the respective rights holders.
The substance of Marina Ostrovskaya’s expert commentary and her original formulations have been preserved as faithfully as possible.

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