Breed: Russian Borzoi captivates and fascinates with his matchless harmony, aristocratic and truly regal beauty. Nature, helping people in the creation of this treasure, opened to them the secret formula of harmony and perfection. Harmonicity allows Borzoi to perform amazing beauty and perfection of movements, while developing a great speed. For hundreds of years, nature and man polished and perfected the appearance of this graceful animal. The result was a dog, whoes movements are quite comparable to the flight of birds. That is why among the owners of Borzoi are popular nicknames such as - Falcon, Merlin, Eagle and others.

There are many versions, reflecting the formation of this breed. Known is the fact (it is found in the archives of the XI century) that for the marriage of King Henry I of France and the daughter of Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise, the bride brought with her to France, three dogs, two males and female, according to the description very close to Borzoi. Today's most popular considered opinion of the famous Russian scientist, biologist, hunter, Sabaneyev, who reviewed the history of the breed. In accordance with his point of view to the XV century in Russia there was no hunting with the sighthounds.

The sighthounds at that time were not useful, as solid wood did not allow to hunt with the dogs, which require open space at catching the beast. The emergence of sighthounds in Russia Sabaneyev connects with the Mongolian invasion. During the conquest of the Middle East and Central Asia, the Mongols, of course, found some Asian and Persian sighthounds. Mongolian nobility was keeping these dogs for themselves. Obviously, during the conquest of Russia they brought the sighthounds as well. In the XVI century Ivan the Terrible, after the conquest of Kazan and Astrakhan, relocated many of the Mongolian princes to the northern provinces. They also brought the sighthounds with them. Then started the process of mixing the sighthounds with a strong, richly dressed, northern dogs. After Ivan the Terrible, in the XVII century, such hybrids were widely spread.

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich hunted exclusively with falcons, and if he hunted wolves and hares with the dogs - it was very rare. This did not prevent him from appreciating the sighthounds and sending them a gifts to the Shah of Persia and Western European sovereigns. By that time hunting with sighthounds gradually displaces the falcon hunting and the nobles of the Romanovs time, apparently entertained themselves by hunting with dogs. Peter the Great was not a hunter. For all the tireless work he made, he did not have time to entertain.

But his grandson, Peter II, was known as an avid hunter. By the end of XVIII century some kennels appeared in Russia, and some landlords were keeping packs of sighthounds. Later the owners of biggest kennels became very famous, like Prince Baryatinskiy - the owner of the famous "Beast". Even more famous were the huntings of a Count Alexei Orlov. According to the legend, he was the owner of all kinds of sighthounds. The hunt went to his outlying fields for hundreds of miles from the estate. Orlov also was fixing the units in Moscow to hunt the wolf and hare, for which invitations were sent to all nobles of Russia.

Revolution was a sad milestone in the development of the Russian Borzoi. It became nearly impossible to keep the sighthounds at that time. The main herd was shipped into exile, and the remaining at home Borzoi were declared "the dog of nobles" and became a subject to mass extermination. Such destruction and the elimination lasted for more than 15 years. As a result, the livestock of the Russian Borzoi suffered tremendous damage.

General Features: The whole looking of a Russian Borzoi gives you a feeling of speed. His head is long, narrow, dry. The transition from forehead to the muzzle is barely noticeable. The skull is narrow, oval. Occipital bone clearly defined. Length of the muzzle is equal to the length of skull, or exceeds it for 0,5-1 cm. The muzzle is long, straight, with a slight hump in the transition to the nose. Ears of the Borzoi are small,  high set, covered back and tightly pressed to the neck. Neck is long, lean, muscular, slightly arched. Chest is narrow, oval, well developed. The back is broad and muscular, moderately curved. Croup is long, wide, somewhat sloping. Abdomen is very neat, with a sharp transition from the breast. The tail is saber or sickle-shaped, thin, long, with a dense feathering. The legs of Russian Borzoi must be dry, bony and muscular. Paws are dry, narrow, slightly arched, with a tightly clenched fingers. Coat on the body is long, light and wavy; on the head, ears and front of the legs - very short. Feathering on the neck, the lower side of the chest and abdomen, the back of the front legs. The coat of Russian Borzoi comes in any colors.

Temperament: This dog really deserves to be considered as a pride of cynology. Russian Borzoi shines on all major international exhibitions and is always admired by visitors. This breed is fascinating not only the dog ??????lovers, but anyone who can appreciate beauty. Borzoi on the street - walking on a leash or running free in the park - always makes passers-by to stop and carry out admiring glances: "It's not a dog - it's a fairy tale creature!". Russian Borzoi is a true aristocrat, in his every movement, every turn of his head. Not for nothing the fanciers of this breed say: "This is such a magnificent dog, you always want to say to him: "Your Majesty."

With all the subtlety of the exterior Russian Borzoi has outstanding strength and a powerful grip. Borzoi is hunting wolves, and the bravest of them can handle the wolf alone. The hunting abilities of Russian Borzoi are well known. This is a dog for hunting without a gun. Normally phlegmatic, Borzoi on the hunt is transformed and alert - looking ahead and on both sides to immediately react to the rise of the beast.

Russian Borzoi is a sprinter with innate qualities of speed (up to 28 m / sec. or 90 km / h). This dog is not running, Borzoi flies, and he is catching up with the beast in a few seconds. A fascinating picture, which lasts for a few moments, gives the hunter a feeling of oneness with nature, a sense of overcoming and victory. Hunting with the Russian Borzoi is one of the most athletic, beautiful and fascinating, and with it - the toughest.

In the character of the Russian Borzoi there is a feature that should be treated carefully, namely, very vulnerable psyche. This dog sometimes looks like he can not stand up for himself. One of the German handlers with particular admiration wrote about the Russian Borzoi: "The nature of the Russian sighthounds is different from the other dogs. They do not have a sincere affection, they can let anyone to pat them and they are easy to change the bad owners. At the same time it's very unsafe to tease them -  at the slightest contradiction they show their teeth. These animals are very proud, they can not tolerate the slightest neglect."

Russian Borzoi is not a dog for many owners, not the one that can pass from one person to another. Perhaps it is not one of those dogs in which the novice must learn to handle the dogs. Borzoi remains faithful to the one who feels him, understands, who is not trying to suppress his will. Russian Borzoi will never be obsequious and servile, but he fits perfectly where he finds understanding and love. He is not an "open book" for strangers, but for his owner Borzoi is a very loyal friend.

On one hand the Russian Borzoi is calm, gentle, loving home, he is not the enemy of comfort and delicacy. On the other hand, he is a bundle of energy when it's his turn. Persistent hunting dog, that is paying no attention even to his own wounds when he is chasing the beast.

Total devotion to his master and a fine attitude towards people won for this breed a great popularity among the fans of all beautiful. And if you decided to purchase a Russian Borzoi, remember that he completely takes your life and creates a magical calm and peaceful atmosphere in your home. Borzoi is a very sensitive animal. He loves human interaction, always choosing a place in the house from where he can always see you.

Despite his large size, the Russian Borzoi gets along well as with other pets and small children, besides he is quite silent, and rarely enters into a lively game, only with the dogs that he knows very well. But Borzoi does not like rude attitude. In the house the Russian Borzoi is friendly, not intrusive and very gentle.

Health problems: The Russian borzoi is prone to bloat, so he should have 2-3 small meal a day instead of one large.

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