behind the occiput. It is not a fault if the
dog can raise his ears erect when excited or looking
after game, although some English judges dislike this
frequent characteristic. The head should be carried
somewhat low, with the neck continuing the line of
the back. SHOULDERS—Clean and sloping
well back, i.e., the shoulder blades should
almost touch one another. CHEST—Deep
and somewhat narrow. It must be capacious, but
the capacity must be got from depth, and not from “barrel”
ribs—a bad fault in a running hound.
BACK—Rather bony, and free from any cavity
in the spinal column, the arch in the back being more
marked in the dog than in the bitch. LOINS—Broad
and very powerful, showing plenty of muscular development.
THIGHS—Long and well developed, with good
second thigh. The muscle in the Borzoi is longer
than in the Greyhound. RIBS—Slightly
sprung, very deep, reaching to the elbow. FORE-LEGS—Lean
and straight. Seen from the front they should
be narrow and from the side broad at the shoulder
and narrowing gradually down to the foot, the bone
appearing flat and not round as in the Foxhound.
HIND-LEGS—The least thing under the body
when standing still, not straight, and the stifle
slightly bent. They should, of course, be straight
as regards each other, and not “cow-hocked,”
but straight hind-legs imply a want of speed.
FEET—Like those of the Deerhound, rather
long. The toes close together and well arched.
COAT—Long, silky, not woolly; either flat,
wavy, or curly. On the head, ears and front-legs
it should be short and smooth; on the neck the frill
should be profuse and rather curly; on the chest and
the rest of the body, the tail and hind-quarters,
it should be long; the fore-legs being well feathered.
TAIL—Long, well feathered, and not gaily
carried. It should be carried well down, almost
touching the ground. HEIGHT—Dogs from
29 inches upwards at shoulder, bitches from 27 inches
upwards. (Originally 27 inches and 26 inches.
Altered at a general meeting of the Borzoi Club, held
February, 1906.) FAULTS—Head short and
thick; too much stop; parti-coloured nose; eyes too
wide apart; heavy ears; heavy shoulders; wide chest;
“barrel” ribbed; dew-claws; elbows turned
out; wide behind. Also light eyes and over or
undershot jaws. COLOUR—The Club standard
makes no mention of colour. White, of course,
should predominate; fawn, lemon, orange, brindle,
blue, slate and black markings are met with. Too
much of the latter, or black and tan markings, are
disliked. Whole coloured dogs are also seen.
* * * * *
The foregoing description embodies the standard of points as laid down and adopted by the Borzoi Club, interpolated with some remarks for the further guidance of the novice.
The Borzoi Club was founded in 1892, and now consists of about fifty members, with the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle as joint-presidents. It does much good work for the breed, guaranteeing classes at shows, where otherwise few or none would be given, encouraging the breeding of high-class Borzois by offering its valuable challenge cups and other special prizes, and generally looking after the interests of the breed.