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The development of the Borzoi breed spans 900 years and traces the tumultuous history of its native land. The Russian word "Borzoi", or, more correctly when referring to a dog, "borzaya", is an adjective literally translated as "swift" and meaning "sighthound" in English. The Russian name of the breed, russkaya psovaya borzaya, means "Russian longhaired sighthound".
The Borzoi has undergone many changes, included several varieties in the past, and had been influenced by various breeds over its long history. The country known for its vastness was dotted by estates belonging to landowners who prided themselves on their distinct breeding programs of fine sighthounds, developed over centuries and some numbering as many as 400 Borzoi at a time.
The Borzoi studbook was closed only in the late 19th century, when Borzoi fanciers saw an acute need to achieve uniformity and bring back some of the breed's lost original features, while holding on to the positive traits acquired from the more recent crosses. However, Russian breeders had only had a couple of decades to work on solidifying the Borzoi type, before the 1917 Bolshevik revolution put an end to many people's lives, livelihoods, endeavors, not to mention Borzoi breeding in Russia. In part, it is for that reason that the Borzoi comes in so many styles to this day, and they all reflect the composition and progression of the breed through time. Modern lines of Borzoi often have characteristics of one or more now-extinct varieties and breeds that influenced the Borzoi. It is this kaleidoscope of varieties and breeds, all quite different from each other, that has produced such breadth of styles in our breed. When reading the descriptions of the old Borzoi varieties or background breeds, one can surely find an example of a Borzoi in the rings or the field today that exhibits some of those characteristics.
A 12th century fresco in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, is the first depiction of a hunt using the so-called swift dogs, which had been used as both sighthounds and scenthounds in the region for centuries, bearing a look that is quite different from the present-day Borzoi. In the 13th century, the Mongol invaders brought Saluki-type dogs and interbred them with the leggy wolf-like native swift dogs. The resulting crosses produced an elegant and capable coursing hound, which eventually became a national treasure and a favorite with the Russian aristocracy. Tsar Vasily III, the father of Ivan the Terrible, was a great enthusiast of the breed. The original Borzoi were of compact format, possessed erect or semi-pricked ears, which over generations turned into rose ears; had thick neck frills, curved toplines, narrow but deep chests, rear legs set under body, straight tails, shorter necks, and long coats on the body, tail, and backs of legs in gold sable or grey sable colors in both self or spotted patterns. At the time, fast sprinting hounds were required for hunting on small clearings and forest meadows of Russia; so, the ability to accelerate constituted the main selection criteria.
After the great Northern wars of early 1700s, Russia gained access to the Baltic region, home to the Courland Wirehaired Sighthounds, which were tall substantial dogs with shorter legs, sickle-shaped tails, resembling Deerhounds in coat type. Russian breeders found the breed's size, strength, and fierceness impressive. The Borzoi/Courland Wirehaired Sighthound crosses yielded a new breed by the 1750s, known as the Courland Long-Coated Sighthound known for its courage, shorter legs, smooth coat on the head, fronts of legs, and tail, but profuse and very curly coat on the body. However, they were considered inferior to the Borzoi in elegance and speed; so, the resulting crosses were bred back to the Borzoi, eventually leading to the emergence of the Gustopsovaya Borzoi variety.
The Gustopsovaya, which literally means "thick-coated", represented the next stage of the breed's development dating back to the late 1700s. The Gustopsovayas possessed superior height and width, as well as a unique ability to accelerate on short distances. The dogs had high-set small ears, chiseled narrow heads with excellent veining, thick, curly, profuse, wavy, or curly feathering, and long coats in self-colored or spotted patterns and all shades of gold and grey, with or without sabling. The rise to their topline began closer to the shoulders in males, whereas the bitches had flatter backs.
While Greyhounds were first seen in Russia as early as the 1500s, many were imported following the Napoleonic wars of the early 1800s. By the mid-19th century, Greyhounds were systematically crossbred with the Borzoi to bring in more speed. Incidentally, the Greyhound is responsible for the brindle pattern in the Borzoi. In the early 1600s, the shorthaired Polish sighthound (Chart Polski) was introduced by the Polish nobles in the court of False Dmitry, the first impostor to the Russian throne. By the 19th century after consistent crossbreeding of shorthaired sighthound breeds to the original Borzoi, the Chistopsovaya [meaning "sparse-coated"] variety had emerged. They were best at short-distance pursuits and were known for their lighter build, good spring of rib, longer necks, elegant smaller heads with large eyes, plush coats, and shorter tails.
By the 1830s, the deforestation of Russia had altered local hunting practices. Breeders were dissatisfied with the Gustopsovaya's and Chistopsovaya's ineptness for long pursuits. After the Russo-Turkish War of the late 1700s, the country was flooded with drop-eared sighthounds. The answer to the Borzoi's shortcomings at the time was found in the Gorskaya [Mountain Sighthound], which possessed both great speed and stamina. This graceful, and well-proportioned sighthound had a slight rise to its topline, longer body, good spring of ribs, great depth of brisket, sickle-shaped or ringed tail, black eyes, drop ears, short coat, marked seam on its chiseled head, as well as prominent eyebrows and occiput. Among other things, Gorskayas introduced the black-and-tan pattern to the Borzoi.
Crimean Sighthounds, which were courser and more substantial drop-eared sighthounds, exhibited amazing stamina but slower speeds. They had smaller heads, level or sagging toplines, ringtails, great spring of rib, and shallower briskets.
Both breeds were extensively crossbred with Gustopsovayas, leading to the variety's demise in its pure form by the 1860-s. Borzoi gained stamina but lost its legendary speed on short distances. Also, many exhibited looser ear sets and ringtails.
After the abolition of serfdom in 1861, most landowners could no longer afford to keep their large kennels. As a result, many lines of Borzoi were lost. At the time, different Borzoi varieties and/or local breeds of sighthounds (Chistopsovayas, Gustopsovayas, Gorskayas, Crimean, and even Hortayas, also known as Russian shorthaired sighthounds) were consolidated and cross-bred rather carelessly. After the Imperial Hunting Society dog show in 1874, the Society's members agreed to close the Borzoi studbook in order to achieve uniformity and bring back the breed's lost features, the so-called ancient type (referring to the Gustopsovayas and Chistopsovayas), while holding on to the positive traits acquired from the recent crosses. In 1888, the Society approved the first modern Borzoi description, written by an undisputed authority on the breed, Mr. Nikolai Yermolov, whose family bred Borzoi for over 200 years.
The Perchino kennel (transliterated into French from the Cyrillic and pronounced "Pershino") belonging to the Tsar's uncle, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, was leading the efforts to bring the Borzoi to its former glory and uniformity of type. Using his vast resources, the Grand Duke purchased the best breeding stock from around the country.
Perchino Club Room with screen for evaluating Borzoi
He then selected for the features characteristic of the original, or "ancient" Borzoi type, which existed before the crossbreeding with Gorskayas and Crimean Sighthounds, at the same time keeping those breeds' positive contributions. The Grand Duke valued hunting ability and breed type equally. He bred structurally sound animals that had the ability for brossok (burst of speed, or, acceleration, which was a unique feature of the original Borzoi), as well as the bonus ability for long-distance pursuits (inherited from Gorskayas). Additionally, Perchino Borzoi were selected for such features of type as narrow heads with veining, dark eyes, high ear sets, straight or sickle tails and proper silky coat texture with profuse feathering, so as to bring back the original Borzoi aesthetics.
In the last two decades before the Russian Revolution, and shortly after it, around 200 Borzoi were exported to continental Europe, Britain, and the United States. There were strong breeding programs in the United States, France, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia, which ensured the breed's survival through the two world wars. The exiled Russian aristocrats, who had bred Borzoi in their native land, helped to develop the early breed standards in the West and guided the breeding efforts abroad through judging and publishing. Features of the Borzoi's ancestors and long-established old Russian lines are still seen in contemporary Borzoi producing a breadth of equally valued styles rarely seen in other breeds.
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